Easy Label Printing

Michael S. Lasky

With most desktop label printers, threading the roll of labels into the device is a major hassle. Dymo's nifty, petite LabelManager PC eliminates that headache by working with rolls stored in pop-in cartridges that come in assorted background hues and print in different colors. Dymo promotes the product for labeling file folders, disks, shelf tags, and the like, but I found a shipping unit equally handy for creating address labels. In fact, the device's Smart Paste feature lets you easily create single or multiple labels from letters or lists. The $99 USB-based device installs quickly, and Dymo's software makes it a cinch to print vertically or horizontally in varied font sizes, with bar codes, images, or you name it. You can accelerate address printing by pasting text from a document or spreadsheet. The only downside: Depending on the width of the finished label (0.25 to 1 inch), the cartridges can cost as much as $25 per 23-foot roll. But that's the price of no-hassle convenience.