I bought a label maker and it worked great until it didn’t work at all. Have a Dymo label maker that’s acting all screwy and doesn’t print? I have a fix for that.
Juggling a fulfilling life as a semi-professional Instagram scroller and potato chip advocate doesn’t leave a lot of time for searching for things in my house. One lost salad bag could lead to disaster; a missed farmhouse kitchen shot or a photo of chocolate cake with violas sprinkled on top.
In an attempt to get my stuff better organized a few weeks ago I bought an old timey label maker. And I love it. Take a look at how I did all of the drawers on my antique hardware cabinet. Or possibly apothecary cabinet. I haven’t quite figured that out yet.
Nope, it’s not technical, doesn’t require batteries OR a software update. But it is mechanical, which means mechanical type things can go wrong with it. I discovered this fact after blowing through an entire roll of tape in about the same amount of time it takes me to blow through a party sized bag of Ruffles and dip.
The Dymo labeller worked perfectly for its first go round, but after I changed the tape in it, for some reason instead of typing out letters it typed out this …
Just a couple of chewed up looking bumps. I immediately started cursing myself with largely made up swear words (snarklefart, habbityass) for buying the cheaper version of the tape, not the official Dymo tape. THAT was obviously the problem. It was the cheap tape.
Only, I found the box of tape and realized I had been wildly extravagant and did buy the official Dymo tape.
So what was the problem? Why was my new label maker not printing anything other than Klingon braille?
If you take a look at your label maker, just underneath the “Scissor” icon, there are two arrows.
These two arrows, need to line up with the two arrows on the lower ring.
As you can see, when my labeller was printing all habbityass, the arrows were not lined up.
Turning the lower ring so the arrows lined up fixed everything.
Such a simple fix. Yet so elusive.
How to Fix a Dymo Label Maker
Have a Dymo label maker that quit printing? The fix is fast and easy.
Materials
- Dymo Label Maker
Tools
- No tools necessary.
Instructions
- Take a look at your label maker. Right under the scissor icon on the top ring you'll see two arrows pointing down.
- On the ring below look for those same arrows, that are pointing up. Align the two rings so the arrows are directly in line with each other.
- Done.
Notes
If the arrows on the side of the Dymo label maker rings aren't lined up it causes all kinds of problems including not printing, jamming and slipping.
Recommended Products
This post contains an Amazon affiliate link.
Go forth labellers and print to your heart’s content now.
I took a quick look on Amazon to see the reviews of this label maker and sure enough it gets very low reviews, and all of them are because of this very issue. Had they only spent a few minutes figuring it out they’d have a house full of labels with time left over to to watch 30 second videos of impossibly cute goats bounce off of a shed.
→Follow me on Instagram where I often make a fool of myself←
Skip to Instructions 
I feel so silly now! I wasted soo much time and tape not knowing why it wasn’t working. Thanks for the pictures and simple solution :)
This was great, thank you so much! My label maker is fixed! :)
THANK YOU. I thought mine was broken for the longest time. Also, for some reason mine doesn’t have the arrows (maybe they faded) but it was still easy to line up. I sharpied in my own arrows haha.
Good job! Mine broke about a month after I had it and I thought I was going to cry. I like my labeller, lol. Glad I could help. ~ karen!
Genius! Thank you so much, you’ve saved us much time.
the exaaaact same thing happened to me! luckily, my dad helped me figure it out, but i was in mortal anguish before we figured out what was wrong. lol.
It can happen so easily and it’s SO mystifying. I know your frustration, lol. ~ karen!
Thank you.
Simple, but as you say…elusive.
I can now get back to my favourite hobby…labelling.
You’re welcome! karen
Omg just. Thank you for posting this. It’s such an inexpensive gadget but I was upset it suddenly stopped working after over a year. This fixed it right up!
Perfect! Glad to help. ~ karen!
How brilliant! You saved my label maker… ahem I mean me. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
Yay! Glad to help. I remember the moment of terror when my labeller crapped out for no apparent reason, lol. ~ karen!
Thank you!!! My dymo started printing the same Klingon braille and I was able to fix it with your instructions! Back to compulsively labeling everything in my apartment.
Oh, that’s great! I know I was alarmed when mine started doing it. Happy labelling!! ~ karen
You do understand that you are required, by all things that make no sense, to label your label maker. If it isn’t labeled, is IT really a label maker? And yes, both my old Dymos and new digital one (don’t remember the brand) are both labeled. :-DAnge
Honestly, how many other readers have no Dymos but are here to learn handy and useful words like “habityass”? Raise hands.
Dang – wish I would have kept mine. It was real old school – avacado green and everything. I labeled anything that didn’t move. Got rid of it because I couldn’t find tape for it anymore. That was before this thing they call the internet…
Oh! The avocado green would be great! ` karen
When people ask what my favorite Christmas present was as a child I tell them it was a label maker. The old-fashioned turn and squeeze kind that made your hand sore after about 4 labels. I was a tad on the OCD side and didn’t like anyone touching my stuff. My Mom told my sister that if my name was on something, then she wasn’t to touch it. I started with the doorknob to my bedroom and went from there. I think almost everything had a label on it by the end of Christmas break.
I have a dymo lableler no tape were to buy ?????????
I love my Dymo labeler but admittedly I have a digital version. I like it much better…except when I have to change the batteries…
As someone who is fluent in Klingon braille, you should be ashamed of yourself. ;-)
And, a blog on all your lovely jewelry would be awesome. I am definitely a fan.
Thanks Sarah! That particular ring is from an Israeli designer that sells on Etsy. I have a TON of her stuff and all of it is beautiful and unique. https://www.etsy.com/shop/inbalmishan ~ karen!
Habbityass and Klingon Braille😂
You crack me up❤️
Ditto. Bahaha!
Me too! I laugh for an hour after reading my “fix”!
What are salad bags????
Here you go JB … https://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/one-way-store-lettuce/ ~ karen!
The bluetooth 4.0 version doesn’t have that problem.
Had one of these eons ago, like 1964 yrs ago. Then I bought one in this millennia to organize craft crap. My biggest issue is with the tape; the sticky isn’t very. Labels unstuck in the middle and eventually fell off.
Here’s hoping they’ve improved the glue.