We tested five label makers with a variety of price points and functionality. Two of those models –the Brother P-Touch Cube Smartphone Label Maker ($40) and the shrewdly-named DYMO LabelWriter 450 Turbo Label Printer ($73)–offer extended digital capabilities. They connect by Bluetooth to your smartphone (Brother) or by USB cable to your computer (DYMO) with capabilities that let you get crazy with your graphics and templates If that’s what you like to do. The DYMO Labelwriter 450 thermal printer can print postage and create up 71 labels per minute. None of these have I ever needed to do.
In order to use the sleekly designed Brother P-Touch Cube, you need to download the special P-Touch app, which right there is a deal-breaker for me, what with my can-I-just-pick-it-up-and-use-it rule. If you’re the kind of person to whom the idea of creating labels with the convenience of your phone appeals, this is the model to look into.
We tried the DYMO LetraTag ($18), which featured an alphabet keyboard, a slow-printer and low-quality labels that were difficult to remove backings of paper.
dymo label maker