Cable labels and wire labels for your label printer
You can make free network cable labels in your browser and print them as a wrap or a flag: 12 mm Brother TZe tape for one line, 24 mm for two lines or a small QR code, or a 1 inch thermal roll on a Zebra, Rollo or MUNBYN. Type one port ID, or print every cable label from the patch list you already keep in Excel. Power cords, speaker wire and the cables behind a TV work the same way. No signup.
How it works
One port ID on tape, flagged on the right cable
Print one cable ID on 12 mm tape
Type a short port name, print one, and wrap or flag a cable you can reach before the full list.
Open the 12 mm tapeTZe tape prints on a Brother P-touch, not on a QL. Check that your P-touch has a driver installed on your computer and shows up in the print dialog before you plan a whole closet around it. No P-touch? A 2x1 roll or a Letter sheet of flags does the same job.
1Wrap or flag
Wrap labels and flag labels are different jobs
Picture a network closet on a Friday evening. Forty blue patch cords, one switch to swap, and nobody wrote down which port goes where. A label on each cable turns that into a ten minute job.
There are two ways to put that label on, and they suit different cables.
- Wrap: the label goes around the jacket and sticks to itself. You read it by turning the cable. Good on a patch cord you can spin.
- Flag: the label sticks to itself past the cable, so the words face you like a tiny sign. Good on a thin strand, where a wrap hides the words under the overlap.
- Watch out: flags catch on fingers in a dense bundle. Use them where someone has to read the ID without untwisting the run.
2Examples
Cable label examples you can open
These are real renders from the editor, one for each kind of cable job. The racks, ports and rooms are made up. Click one and it opens with the same layout, ready for your own list.
The first is a thermal flag with a from and to line. Then a 12 mm port flag, an 18 mm power cord wrap, and a Letter sheet of fold-over flags for a laser printer.
3Name the port
Write the port ID the way you'll search for it
"SW2-A P24" beats "this cable goes to the second switch, port 24, installed in March."
The closet is dim and the person reading it is holding a flashlight. Use the largest font that still fits the tape, and bold beats a thin face.
White tape with black type still works when the jacket is blue or yellow. Keep the same naming as your patch panel and your drawing, so the label, the sheet and the switch all say the same thing.
4Tape width
12 mm or 24 mm TZe tape for wire labels
12 mm Brother TZe tape is the everyday cable wrap. 24 mm is wide enough for two lines, a from-and-to pair, or a short ID plus a small QR code.
Both tape widths are real sizes you can open in the editor. If the cartridge says 12 mm, design at 12 mm.
DK stock is a different Brother family: die-cut and continuous rolls for a QL printer, not a laminated TZe wrap. A QL can't print TZe tape at all. A DK label can be a flag you cable-tie to a bundle, but it won't hug a single patch cord.
| Stock | Fits |
|---|---|
| 12 mm TZe tape | One line, a port name |
| 24 mm TZe tape | Two lines, or ID plus QR |
| 2 x 1 in roll | Flag with from and to |
| 3 x 1 in roll | Long flag for a thin cord |
5Thermal and DYMO
Cable labels on a thermal or DYMO printer
No P-touch? A thermal roll printer makes a good flag. Wrap the label around the cable and stick the two halves together, so the ID reads from both sides.
In the editor, click the label size and pick 2" x 1" or 3" x 1", or choose Custom size and type the width and height in inches. Then set the same size in your printer's driver so the label isn't printed in one corner. Setup help is on Zebra labels and Rollo labels, and other Brother stock is on the Brother label pages.
- Zebra, Rollo or MUNBYN: use a roll 1 inch tall. 2 x 1 fits an ID with a from and to line. 3 x 1 gives a longer tail, with the ID printed once on each half.
- DYMO LabelWriter: the 30252 address roll, 3-1/2 x 1-1/8 inches, folds into a flag for a thicker bundle or a power strip. See DYMO label sizes.
- Brother QL: a DK roll makes a flag or a tag you cable-tie on, not a tight wrap.
6Print on TZe
Print network cable labels on TZe tape
Start with one cable you can reach. Print, wrap, read it from the aisle, then do the rest.
Press the wrap down with a thumb so the edges seal, and don't stretch the tape until the letters skinny out.
- Open https://app.mylabelmaker.com with the 12 mm tape. No signup. Set the tape length to the text you actually have.
- Type the port ID on one line. Add a second line only on 24 mm tape.
- For a flag, leave blank tape at both ends so you can stick it to itself.
- Print one, wrap or flag a cable, and read it from the aisle.
- If you add a QR code, scan it in the closet light before you print the patch list.
7QR codes
A small QR code, and text that stays readable
A QR code on 12 mm tape is a gamble. The modules get tiny, and a phone in a rack aisle often can't lock on.
Put the QR on 24 mm tape, keep it square, and leave a white margin around it.
Heat in a ceiling tray is a different problem. If the run sits over a furnace duct, don't expect a paper label to last.
8Your patch list
Print cable labels from an Excel patch list
The best source is the spreadsheet you already keep: cable number, switch and port, far end. Here's the fictional patch list behind the first example.
| CableID | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| CAT6-A042 | RACK-12 SW-A P24 | ROOM 204 WALL JACK 12 |
| CAT6-A043 | RACK-12 SW-A P25 | ROOM 204 WALL JACK 13 |
| CAT6-A044 | RACK-12 SW-A P26 | ROOM 206 WALL JACK 02 |
Sort the sheet the way you'll stand in front of the rack, so a missing number is obvious. Ports in order, like SW2-P01 to SW2-P48? Sequential numbered labels fill those in with the prefix and leading zero kept.
No P-touch on the bench? Print the same IDs on a laser printer with an Avery 5160 address sheet, 30 labels a page, and fold each one around the cable as a flag.
The label doesn't certify the run. You still crimp, dress and test the cable yourself. Racks, spares and other equipment in the room are covered under inventory labels.
- Open the cable label with the sample list. The rows above are already loaded.
- Click Data and upload your Excel or CSV patch list, or paste it. Keep the column names in the first row.
- Click a text box, then Variables, and pick CableID, From or To for it.
- Step to the longest From or To value. If it wraps, fix the abbreviation in the sheet.
- Open Edit row, tick the cables you're labeling today, and click Print.
Questions about network cable labels
Can I print free network cable labels from a spreadsheet?
Yes. Import the list of ports, connect the columns to the label with Variables, and print in rack order. Ports that run in order can be numbered for you. No signup.
Should a network cable label be a wrap or a flag?
Use a wrap when the jacket is wide enough for the text to be read after the tape goes around the cable. Use a flag, stuck to itself past the cable, when the cable is thin and a wrap would hide the words.
What size label do I need for cables?
For a wrap on Brother TZe tape, 12 mm fits one line of text and 24 mm fits two lines or a small QR code. For a flag on a thermal roll, use a roll 1 inch tall: 2 x 1 inches for an ID with a from and to line, or 3 x 1 inches for a thin patch cord.
Will my Brother printer print TZe tape?
Only if it is a P-touch model that takes TZe cartridges and has its driver installed on your computer. A Brother QL prints DK rolls, not TZe tape. Check your own model before you buy tape.
Do DK labels work for cable wraps?
DK labels are stock for a Brother QL printer. They make a poor tight wrap. Use TZe tape on a P-touch for the cable, and keep DK for larger flags or face labels.
Can I make wire labels without a label printer?
Yes. Print the IDs on an Avery 5160 sheet or the Letter sheet of cable flags on a laser printer, then fold each label around the wire as a flag.