How to: Choosing a Dymo Labeller

Overview

Dymo has several ranges of labellers with their respective labels, and you need to choose the matching labeller and label range:

• Embossing (consumer)
• Embossing (industrial)
• LetraTAG (home)
• Dymo D1 (home/office)
• Dymo Rhino (professional, AV, industrial etc)

The first thing when choosing a labeller is deciding what it is you want to label, and then choose the type of label first, then work backwards to the label printer. 

For example if you just want to label things around the home and office, and the surfaces are flat and clean then the LetraTAG or D1 range should suffice.  Then it's just a case of looking at the ranges of labels - The LetraTAG labellers are the cheapest, but the labels only come in a small number of colours and only in 12mm wide tapes, although there is a specialist iron-on tape.  The D1 range has a much wider selection of colours, with size ranging from 6mm - 24mm - plus there are a few specialist tapes for curved surfaces and with better adhesives and water resistance.

If you're going to be labelling cables, curved/rough/dirty surfaces and need resistance against heat / water / UV / chemicals / Oils then you should look at the Rhino range of tapes.

The embossing labels are the very old style labels where the letters are physically embossed onto thick plastic tape, so are useful for outdoor use as they are water and UV proof (although the adhesive may not be).  The consumer embossers are super cheap but slow to use, as you have to emboss the label 1 letter at a time which is slow going!  The industrial embossers can print on metal tapes, but are very expensive!

Choosing the printer

Once you've chosen the range of labels you want, then choose a printer from the appropriate range.  For the D1 ("LabelManager" range) and Rhino ranges the important thing is to choose a labeller that can print the widths you require.  Generally speaking, as the printers go up in price so does the range of sizes it can take.  So the cheapest may only print up to 12mm, while the most expensive can print up to 24mm.

There is a slight hitch in the Dymo Rhino range as the popular Rhino 6000 is the only one that can print the 24mm tapes, and Dymo discontinued it!  Luckily, after some vigorous customer feedback, Dymo are going to "un-discontinue" it at some point in 2021.

We will be creating a list of printers in each range shortly, and will link those to this article as we go.