dlstewart's Full Review: Casio KL60SR Label Printer
For a long time I have been curious about label makers that have a QWERTY keyboard. Imagine my delight when I saw the Casio KL-60SR on sale at my local office supply store. It did not take me long to go shopping!
Description
This label maker is designed to hold in both hands ... despite having a QWERTY keyboard. The machine measures 6 1/2" wide x 4 1/4" high x 2" deep. An overall silver color, there are dark gray accents along the top and bottom.
A sideway recessed teardrop design features an LCD screen that measures 1 1/8" x 5/8". This display will only show four characters a time, scrolling as more characters are added. To the right of the “teardrop” is a gray button that when depressed cuts the tape. The tape ejects from a slot at the top of the machine.
Beneath the LCD screen is the QWERTY keyboard. The word “keys” is really not an accurate description. The “keys” are actually rubberized buttons, which help the fingers to stay in place when entering text. In case you are not familiar with the term QWERTY, it refers to the traditional layout of a keyboard (or for those of you who remember typewriters ....). Since this keyboard is not composed of actual keys, it is not designed as a keyboard for touch typing. It can be done, but is difficult.
This machine has four small molded plastic circles on the bottom that pretend to be feet. The back side of the machine also offers two recessed hollows that naturally fit one’s fingertips when holding the label maker. A rectangular hole near one of the hollows displays the white label on the tape cartridge so that the cartridge information is easily visible. You cannot see how much tape is left in the cartridge through this hole.
The entire back of the machine easily removes. Six AA alkaline batteries fit into one side of the label maker. The other side is reserved for the tape cartridge, which contains both the label tape and ink reel. The cartridge is see-through so that one can easily determine how much tape remains. There is also a white label on the cartridge that lists the size of the tape, the type of tape, the color ink, and the model number of the tape. (For example, the sample cartridge that comes with the machine is labeled: 9 mm, clear tape, black ink, sample tape size 4m/4.3 yards and the model number XR-9X4.)
The Keyboard
There are five rows of buttons. The first button in the top row is the on/off button. The text formatting, editing, navigation and print buttons are also on this row. For those that are sensitive to shapes, the on/off button and two sideways scroll buttons are round. The other buttons in this row are square with the exception of the larger print button that is a rectangle.
Beneath the top row begins the QWERTY key layout. All these buttons are round. There is no large space key beneath the letters as on a regular keyboard. Instead, to the right of the keys is a button marked SPACE to place a space or spaces between text. Under the SPACE button is a button marked SET, which is used to verify certain settings. At the left of the QWERTY layout is an ESC (escape) button, FUNC (function) button, CAPS and SHIFT buttons. Next to the shift button is a button marked CODE.
Above the number buttons are hard to see symbols in green. Press and release the CODE key and then press one of the number buttons (or selected letter buttons) to type a symbol. Some of the symbols are a forward slash, hyphen, degree symbol or tilde sign. There are also symbols that are used when writing in different languages.
The Casio KL-60SR will take three tape sizes (6mm, 9mm, 12mm). It has only one sans-serif font but comes with three text effects (shading, underling, and drawing a box around the text). There are six character sizes, too. Note that the machine does not come with the six AA batteries.
LCD Display
As with most LCD displays, this one is best viewed when looking straight at it (not viewing it from an angle). The display is not large and can only display four characters at a time. Longer text strings start to scroll so that only the last four characters are visible at a time.
Around the LCD screen is wording for various functions. A small symbol appears to the side of the wording to show that the function has been engaged. To the left of the LCD screen are prompts for the Function, Shift, Code and Caps features. Above the screen are symbols to show whether the text is being Shaded, Underlined, or Boxed. To the right of the LCD screen is the word MIRROR to show whether the machine is set to print mirrored text. There is also a spot marked ׄ mm” to indicate if the smallest tape is installed since this narrow tape will only hold one line and not two lines of text.
Set Up
This label maker comes in blister packaging surrounded by heavy clear plastic. The easiest way to gain entry is to take a pair of scissors and cut off the left, right and top edges of the packaging ... leaving the bottom of the package whole to act as a hinge. Inside the package you will find the label maker, one cartridge and three sheets of large paper printed on both sides that act as the “instruction manual”. One sheet is printed in English, one in Spanish (and both say the same thing). The other sheet is an order form for replacement parts such as cartridges.
It is simple to open the back of the label maker. A circular area at the top of the machine is marked with four raised dots and the word Open. Simply press down on the word Open and pull open the back of the machine. A diagram shows how the six AA batteries are installed. If the batteries are low, the word BATT will appear in the LCD display when it is turned on.
Clear step-by-step instructions are supplied for installing the label/ink cartridge. When finished installing the batteries and cartridge, replace the back of the machine.
