Label makers are one of the most effective accessories to help you get organized, making it quick and easy to label tool boxes, bins, and equipment cases. I have a Brother handheld label maker and a PC-connected version, and both are in regular use in our house. If you want to take your organizational skills to the next level, a more visual system becomes appealing, as it’s far easier to see what’s in a box if there’s a picture right there in front of you. It also makes it easier for others to work in your shop.
I discovered Brainstorm ID cards when I was researching the best way to label up my Festool\Tanos Systainer tool boxes. These boxes have four slots that accept a credit card-sized label. Of course, you can just write on a label, but what’s the fun in that! I particularly like that the Systainers bundled with Festool tools have a picture of the tool right on the box, which makes it much easier to quickly find the right tool with just a glance at a Systainer stack.
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My Workflow
I am comfortable with PowerPoint, so I created some master slides for each tool brand and then quickly started to produce cards for all my Systainers.
Most of my time was spent finding the right image of each product, and I found that Bing’s image search was the best way to do this. I saved the slides as JPG files and imported them into Brainstorm ID’s layout tool. This tool generates a PDF file that matched my printer and laid everything out so I’d get a full edge-to-edge print on each card.
It took me about an hour one evening to produce ~20 cards for my Systainers, and I am thrilled with the end results. It’s so much easier finding the right box when there’s a picture of the tool right there!
Brainstorm ID Cards
Brainstorm ID PVC cards measure 3.375″ x 2.125″ – the same as credit cards – and are durable and waterproof. Festool and Tanos Systainers have label slots that perfectly fit these cards.
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Brainstorm ID created a system that works with various Canon and Epson inkjet printers that feature CD-printing capabilities. You’ll need a Brainstorm ID card tray ($20), which holds two of their special cards at a time. The cards can be printed on both sides.
Price: $18 for 100 cards, $20 for a printer tray
Buy Now (via Amazon)
Buy Now(Printer Tray via Brainstorm ID)
As of the time of this posting, the least expensive compatible printer we could find is the Canon TS8120, priced at $65 via Amazon. There are also a couple of printer options around $99.
Final Thoughts
After labeling my toolboxes, I found a number of other useful ways of using the cards:
- Luggage tags for suitcases
- Emergency contacts cards for my kids’ backpacks
- Labels for my Think Tank Cable Management bags
- Inventory list for my travel first aid kit
If you have the right printer, I would definitely recommend checking these out!
Let’s say that you want to add visual labels to other tool boxes. You could potentially use the same system, and tape or otherwise fix Brainstorm ID cards to the boxes. There’s also the option of creating a standard size of your own determination and printing to card stock or heavier weight paper that is then trimmed down and fixed to your tool boxes.
Labeling your tool boxes isn’t a big deal if you have a couple of different cases that you can identify at a glance. But what if you have a couple of modular tool boxes of the same size and style, whether Systainers, Packout, or ToughSystem, each with different contents? That’s where visual labels really start to shine.
Would you create visual labels for your tool boxes?
Stuart’s Note: When I went on a toolbox-labeling rampage back in 2013, I spent $50 on a label printer and $20 on film tape. That’s worked well for me for a couple of years, but visual labeling seems like something to try next!
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Austin
So… are there adhesive cards like this I can use on my toughsystem boxes? That would be perfect!
Ben V
Hi Austin,
The ones I used are not adhesive, but Mike did spot that they have adhesive ones for sale on their website:
https://brainstormidsupply.com/50-inkjet-pvc-cards-with-adhesive-backing-10-mil.html
Alternatively you could use double sided sticky tape or a spray adhesive.
Cheers
Ben
MT_Noob
I tried making a visual label by creating an engraved card from a business card sized piece of brass plate and engraving it by following a templated I created from an SVG file. The results were not as good as I hoped, although it was a fun learning experience. I think these ID cards are the perfect solution and I will be giving it a try!
On a separate note, has anyone got a good suggestions on how to create a rack for storing all the various festool and other storage cases? Just stacking them on top of each other isn’t viable since I have a mixed assortment of container types, (and can’t afford to consolidate on one just yet).
John
Just google search for DIY sys drawers. You’ll need a drawer size that fits any tool box up to the largest footprint you have.
Essentially, drawers slides, piece of plywood and whatever you want to keep them from sliding off the ply. Simple or fancy, many have been documented.
MT_Noob
Yep, I’ve googled it before and have seen a ton of different styles out there for various racks/shelves. I was just wondering if anyone here had any first hand experience building their own. I often get stuck with “analysis paralysis” when it comes to starting some projects, and in the end I realize I just need to pick a rough design and get started on it…
Ben V
Hi MT_Noob,
I have built my own:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0hwbuBgNDz/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
The design of those cabinets is based on the design I have documented on ToolGuyd:
https://toolguyd.com/tag/dustytools-workshop-organization/?utm_source=post&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=tag
In reality I just built a shallow drawer that fits the Systainer and designed the sides to allow me to easily change the height of each drawer:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzjZZN8AD4u/
I’m really pleased with the end result, although I would like the a shade taller so I could fit 4 x Systainer 2s.
