Dymo Labeling tips ?

[KenRaven]

There were some tips recently in the Mag on cockpit labeling with a Dymo but I can't locate it can anyone help! Cheers !

[Cary]

I didn't see that article, but I've just started doing some re-labeling on my airplane, using a 160 Dymo thermal label maker, which I picked up on Amazon for $11. They're coming out pretty neat, for the most part--at least better than what was on there. I'm using white print on black background, because my panel is black. The neat thing about the 160 Dymo is the ability to vary the font, both type and size, and to make 2-line labels, and to put borders around the print. The old "squish the letters onto plastic tape", which always looked chintzy to me, is no longer necessary for home-made labels. It's not easy to stick them onto the panel all level with one another, but until the adhesive has fully solidified, they can be pulled off easily and re-applied.

Cary

[Mayhemxpc]

I will have to try to find one of those Dymo devices. I have been using decal water slide paper for laser printers. It is easy to line up as things will move around as long as they are wet. Flat black on a flat black metal panel looks not too bad. The Dymo sounds like an interesting alternative.

[nrpetersen]

3M makes weather proof white address labels that seem to stick like all fury. They come as an 8 1/2 by 11 inch sheet of 30 individual labels per sheet, and can be imprinted with a computer word processor and a Laser Printer. They are 1" by 2 5/8 inch each. The product number is 3800-B

[FlyingRon]

If you mean the old embossed into plastic stuff, unless you're planning to fly skydivers and can't spell worth a damn (I flew in a jump plane which had a dymo label that said PEETOT HEAT) I'd avoid it.

I like the Brother PTouch labeler a whole lot better.

[DaleB]

Ron, you do know that Dymo has introduced one or two new products since the 60s, right? The newer labelers do still depend on the operator for spelling, though.

[CarlOrton]

On my previous build completed in 2012 (so it's been awhile) I used a Brother Ptouch labeler for the panel. Clear tape with white font on a dark gray panel. Looked great. I wanted a less-than gloss sheen, though, so sprayed the panel with dullcoat spray. Looked great, so I put the panel on a shelf. About a month later I pulled it out for installation, and all of the dullcoat crazed wherever it was applied to the labels. I also used the EAA registration kit "WARNING! This aircraft...." premade label, and it caused all 4 corners to lift off the panel by about 1/8".

Not gonna do that with my current build.

[FlyingRon]

Ron, you do know that Dymo has introduced one or two new products since the 60s, right? The newer labelers do still depend on the operator for spelling, though.
Yes, but nothing particularly better for panel labels. I've got a couple of current labelwriters that I use for addressing packages and one for putting bar codes on wine bottles, but they are horrendously UGLY thermal printers compared to the pTouch stuff. The labelmanager is an attempt to compete with the pTouch but still lags way behind. The labelmanager can only print black on a few colors. The pTouch can do several different color printing on a variety (including clear) of backgrounds.

[steve]

Another vote for the Brother pTouch. 9 years flying and still looking good. I used black on clear with a black border box w/radiused corners.