Label Pen - Recommendation

[Ray]

I am a firm believer in either laser-printed or Brother P-Touch labels for my plants, but a lot of us like to hand-write stuff like dates of flowering or repotting, bloom stats, etc., on them.

I used to be able to get "Pilot Photographic Pens" (intended to write on prints) for a couple bucks each, and they were better even than the Sharpie Industrial markers. Unfortunately, they are no longer manufactured.

I contacted Pilot, and they sent me some samples of an "art pen" - labeled as "Pilot ultra fine point permanent type NO XYLENE SCA-UF". I wrote on a plastic label, and stuck it out in direct exposure to all-day sun and whatever Mother nature dumps on it.



After 3 months, I see absolutely no fading from the black ink. (The green was mostly gone in 3 weeks.)

[orchidsarefun]

Thanks. Just ordered on Am.

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[dope.fatboy]

Which brother pt label maker/tape do you recommend?

[Ray]

The standard TZ tape - black text on white - is the best. Some recommend getting the "industrial" version, but that only means an enhanced adhesive, and I have seen no issues with that at all on the standards.

Heck, I put my name on the bottom of a glass casserole dish 20 years ago, and it has been baked and washed any number of times, and the adhesive is just starting to curl at the corners.

[Baz in Oz]

Like you Ray, I record info on the back of my Brother P-touch labels.

I ended up settling for Mitsubishi Pencil Co's 'SUPER INK MARKER' which use an oil base ink. No sign of fading after a couple of years exposure to the elements.

I have found it pays to 'shop around' for the Brother tapes as prices vary from $21.95 to $31.88 in two outlets about a kilometre aoart.

Baz

[RosieC]

Hmm, will have to see if they are available in the UK. So far all searches have only shown USA sites

I'm using ultra fine sharpies but they fade quite quickly. I find anything that doesn't fade also doesn't have the ultra fine point and I find even a 'fine' point to be too fat when writing on small labels.

[dounoharm]

PENCILS....they work great!

[RosieC]

I don't get on with pencil. Standard thickness ones are too fat for my taste (just like "fine" pens). Ultra fine ones scratch and don't write well on the plastic tags (probably to hard a lead but all I can get in the ultra fine).

It's personal taste but while I know a lot of folks like pencil for me I would rather write with an ultra fine point and just don't like how fat a pencil usually is, just as I find a fine point pen to be pretty fat.

[Becca]

Originally Posted by Ray

I am a firm believer in either laser-printed or Brother P-Touch labels for my plants, but a lot of us like to hand-write stuff like dates of flowering or repotting, bloom stats, etc., on them.

I used to be able to get "Pilot Photographic Pens" (intended to write on prints) for a couple bucks each, and they were better even than the Sharpie Industrial markers. Unfortunately, they are no longer manufactured.

I contacted Pilot, and they sent me some samples of an "art pen" - labeled as "Pilot ultra fine point permanent type NO XYLENE SCA-UF". I wrote on a plastic label, and stuck it out in direct exposure to all-day sun and whatever Mother nature dumps on it.



After 3 months, I see absolutely no fading from the black ink. (The green was mostly gone in 3 weeks.)

Ray, do you know of any good online websites to buy these from?

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by RosieC

I don't get on with pencil. Standard thickness ones are too fat for my taste (just like "fine" pens). Ultra fine ones scratch and don't write well on the plastic tags (probably to hard a lead but all I can get in the ultra fine).

It's personal taste but while I know a lot of folks like pencil for me I would rather write with an ultra fine point and just don't like how fat a pencil usually is, just as I find a fine point pen to be pretty fat.

Try a mechanical pencil instead, both 0.5 and 0.7mm work fine. I use the standard HB hardness. That's all I use to make labels for my plants at work, and also the orchids. Some orchids have had a penciled tag for years, and it's still as legible as when it was written.