Name Tags

[rosemarie]

Well, I ordered a P-touch printer and we hooked it up to my computer. The plastic name tags I have used before would only last about a year and it was frustrating. because I would have to do them all over again. I tried the metal ones with the 2 legs on them, but we are on old rock quarry and getting one leg in the ground was hard, let alone 2. The plastic tags lasted several years, but the paper labels on them disapearred in one rainy seaon. I checked on the P-touch labels and they were supposed to be fade proof and water proof. We'll see! But I am having fun learning to use the printer via my commputer. ( I love this computer, I do everything on it. besides, at 84, it keeps my mind working. NOw if my knees and ankles worked, I'd be in great shape. well, better shape any way.) So over the winter I will get my new tags ready. And the Good Lord willing and the creek don't rise, (and it might if we get alot of rain,) I will have new tags in next Spring.

[JaneG]

Hi Rose Marie! You are going to LOVE your P-Touch labels. I use the ones that say TZ on them, they are the really durable ones. Some of mine are nearly 10 years old and they still look good. I haven't had any of them fade or peel off. My P-Touch labeler doesn't hook up to my computer. I have to use the little keyboard on the P-Touch to make and print each label individually. I think maybe I should ask Santa for a newer one that I can use with my computer!!

[jgh]

I've got a computer P-Touch... but it is so old, it will only work with my old Mac II computer - about 20 years old with a tiny little color screen. I set it up twice a year to print my labels. I think it is something of a collectors item!

As Jane said, you just have to be sure you are using a laminated P-touch tape. Somebody posted here that their labels didn't last and it turned out the tape they were using was a single layer with the ink on the top. On the laminated ones, the ink is actually between the layers and not exposed to the elements... virtually no fading.

The only problem we've had is the occasional case of the label peeling off. You can minimize any peeling problems by cleaning the surface before putting the label on - we wipe our metal tags with alcohol to remove any manufacturing residue... and then making sure the label goes on smoothly and doesn't leave a gap. We've had some peel off just because we left a wrinkle that let water get in behind the label.

A couple more tips for using the computer version. First of all, choose your style. We started with black on white labels. We got a black on clear one time by accident and couldn't afford to not use it - and ended up liking it better. But now we have two types in the garden... wish they were all the same. So decide on the look you like before you make too many labels.

And with a computer, you get to select the font you want to use - in our case this was lots more options than are on the stand-alone label makers. You can use this to set yours off from other folks. So play around a little and select a font that you like the look of for your own personal garden style.

[LucyGoose]

Hi rosemarie!! I too have a P-Touch like Jane.....it has it's own little key board.....I love it....I use the TZ tape, too......I want to wish you a Merry Christmas!!!

[rosemarie]

This new machine is a blast! It will print frames on the labels, insert pictures, and when I was experimenting with it , it told me I had the wrong size tape in it. Jeeze! (I hate machines that tell you when you are making a mistake) I wanted 1" tape and I had to order it, so now I am waiting for the right tape to get here. If I learn how to do everything this thing can do, I will consider my self a freakin' genius. (I am not quite into the 21st century yet). PLus our old school buddy sent me the 3 Brokaw books on "The Greatest Generation" ( that was us) And they look great, like they will bring back alot of memories..Plus Nona's daughter sent me three Fannie Flagg books(remember her?) for Christmas, plus I ordered three books on my own. I will be reading until next summer. But I thank you for the tips, I am using plastic tags, so I am not sure about using alchohol on them, maybe just using water to make sure they are clean? Anyway I appreciate all the help I get here. I am still a novice at all this electronic 'stuff', but I sure enjoy it.

[jgh]

I can still hear Fannie's voice... "Plant a tree, a shrub, or a bush..."

(for the youngsters, this is the southern writer and actor who wrote a bunch of novels, including "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe" that she later turned into a screenplay for an early feminist movie starring Jessica Tandy, Kathy Bates, Mary Stuart Masterson, Mary Louise Parker, and Cicely Tyson. Very good - Oscar-nominated. She also had lots of appearances on TV and did a lot of stuff on game shows.

My reference is to one of her comedy albums - she did a dead-on voice interpretation of Lady Bird Johnson... thus the catch phrase "plant a tree, a shrub, or a bush" (imagine thick Texas accent.) We laughed about it back then - Lady Bird used her position as first lady to advance efforts in gardening and highway beautification. But nowadays we've seen the results of Lady Bird's beautification efforts... billboards removed from many highways, tens of thousands of acres of wildflowers, increased awareness of the importance of gardening and beauty... and we appreciate Lady Bird and Fannie's efforts.

I was surprised by your comment about getting her books, Rosemarie --- I see that lots of her books have been reissued the last several years after being out of print.

[SWMOgardens]

I learned to save tape by typing in a bunch of names and cutting the tape myself.

[rosemarie]

Excellent idea,, thak you!!!!