Earlier Brother model comparisons

Brother PT-310 vs PT-310B: check display and cassette plan

Brother’s PT-310 and PT-310B are distinct U.S. product entries, not one machine with interchangeable suffixes. Each has its own exact product page and original brochure. Their overlapping QWERTY workflow is not enough to transfer an instruction, accessory, package detail or supply ceiling from one model to the other.

What the brochures share—and what they do not

Both brochures describe a 49-key keyboard, a 200-character memory, six AA batteries, an optional AD-30 adapter and original Brother TZ tape at 6, 9, 12 and 18 mm. The PT-310 brochure specifies a 12-character display; the PT-310B brochure specifies 15 characters. Each current U.S. product table also shows the unexplained phrase “Standard Memory 15,” so do not reinterpret that field as saved label files or use it to erase the brochure’s different display and memory descriptions. The PT-310 brochure lists a black-on-clear 12 mm TZ starter cassette and separator; verify contents on a used unit. Do not assume that the PT-310B package is identical just because the main features overlap.

Read tape family and width together

The PT-310’s current U.S. table lists TZe at 3.5, 6, 9 and 12 mm; the PT-310B page and its own TZe supply evidence also document TZe through 12 mm. Brother’s tape guidance names both models among devices for which TZe can replace TZ. That does not turn the brochure’s original 18 mm TZ maximum into 18 mm TZe support. Treat each as a separate, source-specific plan and identify the actual cartridge code before buying refills. A width match by itself is not a compatibility check.

Choose by the job, then verify the individual machine

Either can suit an existing owner who prefers on-device QWERTY entry and accepts a small display and hand-actuated cutter. The PT-310’s 12-character display is the tighter text check; the PT-310B’s brochure gives a 15-character display. Both are discontinued, and the checked exact U.S. manual-index routes returned Brother’s generic error response. That leaves a real bridge: do not treat the brochures as current manuals or promise the life left in a used unit. Test its keys, display, cassette loading, tape feed and cutter, confirm the exact model plate and inspect what accessories are actually present.

Choose neither when app or computer design, automatic cutting, current warranty, a confirmed saved-file quota or 18 mm TZe is essential. Compare a currently documented device such as the PT-D410 by its own exact power, media and software evidence. For model-specific facts, see the separate PT-310 review and PT-310B review; do not combine their product records.