gLabels Review

very good
key review info
application features
  • Support for several barcode formats
  • (2 more, see all...)

gLabels is a lightweight program for creating labels and business cards. It was specially designed for the GNOME desktop environment. This software is easy to use and after spending an hour or so with it will make you an expert. It has some basic features that most of the time are enough for creating business cards and labels.

The Interface

The interface is simple, making it easy for everyone to use the program. All the buttons are self explanatory, even small kids who don't know how to read would understand what they do.

When you click the "new" button, a window will appear, asking you to choose one of the templates. Be aware that changing the type of media on which you want to print, also changes the templates. I am mentioning this because the default media selected is US Letter and it is very likely you will want to print on A4. Unfortunately, labels for mini-CD are available only for the US Letter. Going in the preferences window will let you set to work by default with A4 by and also to set how the program measures distances. A bunch of templates are available and if something that suits your needs is not available, it can be easily created using the template designer wizard.

After selecting a template, a workspace is generated. It is an area that is shaped according to the template, where you can start inserting text, pictures, barcodes or draw some simple shapes. The fact that this program supports adding barcodes makes it more usable for creating labels. Please note, however, that sometimes the program crashes, especially when you work with barcodes. Try to save from time to time.

With gLabels you can also create CD/DVD labels. This also interests me; I was pretty enthusiast when I saw that it has a template for mini-CD. Then I realized it is only for US Letter. Anyway, I designed my own template and I began designing a label. Right away I noticed gLabels doesn't have support for writing text on circular shapes. It can only write on a straight line and this is a little disappointing when you want to create CD/DVD labels because you can't really type much in a straight line on such a small disc.

Template Designer

This is a wizard that lets you easily create a new template that fits your needs. First you have to fill in some general information about the brand, the part number and a description. Then you select the stationary you want to use. If it is something non-standard, the program allows you to set the dimension. Generally, people go with A4 or A3 on this one. Next, you must choose the shape of your label - options include rectangular, round or CD/DVD. After this, you will be taken to a step where you need to configure the size parameters. In the next dialog the program asks how many layouts you need and it also explains whether you need one or two. The last step is about configuring the layout(s). Most often, this step requires just a click or two. In this stage you may print a test sheet, to see if the template looks right before the program saves it.

The printing part is very interesting. It allows you to print just the number of labels you want and this happens in a nice graphical manner. I tested this feature and it works great.

The Good

This program is excellent for creating labels mostly due to the ease of use and the barcode feature that supports a lot of formats. Creating business cards is also simple and if you have creativity, nice results can be achieved.

The Bad

When creating round labels, the fact that you can't write text in circle is a big minus, especially in the case of CDs and DVDs. Regarding business cards, it would have been nice if we had some editable templates/examples so we could inspire from there.

The Truth

This program does the job it was designed for, but still needs some additional features. I think it is a great piece of software that can be used by anyone, both in a professional environment and also at home.

Screenshots of the interface:

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Screenshots of the template designer:

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user interface 4
features 4
ease of use 5
pricing / value 5


final rating 4
Editor's review
very good
 
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