cable/gear stickers

[marty lester]

hey Remote-a-holics...

do you have a recommendation for those stickers you see
on mic cables, mics, racks, and gear in general that i can
have made to have my name and phone number, etc. on them?

i need something kind of slick, yet kind of inexpensive to label
EVERYTHING. i just did a gear rental this past weekend and
i realized i hadn't ever needed this til now.

thanks,
marty.

[boojum]

For cables I use a color that no one else does: French Royal blue. No doubt about who it belongs to when the show is over. Of course, you have to live with the color you pick. ;o(

[matthewd]

I bought a nice dymo rhino which incidentally does patchbays etc as well as cables and it was only 99 GBP. You can put in the cable diameter and everything and then a bit of clear sleeving over the top and you got yourself some lovely cable idents. I haven't had time to fully get to grips with it but saw it at a trade show and had to have one.

Matt

[trompetfreak]

Originally Posted by matthewd

I bought a nice dymo rhino which incidentally does patchbays etc as well as cables and it was only 99 GBP. You can put in the cable diameter and everything and then a bit of clear sleeving over the top and you got yourself some lovely cable idents. I haven't had time to fully get to grips with it but saw it at a trade show and had to have one.

Matt

Works great indeed! I also number multicables with it.
I've recently been to a studio where the guy had numbered all his cables this way. Really time-saving in tracking down cables/mics to patchbays!

[hbphotoav]

Originally Posted by boojum

For cables I use a color that no one else does: French Royal blue. No doubt about who it belongs to when the show is over. Of course, you have to live with the color you pick. ;o(

That's fine until video is involved... more often than not, in my little world... and the director orders all those "obnoxious blue cables" be either struck from the stage or gaff taped to death.

Ditto me on the Dymo/clear heat shrink tubing club... on BLACK cables. If you're using premade and don't want to remove and resolder connectors, Dymo and a couple of layers of carefully applied 3M clear packing tape does the trick.

And, if you're going to do this professionally, my bias is towards black everything... stingers, power strips (my goodness, do I hate guitar players who show up with a stomp board and white - or, worse, Day-Glo green - extension cords affixed), power cords... you name it. I just wish I could find black Apple MacBook power supplies... lots of keys players using a keyboard to control a sample library from a MB or MBP...

My orange cables come out to play only if I have a long run over transit areas, where there is a trip hazard... and, usually, only outdoors.

[JEGG]

Thanks for the mention of Dymo Rhino. Hadn't seen it before. They offer a handful of different models at different prices. Which ones are you using, and why?
Thanks.

[Gigazaga]

I have used one of Brother P-Touch TZ machines for years and years. I label everything from cables to files folders with it. One of the best pieces of studio gear I have ever purchased!

[marty lester]

Originally Posted by hbphotoav

That's fine until video is involved... more often than not, in my little world... and the director orders all those "obnoxious blue cables" be either struck from the stage or gaff taped to death.

Ditto me on the Dymo/clear heat shrink tubing club... on BLACK cables. If you're using premade and don't want to remove and resolder connectors, Dymo and a couple of layers of carefully applied 3M clear packing tape does the trick.
.

sir, you are soooo correct! i love the "hey, does that mic have to be in front of the singer's face?" type comments...etc!

thanks everyone for the good (and cheap) ideas. that'll solve my cable issues...now to go online and find a cheap-ish sticker maker for my racks and hardwares.

marty.

[boojum]

Originally Posted by hbphotoav

That's fine until video is involved... more often than not, in my little world... and the director orders all those "obnoxious blue cables" be either struck from the stage or gaff taped to death.

<snip>

My orange cables come out to play only if I have a long run over transit areas, where there is a trip hazard... and, usually, only outdoors.

You know, I think you have a good point there. I will save the Royal Blues for outside work and get to work on the huge spool of black Starquad which has been sitting around for a year or two.

[Mats H]

I use black cables with a white tape stripe on the cable part of the male end (not the mic end of the cable) and a silver colored label with my company name, web site and phone number on the XLR connector. Easy to see when tearing down and isn't visually awkward when on stage, as the mic end is all black with no labeling. I prefer black mics, stands and shock mounts as well.

[Barnabas]

I use shrink wrap on the male end of cables (mic, power, etc.) that has the company name on it.

For thicker power cables I usually print the company info and cable size info on a piece of paper and slip it under clear shrink wrap.

For racks and cases, I print the text on paper, cut them to size, and use clear packing tape to tape them on.

