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If you’re running a small daycare business, it can be difficult to keep on top of organisation. Many daycare workers are already entirely focussed on the welfare and happiness of the kids in their care, so crucial strategies that could streamline business can easily fall by the wayside. Labelling food, drawers, storage, belongings and more means far less time spent searching for the things you need, and much more time to spend on empowering children to learn, grow and play. However, it can be hard to make effective, clear and kid-friendly labels safely and cheaply; that’s where label maker machines come in to handle the work for you. We’ve looked across the market to find the best label makers for daycare businesses, in the areas that matter most: value, efficiency, safety, quality and customisation. Here are our top five recommendations that both you and your kids will love.
Product Comparison Table: Best Label Maker for Daycare
| Title | Price | Rating (Amazon) | Best in class | Buy | |
 | DYMO LabelWriter 400 Label Printer | $$$ | 4 stars | Best for Food Storage | Amazon |
 | Phomemo D30 Bluetooth Label Maker | $ | 4.5 stars | Best Value | Amazon |
 | Brother P-Touch PT710BT CUBE Plus Label Maker | $$$ | 4.5 stars | Best Premium | Amazon |
 | DYMO COLORPOP Colour Label Maker | $$ | 4.5 stars | Best Customisation | Amazon |
 | Brother P-Touch PTD210 Label Maker | $ | 4.5 stars | Best Overall | Amazon |
DYMO LabelWriter 400 Label Printer
The DYMO LabelWriter 400 Label Printer prints over 40 styles and sizes of paper labels in seconds from PC or Mac, up to around 3 inches wide. The print speed reaches up to 40 labels per minute, at an impressive resolution of 300dpi. This is a level of clarity you could expect from a desktop laser or inkjet printer in black and white, meaning it’s more than enough to create clear, visible labels for all reading levels. Connecting to your computer via USB, the LabelWriter prints directly from most office-oriented programs, such as Microsoft Word, Outlook, WordPerfect, ACT! and more. Furthermore, the included label software is compatible with all these programs. Best of all, the compatible DYMO LabelWriter labels are FSC certified, and entirely BPA free.
Pros
- Fast printing speed
- High resolution for clear prints
- BPA free, waterproof laminate label rolls
Cons
- Proprietary labels are expensive
- Higher price than others
Verdict
Thermal label printers often get a bad rap for containing a lot of nasties in their paper rolls – this is definitely something to worry about in a daycare environment, where food is often stored. The DYMO LabelWriter 400 Label Printer’s BPA-free labels mean the machine is perfect for making baby bottle and food container labels. Plus, the laminate finish means the labels won’t smudge, bleed or disintegrate when put in the fridge.
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Phomemo D30 Bluetooth Label Maker
Available in a range of cute colours (pink, white and turquoise), the Phomemo D30 Bluetooth Label Maker is designed to work perfectly in tandem with smartphones, tablets and other Bluetooth-enabled mobile devices. The included Print Master app gives you access to a versatile menu of fonts, frames, sizes and colours to design unique attractive labels that will express kids’ personalities. With a compact design and a rechargeable battery life of up to 30 days (from a 2.5 hour charge), this machine is perfectly portable for all your small labelling tasks. It supports labels from 6 to 15mm wide, including generic rolls, so you can easily opt for a certified BPA-free option if this suits what you need.
Pros
- Bluetooth connection options
- Long lasting rechargeable battery
- Supports generic label rolls
- Great value low price
Cons
- Small printable area
- Can’t connect to laptops or computers
Verdict
If you’re a person who likes to work from their smartphone, the Phomemo D30 Bluetooth Label Maker is a great pick for you. It’s also incredibly low cost, so you could easily equip each of your employees with a Phomemo to use on-the-go. Although it can only print very small labels, there are a huge variety of compatible labels, including some adorable novelty designs that would be perfect for kids.
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Brother P-Touch PT710BT CUBE Plus Label Maker
The Brother P-Touch PT710BT CUBE Plus Label Maker delivers exceptional performance for all purposes. Firstly, the compatible Genuine Brother P-touch TZe tape is laminated, making it durable indoors and outdoors. It is water and fade resistant and can go from the freezer to the microwave to the dishwasher. This tape also comes in a range of colours, patterns and finishes (including matte and glitter) – gold glitter and white rolls are included in the box. The three accompanying Brother label design programs (P-touch Design & Print, Brother iPrint & Label and P-touch Editor) allow you to choose between a range of pre-designed templates, or create your own with a variety of fonts, frames and symbols. Lastly, a built-in Li-ion battery makes the machine completely portable.
Pros
- Large range of customisation options
- Durable laminated, BPA-free tapes
- Comes with three design programs
- Bluetooth and USB connection options
Cons
- Only supports Brother branded labels
- Higher price than others
Verdict
The Brother P-Touch PT710BT CUBE Plus Label Maker is our best premium label maker for daycare businesses, being perfect for larger enterprises that want to invest in a high quality machine. Although expensive to buy and run, this machine offers a huge range of versatile customisation options. The extensive range of BPA-free, durable tapes is definitely worth the extra cost.
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DYMO COLORPOP Colour Label Maker
The DYMO COLORPOP Colour Label Maker can print on any regular DYMO authentic D1 tapes up to 0.5 inches wide (12 millimeters), available in a variety of colors, designs, and sizes: exclusively to this machine, you can also print on gold, green, yellow, silver, blue, pink and purple glitter! A white-on-blue glitter roll is included in the box. Create unique labels instantly with an inbuilt QWERTY keyboard accessing more than 20 font styles, plus over 150 emojis and symbols. The machine is compact and portable too, powered by 6AAA batteries so you won’t need any trailing wires or external connections to make it work. Although, these batteries aren’t included on purchase.
Pros
- Barcode crop function
- Prints a variety of label sizes
- Wireless connection options
Cons
- Labels aren’t certified BPA-free
- Doesn’t come with batteries
Verdict
The DYMO COLORPOP Colour Label Maker is definitely the funkiest label maker on this list, with its fun bright purple and blue housing. The huge range of customisation options make this machine a great way to bring a little joy into your daycare business, keeping things organised without losing a sense of kid-friendly fun. The labels are not BPA-free, however, so it may be best to use them for things like drawers, boxes and books that won’t find their way into little mouths.
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Brother P-Touch PTD210 Label Maker
With its convenient one-touch keys, the Brother P-Touch PTD210 Label Makers lets you quickly access fonts, symbols, frames and templates. There’s a lot to access, too; 14 fonts, 10 unique styles, 97 frames, and more than 600 symbols combine with 27 preset design templates to provide you with a ton of inspiration and creative freedom. A mounted LCD screen even allows you to preview your labels, so you know you’ve got them just right. The machine supports only BPA-free Brother Genuine TZe laminate labels, printing two-line designs at up to 12mm wide. These can be put in the microwave, dishwasher, fridge, outdoors and indoors; there are even specialty tapes for cables and wires, for photos, and non-laminated iron-on tape for clothes, school uniforms and linens. Lastly, the machine is fully portable. It can be powered either by 6AAA batteries or an AC adapter, however both of these will have to be bought separately.
Pros
- Great value low price
- Largest range of customisation options
- BPA-free, durable labels in a variety of finishes
- Portable and battery powered
Cons
- Doesn’t include batteries
Verdict
The Brother P-Touch PTD210 Label Maker has features of practically all the other label makers on this list: it is portable, has an inbuilt keyboard, is BPA-free and offers a massive range of customisation options. However, this label maker is a fraction of the price of its competitors. It may not have some of the flashier elements, but the reliability, efficiency and value of this great little machine make it our top choice, and the overall best label maker for daycare businesses.
