Brother P-touch PT-1090 Family Labeler

The Brother P-touch PT-1090 Family Labeler is a battery-operated model designed for family use. It's powered by six AA alkaline batteries, though an optional power adapter (*Est. $18) is available. Label cartridges come in four sizes, from 3.5 mm up to 12 mm (just under half an inch) in width. Five different label types are versatile, including iron-on fabric, acid-free matte paper (for file folders), extra-strength adhesive, flexible ID (useful for identifying cables in a computer or home theater set up), and durable laminated labels.

For the relatively low price, owners say this label maker is a good value. Features include a wide range of symbols, decorative icons and frames -- plus memory for up to nine favorite labels. Though there is only one type font, you can apply a wide variety of styles, such as bold, outline, shadow, vertical, italic and four more, and three type sizes. The trade-off for these extra features is a fairly steep learning curve. Even though this label maker is designed for family use -- with a somewhat cumbersome alphabetical keyboard layout -- owners say it's not easy to learn to use. The other main drawback is that like other Brother label makers, each label wastes quite a bit of fairly expensive label material.

We found the most owner-written reviews of the Brother P-touch PT-1090 label maker at Staples.com. Fewer reports, but still lots of helpful feedback can also be found at Amazon.com. Buy.com, Brother.com and OfficeMax.com have fewer reviews still, but are still worth a look-see.