Label-Making Tapes Price Comparison 2026

Brother dominates this market — and the numbers make that plain. With over half the catalogue to its name and a price point that undercuts Epson by a meaningful margin, it's the default choice for most offices and home users. That said, DYMO's D1 range holds its own for LabelWriter users, and Epson's LabelWorks tapes are worth a look if you need finer print resolution. Prices across the category run from 6 £ for a basic cartridge up to 59 £ for specialist industrial stock — though the vast majority of what you'll actually need sits comfortably between 13 £ and 21 £.

The single most important thing to get right before buying is compatibility. Brother TZe cartridges and DYMO D1 tapes are not interchangeable — full stop. Buying the wrong system means the cartridge simply won't fit. Most Brother P-Touch and PT-series printers use the TZe format (which superseded the older TZ standard), whilst DYMO machines require D1 or the newer Rhino series tapes. Epson LabelWorks machines use their own proprietary format. Check your printer model first, then filter by width — 12mm is the most common for general use, but 9mm suits smaller printers and 18mm or 24mm gives you more room for multi-line labels.

Beyond compatibility, the choice between laminated and non-laminated tape matters more than most buyers realise. Laminated tapes feature a protective plastic overlay fused over the printed surface, making them resistant to moisture, oils and everyday abrasion. If you're labelling anything in a kitchen, workshop, warehouse or outdoor environment, laminated is the only sensible option. Standard plastic tapes are fine for a desk drawer or a filing cabinet, but they'll fade and peel under any real stress. The Brother TZe range is fully laminated as standard — one reason it commands such loyalty.

For specialist applications — cold storage, chemical environments, curved surfaces — it's worth looking at extra-strong adhesive variants (the TZe-S series from Brother) or Brady's industrial tapes, which sit at a higher price point but are engineered for genuinely demanding conditions. If you're comparing printer labels more broadly, or need barcode labels for inventory management, those categories are worth browsing alongside. For thermal printing media in general, our thermal paper section covers the wider landscape.

One thing our price tracking consistently shows: the same Brother TZe cartridge can vary by several pounds between retailers. Currys, Amazon and specialist stationery suppliers all stock these tapes, and the gaps are real enough to be worth checking before you buy. Bulk twin-packs often undercut single cartridges on a per-unit basis — particularly for the 12mm black-on-white TZe-231, which is the most widely used tape in the range.

How to Choose the Right Label-Making Tape

With 614 tapes across eight brands, the choice looks overwhelming — but it really isn't, once you know your printer system. The wrong tape won't fit; the right one lasts years. Here's what actually matters.

Printer compatibility first — everything else follows

This is non-negotiable. Brother TZe tapes, DYMO D1 tapes and Epson LabelWorks cartridges are entirely proprietary systems — none are cross-compatible. Before you look at anything else, confirm your printer brand and series. Most current Brother P-Touch machines use TZe (not the older TZ format, though TZe is backwards-compatible with TZ printers). DYMO LabelManager machines use D1. If you're unsure, check the cartridge slot on your printer or look up your model number.

Tape width — match it to your printer and your label size

Label printers accept specific widths only — typically 6mm, 9mm, 12mm, 18mm or 24mm. Using the wrong width means the cartridge won't seat correctly. For most office and home use, 12mm is the sweet spot: wide enough for two lines of readable text, narrow enough to look neat on files, cables and equipment. Go to 18mm or 24mm if you need multi-line labels or larger text. Drop to 9mm for compact printers or discreet cable labelling.

Laminated vs non-laminated — don't cut corners here

Laminated tapes have a protective plastic overlay bonded over the print surface. They resist moisture, oils, UV fading and physical abrasion. Non-laminated tapes are cheaper but degrade quickly outside a dry office environment. If your labels will face any real-world stress — a kitchen, a workshop, outdoor equipment, a server room — laminated is the only option worth considering. Brother's TZe range is fully laminated as standard. DYMO's standard D1 tapes are not; their 'Durable' sub-range is.

