I used the Brother P-Touch label idea for two or three years. They looked great, and I didn't have the problem of being unable to read my own handwriting. However, I gave up on the P-Touch idea a few years ago because of fading. At least in sunny Southern California the labels would only go about two years until they were just about unreadable. In a shady spot they would last longer. I'm back to plastic stick tags and a #2 pencil. I don't think there is anything better. I get my labels from Orion Garden Markers (http://www.gardenmarker.com/). I buy the 6" x .625" tags at $1.25 per 25 tags. For some pots of bulbs, I even buy blue tags for the winter growers and red tags for the summer growers. Eventually they will crack, but they never seem to fade, even in very bright sun. For big time applications, or hundreds of the same tag, a specialized thermal transfer printer is the way to go, but these start off at about $3,000. The cost per tag comes down to less that a penny each. The best for horticulture are made by Economy Labels, a division of Sato (http://www.label-it.com/). The nursery industry uses these extensively. Ron Vanderhoff ----- Original Message ---- From: "Blee811@aol.com" <Blee811@aol.com> To: pbs@lists.ibiblio.org Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2008 11:47:43 AM Subject: Re: [pbs] Fall Potted Bulb Labelling Project--machines In a message dated 10/21/2008 12:48:30 PM Eastern Standard Time, idavide@sbcglobal.net writes: So, I bought a P-touch labeling machine -- very reasonably priced at Office Depot or Office Max. With 3/4" tapes, you get two rows on the labels (1" tapes get 3 rows, but you'd need wide stakes). The only thing that has kept me from using these labelsl in the past is the slow letter-by-letter data entry to create the labels. Has anyone used any of the P-touch machines that connect with your computer so you can create labels from your existing database? If so, any recommendations or cautions? Bill Lee **************New MapQuest Local shows what's happening at your destination. Dining, Movies, Events, News & more. Try it out (http://local.mapquest.com/?ncid=emlcntnew00000002) _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.ibiblio.org http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/