For the inserts, I made a PhotoShop file with multiple layers I can change, then print it on a 3x5 card. This requires a small amount of cutting with scissors, plus one 90-degree fold, but the result looks pretty good. It isn't a hardship.
For inserts, I have not yet found easily available blank sheets of appropriately sized labels. Haven't been motivated enough to look very hard, though...

I don't use labels for the cassettes themselves. I mark them with a silver Sharpie [Metallic, fine point]. Quick, legible, more or less permanent [mistakes can be eradicated with a black sharpie], nothing to peel off or get grubby with handling.

I use Brother P-Touch for the spine (3/8" tape). I label with index number. I then use spreadsheet to provide complete info on tape. To create this, I take the info directly from the Edit Details view in Vegas (which you can cut/paste into Excel). I take the markers, which I have labeled. I do this for each raw capture before I begin editing. Thus, I have a complete labeled index for each tape. This obviously can't fit onto or into the tiny cassette case, which is why I use the spreadsheet.

If you have a lot of tapes, my advice is to come up with something that takes as little time as possible so that you actually do it for every tape. It takes less than 15 seconds to produce the Brother P-Touch spine label.

Here's a typical spreadsheet entry:

113	0:37:53	Kirkwood Skiing, February 25-27, 2005	2005

This is tape 113, the timecode is the time from beginning of tape, the description is obvious, and the last shows the year it was shot.

yes ... i use sharpie also ... i keep it simple ...

I usually use a bright cyan Sharpie. Strangely enough it ends up looking a deep iridescent red on the black plastic. It must be a dicrhoic filter effect.

Sorry guys, I had to complicate things!

I use http://www.tapeonline.com/mini-dv-label.aspxAce labels[/link]
and print a small barcode and tape number with year.

http://www.squaregear.net/fonts/index.shtmlCode 3 0f 9 Barcode Font[/link]

The barcode is useful and impresses... who knows, but the date and number help
catalog shots. Use a flip folder and write info in the booklet as you record.

We label the spine with project or person's name, the shooter ID, and tape number. Such as:
"Shattered Dreams D 1"

If it's going to be viewed by anyone other than us, I'll add a label to the front of the tape with dates or contact info.

I use Ace labels

Thanks, that's exactly what I wanted!

Since I can't read my writing I use a DYMO labels stuck to the spine.
Use the two line function and you can get quite a bit of information on a label.
More than you might think.
All of my DV tape is labelled this way.
I stick each project together with elastic bands.
Low tech, but it works for me.
Need to source an affordable DV tape rack system.
Anybody seen one?

2 - What is the best price & source for mini dv tape? All of a sudden we are buying more of it.Tape Resources

Head and shoulders above everyone else, IMHO.

Costco) TDK tapes in packs 10 tapes for $25
Never had any problems with these tapes in 5 years for both SD and HDV cams and projects.

I dunno; I used the TDK tapes from Costco until about a year ago, when I had literally dozens of dropouts.

Now I'm a Sony DVM60-PRL advocate (the blue shrinkwrap). You can find them from eBay or places like SupermediaStore for maybe $3, shipped.

I agree about the Sony tape. That's what I use. At the risk of sounding like a shill for the place, here's the direct link to that item at Tape Resources:

Sony MiniDV Tape, Mini DV Premium Grade Tape DVM60PRR

Riredale:
I've used the TDKs exclusively....
When you changed to a different brand did you 'clean' the camera heads prior to using a different brand? Or anything else?
Any consequences with the brand change? Other than improved performance for you?

I ask because I just got my little Canon HV10 back from the repair shop after it quit playing back (hence, I couldn't capture the 7 tapes I had just shot) and the repair ticket claimed it was 'dirty' inside and after cleaning it now plays back as it should.
Don't know if they meant the tape heads or just the usual sand, dust, doghair, life's debris somehow got inside the camera....and I'm actually pretty careful about that type of pollution getting inside so it was kind of surprising that 'cleaning' solved the playback problem.

Eileen

p.s. Now that I've captured the tapes they all look great, no visible gunk in the image and I never got an error code to clean the heads like I've gotten with other Sony cams...

RCourtney,
Thanks for the link to Ace labels on tapesonline.com. At that page, there's a link to a template, which I downloaded.
Ordered and received label sheets, used template. Works great.
Steve

Teak:

No, I've never cleaned the heads of my cameras before/during/after the switch to Sony tape.

I was very disappointed a few years back when I had the numerous HDV dropouts with the Costco TDK tape. Probably just a bad batch, but I made the switch anyway. The Sony tapes seem pretty reliable, with maybe 1 dropout in 10 tapes. I've seen a dropout or two with the more-expensive Sony white/brown HDV tapes, so I guess I'll stick with the blue Sony tapes for now. I can always capture to laptop, but that's a hassle in many cases.