Adhesive type — permanent, removable or extra-strong

Standard permanent adhesive covers the vast majority of use cases: smooth surfaces, indoor environments, labels you don't intend to remove. Removable adhesive is worth paying for if you're labelling borrowed equipment, rental items or anything where surface damage matters. For rough, curved or oily surfaces — pipes, tools, textured plastics — look specifically for extra-strong adhesive variants. Brother designates these with an 'S' in the product code (TZe-S series); they cost a little more but the difference in adhesion on difficult surfaces is substantial.

Colour combination — readability over aesthetics

Black on white gives the highest contrast and is the right default for almost everything. Black on transparent works well on clear surfaces where you want the label to blend in. Yellow background variants are used for safety and warning labels. Colour-coded systems (red on white, blue on white) are useful for visual organisation in warehouses or server racks. Avoid novelty colour combinations for anything that needs to be read quickly — contrast is everything.

Cartridge yield and cost per label

Standard cartridges yield around 8 metres of tape. Shorter 4m or 2m cartridges cost less upfront but work out more expensive per label. If you're printing in volume, twin-packs and multi-packs offer meaningful savings — the Brother TZe-231 twin-pack, for instance, consistently undercuts two individual cartridges. Bear in mind that cartridges have a shelf life of roughly two to three years, so bulk-buying only makes sense if you'll use them within that window.

• Entry-level and compatible tapes (From 6 £ to 13 £) : Mostly non-laminated or third-party compatible tapes. Brands like Capture and Armor sit here. Fine for light indoor use — filing, desk organisation — but don't expect durability under any real stress. Worth considering if you print infrequently and your labels live in a dry environment.
• The everyday sweet spot (From 13 £ to 17 £) : This is where most Brother TZe and DYMO D1 standard tapes land. Fully laminated, reliable, widely available at Currys, Amazon and Argos. The Brother TZe-231 (black on white, 12mm) sits squarely here and is the most sensible default purchase for the majority of users.
• Specialist and wider-format tapes (From 17 £ to 21 £) : Wider tapes (18mm, 24mm), extra-strong adhesive variants, security tapes (TZe-SE5) and Epson LabelWorks cartridges. Also where you'll find DYMO Durable tapes. Justified if you have specific requirements — rough surfaces, larger labels, tamper-evident applications.
• Industrial and high-volume (Over 21 £) : Brady dominates this tier, with an average price that reflects genuine industrial engineering. These tapes are rated for chemical exposure, extreme temperatures and demanding environments. MediaRange bulk rolls also appear here. Only relevant for professional labelling in manufacturing, logistics or laboratory settings — overkill for office use.

Top products

• Brother TZE-231 label-making tape Black on white (Brother) : The most sensible default purchase in the entire category — 12mm, black on white, fully laminated, works in virtually every current Brother printer. Not the cheapest per cartridge, but the reliability and availability make it the benchmark.
• Brother TZE-111 label-making tape Black on transparent (Brother) : The transparent background version for when you want labels that blend into the surface. Good value at its price point, but be aware that black-on-transparent offers slightly lower contrast than black-on-white — not ideal for anything that needs to be read at a glance.
• DYMO D1 Durable - Black on White - 12mm (DYMO) : The standout choice for DYMO LabelManager users who need genuine durability. The Durable sub-range adds moisture and UV resistance that standard D1 tapes lack entirely. If you're in a DYMO ecosystem and labelling anything outside a dry office, this is the one to buy.
• Brother TZE-SE5 label-making tape Black on white TZ/TZe (Brother) : A security tape that leaves a 'VOID' pattern on the surface if removed — useful for asset tagging, tamper-evident labelling or securing equipment in shared spaces. Niche, but genuinely useful for IT asset management. Overkill for everyday office labelling.
• Brother TZE-S621 label-making tape TZ (Brother) : Extra-strong adhesive on a 9mm yellow-on-black tape — a specific combination that suits safety labelling and industrial environments. The aggressive adhesive grips rough and curved surfaces where standard TZe tapes would eventually lift. Not a general-purpose buy, but exactly right for its intended use.

Related categories

• Printer Labels
• Barcode Labels
• Thermal Paper
• Printing Paper
• Printing Films
• Large Format Media
• Plotter Paper
• Business Cards
• Blank Plastic Cards