Cable label

[jnmeade]

What do you recommend for durable, legible, good quality labels to apply to computer cables? Some I'd use on equipment in use and others I'd use to label cables that I need to keep stored but don't use all that often - need to remember what they're for.

I've seen some of the commercial products - what do you like?

 

[Shawn]

Neat and clean...a P-Touch label maker with 1/4" tape and printed labels then apply to one of the connectors...cheap and easy, get Avery address labels from Staples and fold it over in half on itself with the cable in the crease and write on it with a pen...then coil up the cable and bundle each one with a rubber band or garbage bag twist tie.

 

[DaleB]

I bought a Dymo Rhino to label wires for my RV. Does a fantastic job, which it bloody well should considering the cost.

A much cheaper though somewhat more labor intensive option is to print paper labels and use clear heat-shrink tubing over them.

 

[denverpilot]

Neat and clean...a P-Touch label maker with 1/4" tape and printed labels then apply to one of the connectors...cheap and easy, get Avery address labels from Staples and fold it over in half on itself with the cable in the crease and write on it with a pen...then coil up the cable and bundle each one with a rubber band or garbage bag twist tie.

Depending on the quality of the label used, they often get caught on stuff on connectors and peel off. I usually make a "flag" out of the label and fold it around the cable itself if it's not wide enough to go around the cable width-wise. Sticking the label to itself, adhesive to adhesive, has never come off. If you're going to pull it through a right space, they will tear off, however.

We have a label maker at work that can handle the large widths to completely wrap normal sized cables, but for home it's not worth it.

If you can read your own handwriting, a super fine tipped sharpie and writing directly on the connector or even the cable is easily hundreds of times faster than mucking around with label makers, and you are the only intended "audience" of the label.

 

[RJM62]

On client work, I used nice, neat labels from a Brother P-Touch. For my own stuff, I used (and still use) white surgical tape folded over itself.

-Rich

 

[PaulS]

http://www.bradyid.com/


They sell all different types of labels, you can get them in an 8.5 X11 sheet to run through a printer. Wrap them on the cable, the material bonds to itself. They'll probably make you go thru a distributor, but if you get lucky and only need a few, maybe they'll send you a sample.


Good Luck.

 

[Kelvin]

If you can get the ends off (or are building the cables) I can print you what you want and mail them to you...along with clear heat shrink. Basically it is a label that has printing and is covered by clear heat shrink...That's how we lable our work in facilities...

For portable projects, my assistant has found a plastic type label we are using on our cables now that is submersible and seems to last even in extended periods of UV exposure...not inexpensive but we have these labels that are 5-6 years old on cables that look new...

Edit PaulS has sent a link to the stuff we use daily