My grandma has every shelf of her linen closet labeled with the location of sheets, wash cloths, hand towels, bath towels and beach towels. While I think that’s a tad obsessive, I must admit to a certain sense of the pot calling the kettle black.

In my house every techno gadget (and there are a lot of them, given as I review this stuff for a living) and every wire is neatly labeled. Of course, there are some very pragmatic reasons: first, sometimes it's hard to tell at a glance whether you've got a USB 1.1, USB 2.0, or FireWire cable. Second, a name and address label on your laptop, PDA, or adapter increases the odds of getting it back if you lose it. Third, a product label on a generic adapter reminds you which device it goes with; bigger, more legible labels clarify the controls on a printer at the office or your stereo at home.

For times when labels make sense, new label printers from DYMO and Brother are worth considering. Both brands of printers create all kinds of labels, allowing you to stick them where needed.

The DYMO Label Buddy ($7.99; cableorganizer.com) is a quick and easy way to get into labeling. The "turn and click" mechanism creates attractive embossed adhesive labels for items such as notebooks, toys, tools, CD cases, files, binders, folders, documents, and any other projects at home or work. The printed words and numbers are embossed on 3/8" wide label tape. Best of all, it’s manual, so you won’t need to keep feeding it batteries.

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Brother P-Touch® PT-80 Label Printeris another personal and hobby label printer that’s easy to use and will get you started labeling your stuff quickly. Its adhesive backed labels are perfect for the kitchen, home office and family room. It features high-quality thermal printing, vertical and horizontal printing and foreign language symbols. An eight-character LCD display helps you avoid mistyping.

The DYMO RhinoPro series, including the 1000, 3000, and 5000 models (from $49.99; cableorganizer.com) are handheld labelers that use thermal transfer printing to create highly durable labels. The peel-and-stick labels accommodate up to two lines of text, and can print horizontally or vertically, making the labels always easy to read. The more advanced models offer multiple styles (bold, italic, etc.) and multiple languages, in case you want to label that new component (or that new security system) in French. Many of these nylon labels currently grace my entertainment center hookup as well as my wife’s computer desk.

The Brother International P-Touch PT-1650 ($159.99; cableorganizer.com) is a rugged and durable handheld labeler. The P-Touch prints laminated labels up to 1 inch in height, and has the ability to print graphics and industry-standard bar codes. The labels from this printer are on industrial strength laminated tapes, and withstand any amount of abrasion. The unit can also store templates to speed up the labeling process.

Whether for personal or business use, a label printer will deliver a quick return on investment. Think of a label printer as a device that helps restore ease of use to your life.

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By Noah Davis