Alphanumeric "pricing gun" as labeler?

[rhumbunctious]

I've been considering getting an alphanumeric pricing gun to use as a bottle labeler.

E.g. http://www.hamiltonpriceguns.co.uk/shopcart/shoptest/sp13info.php

I'm not interested in making traditional labels (either designing them, sticking them, or removing them) but also need to keep my bottles organized so I know what is what -- especially when I load an assortment in the boat for a weekend of cruising.

I've been hand labeling bottles using tiny square stickers stuck on top of the caps, but only as needed. However this sort of alphanumeric pricing gun looks like it may be just the thing.

It can print two lines of 10 characters each, on a label that will just fit on top of a cap. One line can have the name of the beer and the other line can have the bottling date. Quick to print out and apply, and if peel-off labels are used, easy to remove from the PET bottle caps when rebottling.

E.g.


ENG.BITTER
2011.03.05


A tad pricy, though, which is the only reason I haven't ordered one yet.

Anyone have a better (cheaper) idea?

 

[Pappers_]

How about hand-carving a tiny little stamp that you could use to stamp the name and date of brewing onto the cap?

Just kidding.

I think the price labeler is an interesting idea - very industrial or post-modern (taking a utilitarian item and using it for another purpose than that for which it was designed). But I agree about it being a little pricey.

 

[Ace_Club]

Anyone have a better (cheaper) idea?

A piece of masking tape and a Sharpie...

 

[VegasBrew]

You can buy address labels by the sheet and print em on your computer. A laser printer is best, an inkjet style can bleed when wet, laser won't.


VB

 

[DrinksWellWithOthers]

You can buy address labels by the sheet and print em on your computer. A laser printer is best, an inkjet style can bleed when wet, laser won't.


VB

This is what I do. I include: beer name, batch #, brew date, bottling date, OG, IBU and ABV. Easy, effective and cheap enough.

 

[woodstone]

Stick a dot on the cap...a different color for a different batch. More dots then you need for pocket change. You'll have to write up a "key" - perhaps stick it to the fridge with a magnet or drop it in a plastic sleeve and tack it to the inside of the cooler. I've used this method for years.

 

[nakeddog]

I would go one step further and combine the above suggestions.

3/4" round sticker labels that you can print on.

For roughly 4€ you can get 1000 printer friendly labels and be able to bulk print a whole batch at once rather than having to manually print each one on that labeler.

EDIT: I haven't measured a crown cap, so not positive these are the correct size. 3/4" being 19mm.

 

[rhumbunctious]

I would go one step further and combine the above suggestions.

3/4" round sticker labels that you can print on.

For roughly 4€ you can get 1000 printer friendly labels and be able to bulk print a whole batch at once rather than having to manually print each one on that labeler.

EDIT: I haven't measured a crown cap, so not positive these are the correct size. 3/4" being 19mm.

19mm would fit perfect. I think this idea, combined with using different color text for different batches, would be an ideal solution. Even if in some rare cases the ink jet ink runs on a bottle or two, the color of the text/ink will still differentiate it from others (and at the end of the day, I can handle drinking any of my brews as a "mystery bottle" ;-)