Turn the machine on. If an ERR message appears, push the SET button to initialize the machine. I had to do this, and the label maker worked fine once initialized.
My Experiences
I couldn’t wait to start making labels! The package comes with one sample cartridge that contains 4.3 yards of tape. The tape is clear with black ink. Even though the tape is clear, the tape is backed with a pale blue paper so that it is easy to see the print on the clear label.
After turning on the machine, type the text, numbers or symbols you wish to appear on the label. The rubberized keys are easy to operate. Press the CAP button to type in capital letters, and press the button again to return the characters to lower case. It is easy to insert a symbol, though I found the hyphen looks more like a dash. If a mistake is made, press the BS (backspace) button to erase as many characters as you wish. To delete every letter typed, press the FUNC (function) button and then the DEL button.
I couldn’t understand why sometimes the function and code buttons worked until I realized they had to be pushed and then released before the next button was pushed. Once I understood this technique, I had no trouble.
Entering the text is easy. You can enter 63 characters or less per label. This machine has limited formatting capabilities. For instance, it only has one sans-serif font and cannot italicize text. The shading feature places a light array of dots behind the text. The “boxed” effect draws a rectangle around the typed text. The machine can also underline. I’m not sure how useful a feature this is, but hold down any character button and it will repeat at high speed until the button is released. Another limitation is that even though six character sizes are available, the sizes cannot be mixed on a label. The LCD display always shows the same size character, too, so it is necessary to make sure the correct size type is specified.
Once formatting options are chosen, the machine will retain the settings in memory until the machine is turned off. When the machine is turned back on, the settings return to the default selections. Also, if the batteries fail during label operation, all information is lost and must be reentered.
My biggest challenge was deciding what size to print the text. The instructions come with a chart that list the various type sizes and whether the type will cover one line or two (since this label maker can type two lines of text on a label). I just wish the chart included samples of the text sizes. I had to experiment to decide which size worked best for me. Since most of the labels I print are one line of text, I prefer using the 2x2 size (which equals 5mm x 5mm according to the chart). When I tried the 2x3 size, the text became bolder and stretched out longer. The 2x1 size was too small, and I did not care for the stretched-out text in the 1x3 size. As I said, experimentation is necessary. The smaller the text, the smoother the lines that form each character. When the text is enlarged, more jagged edges appear ... I especially notice this in angled and curved letters such as the “W”and “S”.
Printing the label is simple. When finished typing and formatting the text, press the PRINT button. The tape ejects from the top of the machine. When the tape is finished printing, press the large gray CUTTER button. The cutter is great, producing a sharp clean cut. One annoying fact is that this printer wastes label tape by leaving a 3/4" of blank tape at the front of the text and 3/4" of blank tape after the text. Peeling the paper backing from the label back can be a bit tricky as there are no helpful perforations or peel-off sections. I have to work the label back and forth until the edge of my fingernail wedges between the two label pieces to separate front from back. The adhesive is good, though. The labels stick well.
The ink sets well on these labels. I have had no incidents of smudging. I use a Sharpie Twin-Tip Permanent Marker on these clear labels to write additional text. The Sharpie writes well on the clear label; I just give the marker ink a moment to set before touching it.
Purchasing & Supplies
I couldn’t resist buying the Casio KL-60SR when a rebate offered the machine for free! This machine sells for $19.99 at Amazon.com, BestBuy.com and Staples.
Each tape/ink cartridge holds 26 feet of tape. Office Depot sells a 2-pack of the 9mm black ink on white tape for $27.35. Staples sells a two-pack of the same tape size and color for $25. 49.
The accessory flyer that came with the machine lists the variety of tapes available: black on white, black on clear, black on red, black on yellow, black on blue, black on green, black on gold, black on silver, red on white, blue on white. Note that not all size tapes come in all colors. The 9mm tape comes in all of the above colors.
Update -- November 10, 2007
I thought you would like to know that this labeller is still working great. No problems!
Summary
The Casio KL-60SR is a nice little label machine. It doesn’t offer a lot of fancy font or formatting options, but it prints clear easy-to-read labels. It also helps that a variety of colored tapes are available, which makes it great for color-coding labels for work projects or organizing a workshop, laundry room or pantry area.
I also own a Dymo Letra Tag label maker, and I find the Casio KL-60SR more intuitive and easy to use. However, the Dymo Letra offers a wider variety of labels (including metallic labels) and fun symbols such as smiley faces and music notes. If you are looking for a basic label maker, then the Casio KL-60SR is a good machine. And if you are able to buy it with a rebate that makes it free, it’s even better!
I hope you have found this review useful.
Enjoy your day,
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com
Additional Information
Casio, Inc.
570 Mount Pleasant Avenue
P.O. Box 7000
Dover, NJ 07801
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