Brother VC-500W Label Printer

A printer that makes colour labels without ink. The dyes are already in the tape and develop under heat — so there are no cartridges, nothing to replace, and nothing to smudge.

A label comes out finished: on its backing, the right length, cut. You can stick it on immediately.

What it is good for

• Labelling drawers, containers and shelves — the way ours are
• Marking cables and power supplies so you do not have to guess what belongs to what
• Labels for equipment and for project boxes
• Colour tags, jar labels, captions for samples
• Small stickers for things you make

How to print

1. Install the Brother app on a phone, or connect to the printer over USB from a computer.
2. The printer offers its own Wi-Fi or joins a network — the easiest way is to find it in the app.
3. Lay out the label: text, a frame, an image, a QR code.
4. Check the tape width in the app: it has to match the tape in the printer, or the layout comes out shifted.
5. Print, and tear it off on the cutter.

Worth knowing

• The printing is thermal. A label does not like long periods of direct sun or heat: on a window or beside a heater it darkens and fades over time.
• Tape is a consumable. Print what you need, not full-length test strips.
• If the tape has run out or jammed, tell us rather than pulling it out of the printer.

Access

The printer is in the coworking room, so a plan with coworking access is enough. Consumables are included in your access within reason. It does not go home with anybody.