I bought the PT 2600 last Oct and it has the USB interface; of course it is collecting dust on my desk. I keep using my old one because I have not gotten the book out and read what to do. (Procrastination).
Wanda, I'm going to go looking for "Chain Print".
I went out and took pics of my metal plant markers but can find the cord to transfer them to show you. But most of them are fine.
The ones closer to the road that I left up tall are mangled because of the wet snow that was piled on them, which I can straighten them and push them way into the ground.
But they also have some kind of white splotchy corrosion on them; I am guessing that is from the chemicals they spray on the icy roads.
Labeling?
I have a nice laser printer sitting out in the garage, two cartridges with it and it's doing nothing but collecting dust. I think I am going to buy the white weatherproof labels, transfer my Excel spreadsheet and knock out about 700 labels. LOL It looks like the least you can buy is 100 sheets, which is 3000 labels. That should keep me busy for a bit.
Thanks to all of you that have shared your ideas!
Chele, that's how I do it, except I just use clear labels.... Of course, I'm not running a business, so, if my labels are prominent I don't mind.. :) Err, I mean NOT prominent....
Diann
This message was edited Mar 31, 2007 5:05 PM
I spent yesterday cleaning my daylily beds. My daylily markers, using the zinc plate, 20", EON markers and the P-touch 1/2" TZ Tape(black on white, came with the unit) made it through their first winter. There was some damage to two of the plates(they were bent. I suspect the deer), but the labels held up nicely. I used an indelible marker on the back of the plate to further identify the plants. They held up well too.
I am using a cheap P-touch 1250. That is my year one review. :)
I don't have deer, but snowblowers and the weight of the snow and heaving sometime wreaks havoc. Part of the spring ritual here is bending back the markers and sticking them back in. It cheers me up. (Not to mention a lot of the snow being gone!)
Badseed you can buy them by the sheet! Check out this page
http://www.labelsbythesheet.com/items/water-resistant-vinyl-labels~inkjet-/ultra-water-resistant-vinyl-rectangle-inkjet-label/1-x-2-5-8-rectangle-ultra-water-resistant-white-vinyl-inkjet-label-sheetbrusually-ships-same-day-wv3-detail.htm
I bought 10 sheets with shipping it was under $16. (that was 300 labels!) which gave me a chance to try them out and see if I liked them. I also have a template I got elsewhere that fits these sheets perfectly. I email you a copy if you want. It's for Word.
MollyD
Just wanted to add that I always throw the tag the seller includes into the hole with the plant, That way if the label is damaged or the markers is moved you can id the plant by digging it up and reading that label. Lesson learned the hard way!
MollyD
Did anyone get in on this co-op? I wonder how good these labels are?
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/703957/
Molly, I do that too. Some of the labels I've dug up have been 5 years old & still legible!
I've got corrosion on a couple of stakes that were within a couple feet of the drive--I know the salted ice 1/2 inch thick was thrown there when I cleared the drive after a storm.
Wanda, how do you clean off the corrosion; I have some of that too.
I don't know. My one stake was mangled too, so I just threw away the metal tag & added a new one to the stake.
Chef,
I ordered from that co-op. It just closed on Friday. I had some from that other page I linked to and they were great. I'm hoping these are as good. The ones I already have are like a thick vinyl covered paper. Very hard to tear.
MollyD
EON marker co-op is now open! http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/708316/
Did my first order. Hope it runs into May so I can order some more.
MollyD
Chef,
I bought 3 dz of these co-op labels and now I'm sorry. They aren't as good as the ones I got from the other company. Those feel like vinyl, these feel more like paper. They just arrived today and I'm a bit worried about using them and loosing names. They just don't look like they'll stand up to the weather. Has anyone else used this particular company's product? This is their web site:
http://www.onlinelabels.com/Templates/OL875.html.
The other ones I bought came from http://www.labelsbythesheet.com/items/water-resistant-vinyl-labels~inkjet-/ultra-water-resistant-vinyl-rectangle-inkjet-label/1-x-2-5-8-rectangle-ultra-water-resistant-white-vinyl-inkjet-label-sheetbrusually-ships-same-day-wv3-detail.htm
a bit more expensive but worth it. I don't blame the co-op organizer since I should have checked the product out more carefully. She sent me what I bought so she has no fault here.
MollyD
All I know is that the industy adhesive strength Brothers P Touch labels have saved me HOURS of crawling thru my gardens & re-inking lables. And so much more legible than my nasty handwriting!
Oh I like the P-Touch but it was getting way too expensive for me. With the label sheets I can run off the same amount or more that one cartridge gave me for under $2. Now if they'll last as long things would be perfect.
Anyway I just ordered more of the ones I did like. Not sure what I'm going to do with 36 sheets of these I don't like. Maybe use them for greenhouse seedlings. Then use the good ones on those who actually get into the garden.
MollyD
Thanks Molly! I had that website pulled up the other day and managed to close it before I ordered. sigh...I am going to go back and buy some and see how they do. I have at least 500 hems to mark, three dozen hosta, all kinds of lilies and other bulbs so.........
Hey, while we are discussing labels...do you all use the good metal markers on seedlings or use something more temporary? Looking at 3 plus years to decide if you really want them or not, I hate to risk losing the cross info.
You could always use the co-op labels on the back side of your plant marker.. Maybe if it doesn't have the brunt of the elements it will be ok...
That's an idea Ticker.
Chele I do use metal markers for my seedlings but then I don't have thousands (LOL). I have too much invested in them to chance loosing their ids plus I can always re-use them if I decide to toss a seedling.
On labels you were talking about the Labels by the Sheet site, right? Their Ultra water resistant labels are the ones I buy. Those are great!