Good luck!
Ben
MT_Noob
Those are amazing. I love the fact that the trays slide out far enough to allow the tops to open on the Systainers.
Very inspiring. Thanks for sharing.
Troy
This is a very nice system.
https://www.boxrackking.com
Altan
Thanks for the information. I have a few questions.
Is the adhesive strong like the label that DeWALT has on some of their Toughsystem tool boxes?
Can I get them in larger sizes?
Thanks
MT_Noob
I don’t think these have adhesive built in. They are more like ID/Badge cards. At least that is how I am reading the info on the amazon page.
Mike
It looks like they offer an option with adhesive:
https://brainstormidsupply.com/50-inkjet-pvc-cards-with-adhesive-backing-10-mil.html
Ben V
That’s correct MT_Noob, I didn’t use the adhesive version, I didn’t need that but as Mike says it looks like the do an adhesive version. Sounds like the card is the same but it’s backed with an adhesive backing.
Ben
Ben V
Altan – At the moment I only see they do one size, I would be quiet interested in some other sizes, so I’ll drop them a line and see if they have any plans.
Ben
Altan
Thanks
Ben V
I got a reply.
They sell a large 3.5 “x 5.5” version:
https://brainstormidsupply.com/100-conference-badge-size-inkjet-pvc-cards-3-5-x-5-5-inch-for-swiftcolor-large-format-printers.html
A 1/2 size version, which will be perfect for my Auer boxes:
https://brainstormidsupply.com/50-inkjet-pvc-name-tag-cards-2-up.html
And a 1/3 size version:
https://brainstormidsupply.com/50-inkjet-key-tag-3-up-pvc-cards-with-holes.html
The challenge of the large one is they don’t have trays to use these cards. You would need to make your own. If you had a 3D printer it wouldn’t be too hard…
They can also make custom sizes, but you need to order 1,000!
Hope this helps,
Ben
Jim Felt
“Some” people are just too efficient in their search for Toolguyd-centric perfection. Grrrr.
Or I simply have too darn many “hobbies”.
Gus
Anyone know of a good set of magnetic labels for tool boxes? I really like the ones below but these have not been available for years.
https://www.searsoutlet.com/br/pdp/craftsman-magnetic-drawer-label-kit/21187
Mickey
Buy Avery or similar labels, print what ever you want on them, stick them to those magnets you get in the mail all the time, cut to size and put them on anything made of steel.
TonyT
You can also get magnetic printer paper. I used some from Daiso many years ago (IIRC, 2 A4 sheets for $1.50), and then used scissors to cut to size. Maybe not the best approach if you need lots of small labels.
ToolGuyDan
Love it! I made some for myself and loved it so much I started to produce these professionally as a little side business. They’re also on PVC, just thicker and more waterproof/solventproof/disaster-resistant than what you can make with an inkjet. Shoot me some art and I’ll ship you some samples to compare with your version. I’m not afraid of the truth; as I said, it’s just a side project, and if your version’s better, I can go eBay a very expensive printer!
Ben V
Funny, I wondered about doing something similar after seeing all the interest for custom cards on the Festool Owners Group website!
I’ll send you a PM!
PezHead65
Hey Ben, don’t suppose you’d be willing to sell your Powerpoint template to save me the time of creating it from scratch?
Ben V
Here’s a link to the template I created:
https://1drv.ms/p/s!AuTYurMRVJKXtv5VRU1mGVknd-wCRQ
No need to pay for it, just tag me on any Instagram posts you might post 🙂 dusty.tools.
Mike
Ben can you post a picture of the completed systainers?
Ben V
Hi Mike,
I just posted a picture on Instagram – http://www.dusty.tools, hope this helps.
Cheers
Ben
MT_Noob
Looks like you can also order an ID hole punch to create the slot for ID lanyards and create your own custom IDs for your next party. Or your own backstage pass…
Amazon has a few if you search for “ID card punch”.
Ben V
Yes I brought one of those punches so I could use the cards on our luggage!
PezHead65
I bought the Canon TS8320 off of Amazon for $99, and got the MP Tray and 100 ID cards from Brainstorm ID for $38. For those that think it’s a lot to pay, I got everything I need to personalize 50 Systainers for $150 (I’m using two per Systainer), so I think it’s a great option that you can add personalization for about $2 per label including the cost of the printer, tray, cards, and ink. Take out the one-time cost of the printer/tray and you’re only looking at about $0.30 per label for the cards including ink.