Do you know what the difference is between tapes for Brother P-Touch label makers?

Brother P-Touch label makers are the ideal assistant for labeling and organization in a wide variety of places in industry, the office, and the home. But do you know what all those letters in the names of Brother's tape product lines mean? We will be happy to explain it to you in this article and advise you on which tapes to choose for specific uses.

Brother P-Touch Label Makers

Brother P-Touch label makers are suitable for standard labeling of cables, wires, electrical switchboards, as well as for organizing various items in offices or households, such as binders, furniture, spice jars, or even a DIY enthusiast’s tools.

You can choose between desktop or portable, with a keyboard or without, with a display or without a display—there is definitely plenty to choose from. We have already prepared how to choose the right label maker for you in the article “Choosing the Right Label Maker – Basic Recommendations and Advice”.

So what are the types of ribbons?

To make full use of label makers, of course we need to buy tapes for them. All of them are sold in the form of cartridges that are inserted into label makers. Brother P-Touch label maker tapes come in various materials, sizes, and colors, but they do have one thing in common: they were specially designed and carefully tested to withstand even the harshest conditions. With excellent resistance to water, abrasion, chemicals, extreme temperatures, humidity, and UV / sunlight, these tapes will never let you down. Of course, with us you will find original ribbons from official manufacturers, but compatible ribbons also exist. They differ only in their lower price, but their quality is just as unique. So let's introduce the product lines and their labeling…

 

• TZe/TZ Series (standard)
  • Standard TZe and TZ tapes are the most commonly used and are intended for printing self-adhesive labels for marking on flat, smooth surfaces. Unlike paper labels, these are very durable and can last for several years even on flat surfaces.
  • They are suitable, for example, for labeling shelves, furniture, computers, and other electrical appliances. It adheres perfectly directly to surfaces such as metals, glass, plastics, or cardboard.

• TZe-S/TZ-S Series (extra-strong adhesive)
  • Tapes marked TZe-S or TZ-S are suitable for labeling on textured surfaces thanks to their strong adhesive.
  Just like standard TZe/TZ labels, they are laminated and therefore highly resistant to environmental influences.

• TZe/TZ-FX Series (flexible)
  • Is labeling cables, pipes, or other rounded objects your priority?
  So this type of labels is for you. They are very flexible and laminated, making them suitable for electricians and other tradespeople. It holds securely on a round or otherwise uneven surface without any problems.

• HSe Series (heat shrink tubes)
  • Labeled as HSe are only heat shrink tubes that are suitable for cable marking. After printing, these sleeves are threaded onto the cable and, after heating them with a hot air gun, they shrink and adhere to the cable.

• TZe/TZ-SE Series (tamper-evident)
  • These tapes from the TZe/TZ-SE product line are so-called security tamper-evident tapes; once removed, the tape is irreversibly damaged, making it impossible to reapply, and it remains visible where the tape was originally attached.

• TZe/TZ-FA Series (iron-on)
  • Thanks to these tapes, you will be able to decorate, for example, your T-shirt with a name label. Simply iron the tape onto any clothing or textile using an iron.

• HGe/HGeS Series (high-speed)
  • This type of tape is very similar to TZe/TZ tapes with standard adhesive and is equally suitable for flat and smooth surfaces. The only difference is in the speed of printing symbols on the label, which is why Brother refers to this type as “high-speed”.

• TZe-R Series (fabric ribbons)
  • TZe-R refers to non-laminated fabric ribbons with a velvet surface. With these ribbons, you can decorate any gift, or even a handmade product.

• STe Series (for electrolytic marking)
  • Tapes from the STe or STENCIL series are used for marking stencils for electrolytic marking of metals. Their designation begins with the letters STe.

• FLe Series (flags)
  • Brother FLe flag-shaped tapes are suitable for labeling cables and wires. The cassette contains pre-cut non-laminated labels that are quick and easy to install.

What else should you consider when choosing tapes for your label maker?

The most important parameter is how wide a tape your label maker can print. The tapes are manufactured in widths of 6, 9, 12, 16, 18, 24, and 36 millimeters. When choosing, therefore, focus primarily on this aspect first.

The length of the printed labels can be set individually. The total length of standard tapes is 8 meters, for HSe series tapes the tape measures 1.5 meters, and for STe tapes it measures 3 meters.

The second parameter is, of course, the color of the given ribbon. Each tape is intended for printing labels with a specific print color on a specific background.

With the most commonly used TZe-231/TZ-231 tape, you can print a label with black text on a white background, and conversely, with TZe-325/TZ-325, you will get a label with white text on a black background. There are really many color combinations, not just black and white. Among them are also strips with fluorescent colors labeled as "signal," suitable for printing warning stickers. You can recognize them by the fact that the classic designation TZe/TZ is followed by the letter B, C, or D. For example, such a tape is the one named TZe-C41/TZ-C41.

A separate group is also formed by ribbons with metallic colors. You can recognize these, in turn, by the designation TZe/TZ-M (e.g. TZe-M911/TZ-M911).

 

We hope that after reading our article, you now understand the labeling of tapes for Brother P-Touch label makers a little better. If you would like advice on this or anything else, please do not hesitate to contact us. We will be happy to answer all your questions.