Of all the office supplies that workers rely on everyday, I’m willing to bet that labelers probably don’t rate very high on the list of priorities that office and purchasing managers take much time to consider. If a company even acknowledges the need for a new labeler, they most likely want it cheap, with low maintenance, quality performance, and a long shelf life.

Employees that use labelers on a regular basis understand that all of those qualities typically are not co-dependent. Money is often sacrificed for low maintenance and performance. Quality is typically downgraded when price is lower.

Somehow, many CFOs are still convinced that these two qualities can co-exist. However, the psyche of a career accountant is another blog post in itself.

So, to try and help businesses of varying sizes (and their office or purchasing managers) try to figure out what type of labelers are the best choice for their business, the following information should provide helpful.

NOTE: there are obviously other types of labelers to choose between, but these three are generally the most commonly used for a variety of applications. Contact a supplier guy or an industrial label machine manufacturer if you have any detailed questions.

Why Handheld Labelers May Be Best For Your Business

Handheld labelers are probably the most commonly found label machines in offices today. They are easy to transport and very convenient to use for almost any person in a typical office setting.

Also referred to as “personal labelers”, these machines are pretty basic in both form and function. The most advanced models typically have raised keys that make it easy to type data in and have the ability to print up to two lines of text on one label.

As far as business applications, these labelers aren’t really useful for anything more than making ID tags for folders, name badges, and small products that require a “property of” tag. Almost all business have a labeler like this sitting around, and this style of labeler can do wonders for administrative tasks, but not much for highly repetitious projects.

Why Desktop Labeling Systems May Be Best For Your Business

A step up in performance and application from the handheld labeler, desktop labeling systems can be portable – but also commonly have the ability to connect to a PC for more advanced features. Since many of them can connect to a computer, there’s a lot more potential for printing, label memory, and space for content.

In retail settings, you will often find these labeling systems used because of the ease with which they produce 2-color price tagging and receipts. Address labels are also easily printed by these labelers, so large companies that have a corporate mail room may also use these in those settings.

For business applications, these labelers are great for common, low volume projects and everyday repetitive tasks. Desktop labelers are not equipped to handle high volume industrial tasks, but are almost too advanced and too expensive for being used for simple name badges.

Why High Speed Label Applicators May Be Best For Your Business

If you are manufacturing products or creating personal packaging for home made products and selling them in bulk, then a high speed label applicator may be the right choice for your projects. Typically used in industrial settings as part of the packaging assembly line, high speed label applicators like the one to the left are designed for high volume applications.

As far as a pricing comparison to the desktop labeler and handheld labeler, high speed applicators are BIG BOY products – often costing in the $1,000′s as opposed to the $100′s. Also, while the desktop labeler is able to connect to a PC, industrial high speed labelers often come equipped with their own touch screens and printers, creating a complete label machine. Many of these labelers can also accommodate products that need multiple labels.

To be fair, you won’t find labelers like this in most common office settings – it simply doesn’t make sense. Large corporations that do heavy amounts of direct mailings may have a need for a labeler like this. Most often, however, these labelers are meant for high volume, high repetition projects commonly found in industrial workspaces. Quality is often very professional with these machines and while they produce great results, they are pretty unnecessary at places like Dunder Mifflin.

If anything, hopefully you learned a thing or two about some different varieties of labelers after reading this post. Many people will still use handhelds even if they could get more out of a desktop, and some businesses may need an industrial labeler even if they can’t afford it at this time. Making the right choice for your business needs is important, thought, even if a label machine seems like a pretty lame thing to spend a lot of time analyzing.