I'm going to test those co-op labels by using them to label my other garden plants and my no-id (I number them) daylilies. Anything that I can identify on site will get those labels. I'll see how they come through winter and let you guys know.
MollyD
Molly, I had looked at white weather proof for laser printers. I'll have to pay close attention and order the right ones. Hmm, when will it be quiet here????
Chele, do you have any duct tape? ;o)
You know I do! LOL
Molly, I just looked and the labels I was looking at were not from the same company. I had the link from the co-op but for weatherproof laser labels. http://www.onlinelabels.com/Templates/OL875.html
Were the ones from the co-op also weatherproof?
Wow, those are expensive critters. I think I'll stick to my Avery clear address labels for my laser printer...
Diann
Chele,
the co-op ones are suppose to be weatherproof but they just are not as thick as the others. The other brand has a vinyl finish to it. When you pull on their labels they stretch like plastic instead of tearing. Each sheet feels heavy too.
Buy a few sheets and see what you think. They don't make you buy any particular number. If you want I'll send you a sheet of the co-op ones so you can compare them. You'll see what I mean.
MollyD
Well I ordered some from online labels just to try them because I thought I missed the Co-Op. I am using P-Touch in the garden.
Last year I used Avery labels on my seedlings and when I got them wet they fell off (guess I better be more careful when watering). So this year I will try the online labels for that. They did say on their site that these labels replaced the plasticlike ones they used to carry.
Thanks for the link to the labels by the sheet; I will check them out.
I have to use labels as I cannot read my own hand writing.
Chele, I use plastic signs on my seedlings. I don't use the metal markets until I decide I am going to keep the seedling.
Arlene, what type of Avery labels did you use? Paper or clear?
I used the multi use labels in white and maybe that is why they came off so easily; they are supposed to be reusable.
I usually use the 30 to a sheet address labels in white which is better.
I used some clear 30 to a sheet in my laser printer and those sheets tend to curl and the heat from the laser sometimes causes them to come off inside the printer.
If I use larger clear ones, say 3x4, more like a shipping label, I don't have trouble with them.
Through onlinelabels I got ~polyester~100 sheets (3,000 labels) for $54.95 .018 cents each
Through the Co-Op I am getting 12 sheets -360- .for $20 .055 cent ea
I have received the ones I ordered from the website and am going to SoCal's tody so we will try them out. I won't know if they are exactly like the ones through the Co-Op until I get back to Iowa next week and receive them.
kaperc, Weegy, and I are helping SoCal make P-Touch clear labels for her metal plant markers. She is on an upcoming garden tour.
In my garden in Iowa, all my perennials are already marked with P-Touch and they definitely make it through the winters. I won't trust the polyester until I put a few out and test them over the winter. Last winter the guy pushing the snow off the driveway scramble all my marks so this summer, as last, I will be trying to re-identify everything and that is a lot of work.
This year we used a snowblower and it is not as bad but some still got mangled from the heavy wet snow; I should have pushed them down way into the ground.
Ah, yes, the reusable ones wouldn't be good to use outside. I probably wouldn't use the paper ones either. I use the clear ones that are specifically for laser printers and never have a problem with them. Mine come thirty to a sheet. Matter of a fact, some of the sheets get run through the printer up to three times.... I figure four times would be pushing it. :)
Yes, I need to push the stakes into the ground deeper too....
Diann
That may be my problem. Sometimes i only print out one or two labels so I suppose they have been run through more than 4 times.
They start to curl but I have learned if I pull them over the edge of a counter I can get the curl to straighten out and then they still work. Just an extra step.
Chef,
Did you buy from the current co-op? Didn't you say you had a laser printer? These were for ink jet printers only. Hope that isn't what you meant!
MollyD
I have both laser and InkJet. The laser is the workhorse for the business and the inkjet is only used for financial reports for the business. The rest of the time I use the inkjet for personal . . the garden, etc.
Oh now it makes sense! I thought you had bought the wrong ones for your printer by accident.
Sorry about that.
MollyD
I understand; I have used inkjet in laser and vice versa but I haven't even tried these yet. I had them shipped to CA house so I could show them to SoCal and share some for her to try. I will throw them in my suitcase to take back to Iowa and will try them first time when I start labeling my seedlings for the Iowa Round Up.
I'll use just a few in the garden and leave them over winter to see how they do before I start to rely on them.
I just got my second order from labelsby thesheet. Boy are they fast! I ordered them on the 4th and they here two days later and no I didn't pay extra for faster delivery! 20 sheets ran me $30.65 with shipping. The co-op was 36 sheets for $30 so it is a little more expensive but I'm confident these are stronger and will last longer.
MollyD
Update from here: My husband loved the idea of getting a labeler because he has things he wants to label too, so that was a very easy sell to him. The labeler came in before the plant markers, and I was looking forward to getting the markers and replacing my plastic pieces cut from old mini-blinds written on in (not very permanent) permanent marker. My order from Paw-Paw for metal markers came in on Thursday and they sent the wrong ones. I ordered the Rose markers and they sent the swinging markers. I contacted them and they called back and Steve gave me my choice of either a check for the postage of sending the wrong ones back, or some extra Rose Markers. I told him I'd take the extra markers - I'll be mailing the swinging markers back on Monday, and when they get them they'll send my markers to me. I was unhappy they'd made a mistake but I am very happy with how they handled it. Steve apologised for the error and was very nice and wished me and mine a happy Easter - very nice people there. Sometimes you can tell more about a company from how they handle an error than when everything is fine, so I thought I'd post this here. I'll post on the Watchdog once the entire thing is done.
You have to love a company that quickly takes care of mistakes. And owns up to the mistake in the first place! :~)
Lana
A wise company handles any erros quickly and graciously. The world is too small now to anger a customer.