Recommend a label maker for network cables

[HCHTech]

Every label I've ever tried has never really worked for cables. Most of the time I'm working with cleanups of existing installations, so I'm labeling already in-place cables, usually patch cables and power cables. I've seen suggestions to use clear heat-shrink tubing over a label, but that doesn't really work since it would have to be large enough to fit over the connector and shrink small enough to come down to the wire diameter.

I really don't like the look of flag labels, or those zip-ties with label flags attached to the end. If you've found a good solution that doesn't involve buying a $3K label system, I'd like to know about it.

 

[britechguy]

If you don't like the look of anything "sticking off of the cable" like a flag, you're probably doomed.

Although I have not used it for this purpose, my partner is a gardener and we have been using the Brother P-Touch labeler for years now. The labels survive outdoors season after season with zero issues of letters disappearing. If you were willing to wrap a piece of their labeling tape around the cable as a flag of sorts, it would probably last forever. The tape itself is kinda-sorta mylar like. It's also pricey, but it lasts. You can get it in opaque background colors (white most likely for your purposes) or transparent.

 

[phaZed]

Dymo Rhino 5200 and White Nylon Tape. It will allow you to print labels suitable to wrap around the cable. Electricians use it for labeling wires in exactly the way you want.

 

[mikeroq]

I have a RHINO 4200. I wish it was big enough for the self laminating labels like pictured above. It can only go to 3/4 wide tape. The nice thing about it is the QWERTY keyboard.

I've been thinking of taking advantage of this offer from Panduit: https://pages.panduit.com/2021-dead-or-alive-promo.html, only downside I see the price of their cartridges. Some people online have indicated you can mod Epson cartridges to work (since Epson makes these for Panduit).

 

[HCHTech]

This picture:


...would seem to be the one sort of like I'm looking for, but what label size is this? The only one I can find looks to be the sheets like this:


Which certainly wouldn't fit in that machine. Plus, this form factor wouldn't allow for very many characters. I was hoping for a solution that let me print a label of whatever length I wanted that would either have good-enough adhesive to not fall off inside of a month like the P-Touch labels I'm using now, or have some type of separate lamination sheet that would be a cover wrap, sticking to itself well enough not to fall off in a month.

Do that make this style in a roll?

Unrelated label story - I have a buddy who does printing, and his biggest customer was a company that made metal studs for construction. They needed identifying labels that would stick to a metal stud and withstand being exposed to the elements during shipping. It took him the better part of a year to chase down the label material and adhesive that was "good enough" for this application. After finding the right combination, he had to have them custom manufactured, but his customer regularly ordered runs of several hundred thousand. 2 years into this odyssey several pallets of studs were in a shipyard somewhere and survived a hurricane, labels intact! He kept that customer for 15 years until he sold his business last year!

 

[Markverhyden]

The one @phaZed mentioned is popular. However you can also purchase sheet material that you can put in a laser or inkjet printer. That's the solution I've seen used in several companies like Apple Stores BoH. Search for "cable label paper"

1 x 1 1/4 Inch Panduit Self-Laminating Laser Inkjet Labels - 56 Labels

56 Labels Per Sheet | Clear/White | For Cat3 & 12-10 AWG Wire | Polyester |

www.showmecables.com

Personally I have a P-Touch since most the labeling I do is actual equipment and/or ports.

 

[Fred Claus]

Every label I've ever tried has never really worked for cables. Most of the time I'm working with cleanups of existing installations, so I'm labeling already in-place cables, usually patch cables and power cables. I've seen suggestions to use clear heat-shrink tubing over a label, but that doesn't really work since it would have to be large enough to fit over the connector and shrink small enough to come down to the wire diameter.

I really don't like the look of flag labels, or those zip-ties with label flags attached to the end. If you've found a good solution that doesn't involve buying a $3K label system, I'd like to know about it.

Amazon.com

 

[HCHTech]

Ah ha. The magic word to search for is "Self-laminating" labels. Like this. The tape is wide enough that you have room for a transparent portion that will wrap around and cover (so stick to itself) the bit on the white part of the tape. It's always amazing how these things seems unfindable until you know what phrase to search for to unlock the access. Thank you, @Fred Claus.

I see that both Dymo and Brady make self-laminating labels, so I'll check out both to decide. Good result!

I remember the first time I tried to get some D-Rings before I knew what they were called, back in the day. It was so frustrating!

 

[phaZed]

...would seem to be the one sort of like I'm looking for, but what label size is this? The only one I can find looks to be the sheets like this:

Those labels are called Self-Laminating Labels and can be found for the Dymo and other products like the sheets or rolls.

The label you pictured is from the Brady Labelling System which is pretty costly, but really good.

Amazon.com : brady labeler

 

[phaZed]

Those labels are called Self-Laminating Labels and can be found for the Dymo and other products like the sheets or rolls.

Amazon.com

You print horizontally along the top half of the tag, the bottom half is the "laminate".. your tag ends up only being as large as you need (setting) or as large as needed to fit your tag, etc... doesn't need to be as goofy as 2 inches for an "A" like this:

 

[britechguy]

Dymo Rhino 5200 and White Nylon Tape.

This is pretty much the portable version of the Brother P-Touch, so it would be better. The tape from these things tends to have a death grip, at least on fixed surfaces, all on its own.

If I were worried about cost and doing a ton of this I'd use one of these devices and just wrap a piece of clear packing tape around the cable to "laminate" the label. That's a "belt and braces" approach that's probably overkill, but you'd have to conduct experiments with these labels on ethernet cable over time to see whether they keep a "death grip" sans any lamination.

 

[HCHTech]

After vacillating for a couple of days, I went with the Brady M210. I got it a couple of days ago and It works great!

 

[phaZed]

Nice!

 

[Peperonix]

I cannot recommend a label marker, but I would recommend, when possible, buying cables in different colors as they make life easier.

Most of my power cables (desktop and laptop) are unfortunately black and this is a pain.

Cables coming with printers are sometimes white or light gray.
Additionally desktop/printers cables can be buyed in a few other colors (red, blue, green, yellow, violet, ...).
Although I never buyed such cables because power cables are very common, I think colored ones could help knowing instantly which cable goes to which desktop / printer / screen.

SATA cables and Ethernet cables are easier to find in misc colors.

USB 3.0 cables can easily be found in blue rather than black.