For live gigs I use dark brown or dark purple mic cables with black connectors.

Purple is my color. I revisited a venue once and found one of my purple-painted power strips with the venue name written over top of it.

[gareth.h.rees]

Originally Posted by Barnabas

Purple is my color. I revisited a venue once and found one of my purple-painted power strips with the venue name written over top of it.

How are TV guys with brown?

Cheers
Gareth

[balanceman]

I've had stickers w/ my studio logo made by these guys:
Welcome to Calsilkscreen

[marty lester]

Originally Posted by balanceman

I've had stickers w/ my studio logo made by these guys:
Welcome to Calsilkscreen

now we're talking...thanks balanceman.

marty.

[Techwiz]

I've come across a smart way to label all my gear. Check out:
Stick'nGo Cable Labels - I.D. Solutions You Dream About thumbsup

I have found the attachment of Stick'nGo Cable Labels to be very secure, as they wrap around my gear leads and lock back onto themselves, so they don't come off easily. These labels also have double-sided information panels, so I can put my equipment name on one side and my contact details on the other - helps to get my gear back if left behind at gigs! They come in different colours too, so my gear stands out from the crowd. Much simpler and cheaper than buying a label printer. Cheers, Techwiz.

[marty lester]

Originally Posted by Techwiz

I've come across a smart way to label all my gear. Check out:
Stick'nGo Cable Labels - I.D. Solutions You Dream About thumbsup

I have found the attachment of Stick'nGo Cable Labels to be very secure, as they wrap around my gear leads and lock back onto themselves, so they don't come off easily. These labels also have double-sided information panels, so I can put my equipment name on one side and my contact details on the other - helps to get my gear back if left behind at gigs! They come in different colours too, so my gear stands out from the crowd. Much simpler and cheaper than buying a label printer. Cheers, Techwiz.

very nice...thanks for the link.

marty.

[jjb]

I use a p-touch labeler, with clear shrink or packing tape over top.

I've heard good things about these guys from a few people as well: Custom Labels, Custom Stickers, Fast Label Printing Services - MaverickLabel.Com, Inc.

[loujudson]

Originally Posted by gareth.h.rees

How are TV guys with brown?

Cheers
Gareth

Everything they do comes out brown. ;-)

Glad I don't have to work with picture very often. I work for the musicians!

L

[Barnabas]

Originally Posted by gareth.h.rees

How are TV guys with brown?

Cheers
Gareth

It's so dark, that most people don't notice that they are really brown (Belden 8402). My better cables are purple, but they rarely come out of the studio.

[drp audio]

I was referred to 123stickers.com Custom stickers for less! by a customer that uses them a lot for his band. Service was easy, quick, and affordable, and the stickers stick well! I put them on all six sides of my road rack cases, rack gear itself (on one side panel), mic stands, etc. I don't think they would work well on cables however.

A1BW 4.25" x 1.38" Black ink on white vinyl

I had 250 of the ones from the above link printed up a year ago with my company name on them for about $28 with s&h included.

Their "dirt cheap" stickers say "printed by 123stickers.com" on them, but I didn't want that so I shelled out the big bucks!! Kidding, not big at all I think.

[wesarvin]

Originally Posted by drp audio

I was referred to 123stickers.com Custom stickers for less! by a customer that uses them a lot for his band. Service was easy, quick, and affordable, and the stickers stick well! I put them on all six sides of my road rack cases, rack gear itself (on one side panel), mic stands, etc. I don't think they would work well on cables however.

A1BW 4.25" x 1.38" Black ink on white vinyl

I had 250 of the ones from the above link printed up a year ago with my company name on them for about $28 with s&h included.

Their "dirt cheap" stickers say "printed by 123stickers.com" on them, but I didn't want that so I shelled out the big bucks!! Kidding, not big at all I think.

I know it's old, but thanks for the suggestion on this. I just pulled the plug with a similar order with 123stickers and am VERY happy. All of my gear is tagged with name, number, email, and a snazzy logo.

I recently lent two pieces of gear that both walked off due to honest mistakes (got mixed up at a show). Needless to say, that guy can't borrow gear again without a 100% deposit.

Think about it--if gear is gonna get stolen, it's gonna get stolen. But at least a simple label helps prevent honest mistakes.

[Remoteness]

I have my logo etched into the XLR connectors on both sides of the cable.

I also color code my cable lengths using 'Rescue Tape' or colored gaffer's or electrical tape and heat shrunk clear tubing.

[Rolo 46]

I use nail varnish
Wicked Witch.