I needed an inexpensive label maker and found this at Staples ($19.95 on sale). At first I was a bit irked by the apparent problems with the software (which automatically installs when you plug the label maker into a USB port on your computer) and this is where, I suspect, that others have had some problems. Brother did something very stupid with the software that is pre-installed on this device - they didn't bother to add an "update" feature. As a result, many people may not be aware that Brother has updated the driver, the firmware, and both (yes, there are TWO) label editors that work with the PT-1230PC. Unfortunately, you have to go to Brother's web site to find this out on your own.
Also, the default settings cause the tape to waste space while printing labels - it is necessary to hunt around a bit in order to determine how/where to adjust the settings but, again, the label maker can be set so that very little tape is wasted (especially if the same label needs to be printed many times).
Once that the updates are installed (make sure that you pay attention to the instructions on Brother's site) and settings are adusted, this turns into a great little label maker. Had it been less trouble to search around for software updates, I would have given this label maker five stars. Brother PC-Connectable Label Maker with Auto Cutter (PT-2430PC)
I bought the Brother PT-1230PC Label Maker primarily to create labels for hanging folder tabs and interior folder tabs. For hanging folders that take 5 tabs across, this means about a 2.2-inch label. For a simple task, I ran into several issues:
1. I like my label text centered. The P-Touch Editor Lite software installed on the device has a button with a drop-down menu to select text alignment: Left, Center, Right, etc. Unfortunately, it has no effect on the text you enter. Select Center and type, or type, select, and choose Center - it doesn't matter, the text remains left-justified. I searched Brother's support website thinking I may have missed something because they implemented alignment in some non-intuitive way, but there was no information about this topic.
2. As the label needs to be 2.2 inches long, I'd like to type the text and have the software adjust the size to fit a fixed length of 2.2 inches. The Editor Lite allows you to fix the label length, but it doesn't adjust the text size to fit: it simply lets the text overrun the boundary of the label. If you don't fix the label length, it will adjust the length of the label to the text - but not vice versa.
3. I knew going in this model has a manual cutter, so I was prepared to push a button on the unit to cut the label after printing. However, every label starts with 1 inch of blank tape. If you create a 2.2-inch label on screen, when you print it you will get a 3.2-inch label, with your text starting after that blank first inch. So in addition to using the built-in manual cutter to cut the tape and remove it from the printer after it prints, you have to use scissors or a knife to remove the leading blank 1 inch so your label is the length you intended.
This unit might be OK for you if you don't care about the length of your labels, or if your label text is skewed to one side of the label, or if you want to both push a cutter button AND wield a pair of scissors after every label. Otherwise, you might consider the PT-2430PC, which has an automatic cutter than not only cuts the label after printing, but apparently also cuts that annoying leading first inch of blank tape. I assume the built-in Editor Lite has the same broken text alignment; hopefully the full-featured Editor software you can download from Brother functions correctly in that respect.
Sigint is right. Every comment made is accurate even including the lack of text centering. I bought mine at Staples. I am returning it to them today. (I never return anything, particularly something this inexpensive, but this labeler uses batteries and tape way too fast.) If you do buy it, get the a.c. adapter Power Adapter for P-touch (costs about the same as the labeler). I gave the PT-1230PC two stars because it does work and because I should have known better than to expect anything usable from Brother for $19.95 (on sale).
If you want to download anything from the Brother site, you'll need the serial number. Not the number on the bottom of the labeler, but the one on the box (and nowhere else) that you were throwing away.
I have bought 2 of these units and love them. I've seen a few people complain that they could not register to download the software from Brother's site. That's because they didn't open the unit and find the serial number under where the label cart. goes. I was able to download the extra software and it runs fine with the unit. Even the included software is pretty nice. One thing I love is that there is no install needed for the basic software. The printer acts as a flash drive with the application embedded. SO it's easy to take it w/ you and connect to any windows (XP or newer) machine and start printing. I got my units for ~20 each and I couldn't be happier. You will need 6 AAA batteries, but that not a big deal. - Label Printer - Office Product - Office Gadget - Usb'
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