Wire Label Printer
The identification of cables, wires, and electrical components can often be messy and time-consuming if one does not have the right tools for the job. It is for that reason that wire label printers exist. They are a very useful and timesaving device that tradesmen use in cable identification. A wire label maker prints labels that are durable, have a long life, and are almost impossible to wreck and can be easily read. They use direct or thermal transfer technology to produce the labels. They are affordable, portable, and have many uses from the boardroom to the trade school to the job site.
You can get wire label printers in either a handheld or a desktop model. This is nice because you have a choice of device that's good for the type of job you need to do. If you take the printer right to the place where the wires are, a handheld is the ideal setup for printing labels. If you stay at a central location and print a lot of labels, then a desktop is the way to go. In either case, you still have the option of quite a few materials that printers can handle, and job software is still compatible with label materials.
Products
More Information about Wire Label Printers
The latest wire label printers have excellent user interfaces. Many have the familiar typewriter-style keyboards and large screens that make it easy to put in and arrange label information. Several offer USB, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi connections, so you can hook them up to virtually any device you might want to use for designing labels. Indeed, the very act of designing custom labels—laying out the text, choosing fonts, deciding on which parts of the label to emphasize—is part and parcel of the user interface.
FAQs
Is a heat shrink tube wire marker the right wire marker for most devices in control cabinets?
Yes, a heat shrink tube wire marker is an excellent choice for most devices in control cabinets due to its durability, secure fit, and resistance to environmental factors.
Can wire markers be made with magnetic tape?
Yes, wire markers can be made with magnetic tape, providing a temporary and repositionable labeling solution for wires and cables.
Wire labeling best practices
Identify the types of power on the wire.
If a large amount of voltage or current exists on the wire, make sure that the wire label shows that. Sometimes this is done by using a different color label on the wire or the wire itself is a different color, which is a form of identification and labeling.
The label should show where the wire is coming from and where it is going to.
By providing the origin and destination of the wire, operators interacting with that wire can more easily identify where it is going and how it might be routed. It also allows the operator to more easily eliminate that wire as a trouble spot when trying to troubleshoot electrical issues.
The writing on the label should be printed as large as possible to make it easy for the operator to read.
Use the correct type of labels.
Too often electrician simply use a piece of white electrical tape wrapped around the wire with some writing on it. While this is better than nothing, it is not the proper labeling method. The use of electrical wire labels should be used. Heat shrink labels are best as once they are attached and shrunk, they rarely move. Label printers allow the text to be very clear and legible.
Use the same labeling convention on every label.
This allows for continuity in the labels and allows the operator to more predictably read and interpret the information. Make sure labels are always oriented in such a way that they can be read without moving or manipulating the wire in any way, as this can lead to wires potentially coming loose and potentially causing dangerous situations.