The portable label printer targeting the PA market

The good old days of the handheld label maker has been updated for the 2018 workspace and this cube of functionality is small, elegant and compact. Vincenzo Ferrara, staff writer at PA Life has been putting this little label maker to the test.

As soon as I received the Brother PT-P710BT Label Printer, I was worried they hadn’t sent me the right thing, as the box was no bigger than that of a small tablet device. From my experience of this sort of tech in the past, I was expecting something a little or a lot bigger than what actually arrived.

Upon arrival the device came charged, but just be on the safe side, I decided to charge it using the USB charging cable that came in the box. Within an hour I was sure it was fully charged and my printing adventure began.

Setting up the device:

As the device was charging, I read the instructions inside the box, which first showed me how to connect my smartphone to the printer using a Bluetooth connection. In total it took less than 30 seconds to connect the two devices.

The second instruction in order to use the device was to download the iPrint&Label app. An easy to use app that allows you to design and create labels quickly. It took me around 10 minutes of playing with the app to fully understand what functionality it was capable of, from names to contact information, barcodes and symbols.

Brother P-Touch Printer: Printing options menu

Size, weight and movement:

As previously mentioned, the size of the label maker was smaller than I expected. Once out the box and free standing it stands at 12.8 x 6.7 x 12.8cm, making it small enough to fit in a handbag or a rucksack.

It wasn’t heavy either, even when loaded with a fresh wheel of tape the device weighed less than 700grams. Perfect for when you need to carry it from location to location without the worry of it weighing you down.

As the device suggests, it is meant to be portable, using it within an office environment will cause you no trouble at all but to take advantage of this label printer properly, I took it to two PA Life events.

The first event, I used it to print name tags and when necessary I used it to print my contact details, which I could then stick to the back of a business card or the back of someone’s phone. Within seconds I had created the label and printed it. The automatic clutter meant that they always came out looking professional and clean cut.

The second event saw the device being used by several PAs – this is a device that targets PAs directly with its ease of use and speed of label printing. After downloading the app to their own devices, they were away and there was no stopping them. The feedback we received was all positive, with some of the PAs enjoying the novelty usage of the device because of the size and features that the app allowed you to add to your label, such as emojis. Many of the PAs loved how it could be transported with ease and used within just a few seconds. It’s a great tool for events and networking gatherings alike.

Connectivity:

The device connects to your smartphone using Bluetooth and is usable by downloading the app from the apple app store and the android app store. Connect to PC or Mac via USB and access Brother’s P-touch Editor software to create more detailed label designs.

Does it just print black and white?

Brother’s TZe tapes are available in up to 60 different colour and size combinations, so you can customise and colour coordinate your office space. You can print labels in six, nine, 12, 18 or 24 mm tape widths.

How long will one charge last?

According to the manufacturer the device should last around two hours on time but we’ve used the device on and off for the past three weeks from one charge and think that we have easily surpassed that two-hour mark, without any hesitation of the battery going flat.

The auto power-off feature automatically lets the machine turn off after a certain period of no key operation to help avoid unnecessary energy consumption.

Will it last?

The device is made using seven layers of material, the result is thin and extremely strong. The clever way it has been designed means that the thermal transfer ink is sandwiched between two protective layers of PET (polyester film), which protects the text against the effects of liquids, abrasion, temperature, chemicals and sunlight.

If you do have any problems, however, Brother offers a lifetime phone support warranty and a three-year device warranty.

Overall:

The Brother PT-P710BT Label Printer is an incredibly compact device designed to last. It creates high-quality and easy to customise prints with ease, the Bluetooth connection gave me no trouble. It was easy to use in the office, at an event or even while travelling on the tube during rush hour. I would advise anyone looking for a small label printer to try the device out or you’ll miss out.