It Aint Heavy - Brother P-Touch Electronic Labeling System PT-1900
Written: Feb 24 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easy to use - Easy to read, clear labels - Labels really stick
Cons: Expensive tape refills, weak 90 day warranty
The Bottom Line: An excellent tool to create clear labels for household or office use. Plenty of options, excellent quality but expensive tape refills.
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| michiman1's Full Review: Brother P-Touch Electronic Labeling System PT-1900 |
A portion of my job entails following up on installation crews and turning up equipment in nearly every telephone central office in the state of Michigan. Anyone who has experience in a central office is painfully aware that proper labeling of equipment is essential and the Brother P-Touch Electronic Labeling System PT-1900 certainly solves all my labeling needs.
Out of the box, the Brother P-Touch Electronic Labeling System PT-1900 is powered by 6 - AA alkaline batteries which were actually included. For occasional use, powering with batteries may be sufficient. While the batteries do exhibit an extended life-span operating this device, I still suggest purchasing the optional AC adapter. Battery operation will only be sufficient for users with limited use or for short durations of time. The model AD-60 AC adapter which plugs into any standard electrical outlet can be purchased for about $24.99.
This electronic labeling system will store and print text in 2 fonts, with 8 different type styles and can be printed in 8 sizes. These options should supply users with sufficient versatility to complete any task. Print styles available include normal, outline, bold and shadow. In addition, each of the four styles may be combined with italic and vertical printing.
Users may display up to 10 characters at a time when using the single line display(20 at a glance in dual line mode). You will find the memory buffer will store over 90 characters before reaching it's capacity. The contents of the buffer may be left in the device and retrieved upon powering up the PT-1900 on it's next use. For your convenience, the typed characters, the current font, type size and type style are also shown on the display.
Inputting text into the Brother P-Touch Electronic Labeling System PT-1900 is extremely simple and achieved by typing into the QWERTY style keyboard. This keyboard gives users a nice choice of special characters and additional mode functions. Your ability to change type font, style and size as well as a variety of other functions is very intuitive.
I have had the occasion to use several other label makers over the years and always found cutting the tape with a manual tape cutter ended up with mixed results. Brother included a built-in automatic tape cutter in the PT-1900 model. The automatic cutter on this model leaves a clean cut and avoids the aggravation and waste of mis-cut tape which I had previously experienced on other labelers.
Should you consider saving a few dollars and decide on a different Brother model or one by a different manufacturer, I strongly suggest picking a model with the automatic tape cutter. Time wasted readjusting jammed tape as well as the expense associated with the wasted tape itself will make you glad you chose a model with an automatic cutter. My experience with manual cut machines has always been less than adequate. At times it has taken six or more attempts to align a new tape in one of the manual cut style machines. The PT-1900 has yet to mis-cut a tape.
In addition, the Brother P-Touch Electronic Labeling System PT-1900 accepts tapes in widths of 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", 3/4". The choice of tape colors and sizes offer up more flexibility in your labeling needs.
Tapes with either black, white, gold, clear, red or blue text are available with a variety of background colors including:
White
Gold
Black
Pink
Red
Silver Matte
Green
Clear Matte
Blue
Fluorescent Orange
Yellow
Looney Tunes™
Pattern
Clear
Purple
This does bring me to my one disappointment. Although they do last some time, a cartridge containing 26.2 feet of standard 1/2" tape will run you $17.99. I do find this price to be something that should be considered before purchasing a Brother labeler and may be an actual reason not to purchase for some.
While on the subject of cost, the Brother P-Touch Electronic Labeling System PT-1900 was a steal as far as I was concerned at $79.99. The original purchase did include the 6 -AA batteries and one starter tape. We did have to purchase the carrying case and AC adapter separately. The model 6994 carrying case is listed at $29.99 and carries the labeler, AC adapter, several extra tapes and with a bit of luck... the manual. And as previously mentioned, the AD-60 AC adapter is available for $24.99, but a must for regular users.
The PT-1900 is covered by a 90 day/1 year limited warranty. The manufacturer will replace or repair any machine malfunction reported within the first 90 days following purchase. Brother will offer a parts warranty(excluding labor) on issues reported after 90 days but less than one year. Although I have yet to experience any difficulties with my machine, I am a bit surprised at the lack of backing Brother is offering here.
Despite the weak warranty and over-priced refills, the Brother P-Touch Electronic Labeling System PT-1900 is still a great choice to complete all your labeling needs in either home or office. Based on the included options, cost and performance of my machine, I have no qualms offering up a full five star recommendation.
To contact Brother via phone or USPS:
Brother International Corporation
100 Somerset Corporate Boulevard
Bridgewater NJ 08807-0911
1-877-478-6824 for specific P-Touch information
Recommended:
Yes
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