Why I Prefer My Old-School Tape Embosser Over a Modern Label Maker

Now owned by Newell Brands, Dymo continues to sell several embossing-tape label makers that work exactly like mine. If you so desire, you too can create antiquated-looking labels for all of your hobbies, crafts, and/or organizational ventures. Plus, I think they’re just as worthy of displaying proudly — perhaps alongside a typewriter, a collection of film cameras, and a few wooden pencils.

Lacking many features found in most modern label makers, such as Bluetooth connectivity or a keyboard, this no-frills option cranks out colorful vintage-looking labels.

The Dymo Office Mate II Embossing Label Maker is the new model most similar to the vintage one I have, and it’s probably what I’ll buy as a replacement if mine ever bites the dust.

The Office Mate II has slightly less-groovy aesthetics than my label maker (it’s black, gray, and blue) but it still brings the vintage vibes. It doesn’t have interchangeable typeface discs, so you’re limited to a basic all-caps font, but it offers the same tactile user experience and decidedly analog functionality that I love about mine.

Cuteness is a construct, but I don’t think Dymo’s other modern-day models — including the Organizer Xpress Pro, Omega, Junior, and Label Buddy — are quite as cute as the Office Mate II. They seem a bit flimsier, too.

Still, they’re smaller, which might make them a better choice if you’re tight on space or want the option to do some on-the-go labeling (I’m mostly joking, but I have been known to gift-wrap presents while en route to a birthday party). They’re also much cheaper.

There are plenty of other embossing-tape label makers available, but I place a lot of faith in Dymo’s offerings since it’s a well-established brand that has stood the test of time. To this day, label makers and label-related products are pretty much all that Dymo does. In my experience as a product reviewer, having a strong area of focus can help companies keep their products consistent and reliable.

For both of these reasons, another option that appeals to me is the Penco Tape Writer. Penco is a line of nostalgia-inspired office supplies established in 1999 by the Japanese lifestyle brand Hightide. I own more Hightide products than I care to admit, but suffice it to say that I adore its stationery. (My colleague Phil Ryan is also a noted evangelist of the Penco Perfection Ballpoint Pen.) So while I haven’t tried this particular label maker, past experience leads me to expect that it would be thoughtfully designed and sturdily built.

I plan to keep using my vintage label maker as long as it continues to function. If it should ever break beyond repair or melt into a puddle of carcinogenic goo — or, likelier still, if it becomes impossible to find tape refills, as with so many other obsolete mediums — I’ll have to make do with other options. But it will be with a heavy heart.

This article was edited by Ben Keough and Erica Ogg.