Best Label Maker UK 2026 — Handheld & Desktop Picks
A label maker is the handheld kind: a keyboard (or a phone app), a tape cassette, and a strip of label out of the top. It is the right tool for files, shelves, plugs, cables, jars and school kit. If you need address or parcel labels, that is a different machine — see our label printer guide.
The choice comes down to the tape system more than the machine, because the tape is what you keep paying for: DYMO LetraTag (cheap, home), DYMO D1 (office), or Brother TZe (laminated, lasts outdoors). Seven current models, ranked.
At a glance — the shortlist
| # | Model | Best for | Speed | Price band | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DYMO LetraTag LT-100H Handheld Label Maker | Best cheap label maker for home | Handheld, ABC keyboard | £27.05 | Amazon |
| 2 | Brother PT-H110 P-touch Handheld Label Maker | Best for labels that have to last | Handheld, QWERTY keyboard | £29.99 | Amazon |
| 3 | DYMO LabelManager 160 Label Maker (Starter Kit) | Best label maker for the office | Handheld, QWERTY keyboard | £55.93 | Amazon |
| 4 | DYMO LetraTag 200B Bluetooth Label Maker | Best phone-driven label maker | Bluetooth, phone app | £18-£25 | Amazon |
| 5 | Brother PT-D610BT (P-touch) | Best label maker for a busy office or workshop | 20 mm/s | £89.99 | Amazon |
| 6 | DYMO LabelManager 210D Desktop Label Maker | Best desktop label maker | Desktop, QWERTY keyboard | £64.84 | Amazon |
| 7 | Phomemo D30 Mini Bluetooth Label Maker | Cheapest way to print a label | Handheld, phone-driven | £14.99 | Amazon |
DYMO · Handheld, ABC keyboard
Best cheap label maker for home
The LetraTag is the label maker most UK homes end up with, for good reason: about £20–25, four AA batteries, type and print. The keyboard is laid out A–Z rather than QWERTY, which is slower for typists but fine for the odd label. Tapes are 12 mm only and come in paper, plastic, metallic and iron-on (for school uniform).
The catch: the bundled paper tape tears and marks. Buy a plastic tape with it.
Brother · Handheld, QWERTY keyboard
Best for labels that have to last
Brother's TZe tape is laminated: the print sits under a clear top layer, so it does not rub off, fade in sun or wash away. That makes the PT-H110 the pick for the kitchen, garage, garden and anything that goes through a dishwasher. It takes tapes from 3.5 to 12 mm, has a proper QWERTY keyboard and a cable-flag mode for labelling plugs and leads. Around £30, and listed with a three-year warranty.
TZe tape costs more than LetraTag, but compatible TZe cassettes are cheap and work well — see the TZe-231 compatible 4-pack.
DYMO · Handheld, QWERTY keyboard
Best label maker for the office
The LabelManager 160 is the office step up from a LetraTag: QWERTY keyboard, one-touch keys for bold, size and boxes, and DYMO's D1 plastic tape in 6, 9 or 12 mm. D1 labels look sharper than LetraTag and peel cleanly off files and equipment. The starter kit includes three tapes, which is most of the price difference back. Takes six AAA batteries.
Refills: D1 12 mm black on white.
DYMO · Bluetooth, phone app
Best phone-driven label maker
No keyboard and no screen: you design the label in the DYMO LetraTag Connect app and print over Bluetooth. That gets you more fonts, icons and layouts than any keyboard model, in a body small enough for a drawer. It uses the same 12 mm LetraTag tapes as the LT-100H. Choose this if you would rather type on a phone; choose the LT-100H if you want to pick it up and print without finding an app.
Brother · 20 mm/s
Best label maker for a busy office or workshop
The only machine here that prints up to 24 mm wide, which matters for asset tags, shelf-edge labels and anything read from a distance. Full keyboard, colour screen, and Bluetooth for designing on a phone or PC when you need logos or barcodes. It uses the same laminated TZe tape as the PT-H110. £100–140 is a lot for home use and about right for an office that labels every week.
DYMO · Desktop, QWERTY keyboard
Best desktop label maker
The 210D is a LabelManager built to sit on a desk: larger keys and display than the 160, and it prints up to ten copies of a label in one go, which is what you want for a run of file or shelf labels. Same D1 tapes up to 12 mm. Runs on batteries or a mains adapter. Buy the 160 if it will travel round the building; this if it stays put.
Phomemo · Handheld, phone-driven
Cheapest way to print a label
Under £20, pocket-sized, rechargeable and driven entirely from a phone. The D30 prints on 12–15 mm thermal label tape with no ink. The labels are thermal paper, so they are not as tough as plastic or laminated tape and will fade in direct sun, but for jars, drawers and kids' names it is the least money you can spend. Over 20,000 Amazon reviews.
Pick the tape, then the machine
| Tape system | Machines | Widths | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| DYMO LetraTag | LetraTag LT-100H, 200B | 12 mm | Home, school, light office. Paper, plastic, metallic, iron-on. |
| DYMO D1 | LabelManager 160, 210D | 6, 9, 12 mm | Office filing and equipment. Plastic, clean peel. |
| Brother TZe | P-touch PT-H110, PT-D610BT | 3.5 to 12 mm (H110), up to 24 mm (D610BT) | Anything wet, hot, outdoors or handled daily. Laminated. |
| Thermal label tape | Phomemo D30 | 12–15 mm | Cheap indoor labels from a phone. |
The three DYMO and Brother systems do not mix: a LetraTag tape will not fit a LabelManager, and neither fits a P-touch.
Keyboard or phone?
A keyboard model works the moment you pick it up, which is why they survive in shared offices and kitchens. A Bluetooth model makes better-looking labels and is quicker for long text, but someone has to have the app. If more than one person will use it, buy the keyboard.
What the tape costs
Genuine tape works out at roughly 14–20p for a typical 8 cm label on any of the systems. Compatible TZe and D1 cassettes cut that by two-thirds and are generally reliable. Label makers waste a centimetre or so of tape before each label; printing several labels in one go and cutting them apart saves a surprising amount.
Label maker or label printer?
A label maker prints a narrow strip of tape. A label printer prints die-cut labels from a roll: addresses, barcodes, shipping labels. For those, see the best label printers and barcode label printers guides.