Whether or not to spend the money on a label printer? They can seem expensive but are they? What should I look out for? When is it best to just buy pre-printed labels?

Label Printers are specialised pieces of equipment. They are not the same as normal A4/Legal sheet printers, which are produced in large quantities. They also want you to buy the consumables to go with it. With a normal printer the consumables are often specific to the printer manufacturer, meaning you must buy them from this company. This is why the purchase costs of the printer are low. This is fine when you do not have a high print need.

There are a couple of Label Printers on the market that are very cheap, in comparison to others, for no apparent reason. The reason usually is that the consumables must be bought from the printer manufacturer. Dymo labelers are a good example of this. If you are only doing small quantities of labels (say less than a couple of thousand) then this may suit you, otherwise the cost of consumables will be very high. You can save a lot of money on consumables by purchasing a label printer that uses "generic labels and ribbons". The printer may cost you more but the overall cost will be much lower over time.

When we are asked for a price of a label printer the first question we ask is how many labels are you going to be printing over say 6 months. Most people are unprepared for this question but it determines the quality of the printer for the job. For example, if you were going to send a letter to every person in Australia (say 20 million) then you would make sure your printer was built to handle this. Similarly, a label printer capable of 20 million labels is built completely differently to a label printer capable of say 200,000 labels. [↑]

» A printer with a good brand name in the industry.
» A printer capable of using generic labels.
» If you want a long lasting label, make sure it is thermal transfer.
» A printer designed for the number of labels you are going to print.
» A supplier who is knowledgeable on the subject. [↑]

Yes, you can, but with some restrictions...

» Always use a good quality label sheet. The cheapies will sometimes damage the printer as the adhesive can leak through the cuts.
» Never put a label sheet through the printer twice. Tempting as it is, the residue on the label sheet will go onto the drums/rollers etc meaning that large repair bills are possible.
» Most printer manufacturers do not cover the warranty if damage is done through label printing such as residue on drums/rollers and labels coming off the sheets inside the printer.
» Unless you buy good quality label sheets the adhesive will probably not be long lasting. Cheap label sheets sold in consumer orientated stores have generally poor adhesives, even those with a familiar brand name. If you want quality sheets go to a label specialist you won't regret it.

If in any doubt ask as many questions as you can think off and just remember if the person you ask does not ask you quite a few questions then they probably don't know enough about the subject. Call our specialists for more info. [↑]

If you need further help, would like to be advised of future tutorials, or have a tutorial suggestion just email us.

This tutorial is copyright Gripon Mobile Solutions Pty Ltd. You are free to distribute this or publish this to others provided it is distributed without changes and complete. Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information provided, no warranty whether implied or stated is given as to the information's accuracy or suitability. As we are not aware of your exact situation the content is used at your own risk entirely. [↑]

Ces Luscombe has worked in the Barcode and POS industry since 1995. Ces is the founder of The Barcode Approach (later to become Gripon Mobile Solutions) and is also the founder of Grabba International Pty Ltd. Grabba International was formed as a result of a spinoff from Gripon Mobile Solutions Pty Ltd after the successful worldwide launch of the Grabba PDA Data Capture attachments in San Jose, California in 2002. [↑]

Gripon Mobile Solutions is one of the leading suppliers of barcode and POS equipment in Australia. As a leading distributor/supplier for the major brands in the industry Gripon Mobile Solutions can help you with any hardware requirements. Gripon Mobile Solutions also has specialists in the Mobile Data Capture and Communications areas. For information on products or advice on suitability contact us on 1800 242548. [↑]