Today’s label printers range from small desktop units for file-folder paper labels to industrial-grade ones for labeling cables with plastic strips. Here’s how to pick the right labeler, along with our top lab-tested picks for different uses.
Label makers—or label printers, labeling systems, barcode printers, or whatever each manufacturer calls its wares—come in a bunch of varieties. They range from inexpensive models for labeling photos or containers and other articles around the house, to the mission-critical office and industrial printers used for shipping labels, warnings („Stop!“ and „Caution!“ stickers), barcodes, product labels, and more. PCMag has been testing printers of all kinds for decades, and we test all label printers for output speed, usability, value, design, and more. Here’s a rundown of how to navigate the label-printer market, along with our top picks. Our top label-printer pick overall for paper labels is the Brother QL-800, and that recommendation, along with our more specialized picks here, are backed by our extensive experience and rigorous hands-on testing. You can trust that one of these label makers is the best one for your needs.Why We Picked It
The Brother QL-800, selling at this writing for $109.99 on Brother’s website, is a solid value for a printer that can spit out address labels, folder labels, barcode labels and the like at a speed we clocked at 95.2 address labels per minute. Factor in its ability to print both red and black on the same label, and it’s a standout bargain.
The two-color option works with only two of the 14 label rolls on Brother’s website at this writing, but we haven’t seen any other manufacturers offer it at all. Brother says the thermal printhead uses one level of heat to print red and another to print black. That lets it print either color anywhere on the label, so you can add a solid red background, for example, or a big „Fragile“ or „Warning“ in eye-catching red. More important, even if you never need the two-color printing, the QL-800 is a capable printer, and a good value, for office and warehouse labeling. It connects by USB, has an automatic cutter, accepts label rolls up to 2.4 inches wide, and works with both Windows and macOS computers.Who It’s For
The maximum 2.4-inch-wide roll size means you can’t use the QL-800 for 4-by-6-inch shipping labels. However, you can use it for just about any other common need for paper labels in an office or shipping department: small barcode labels, visitor badges, even banners up to 3 feet long. If you need a printer for paper label rolls up to 2.4 inches wide and want to connect to a single PC, it will do the job. And if you also want to print in red and black, it’s the only low-cost label printer that will.Why We Picked It
If you want to print full-color labels with an affordable label printer, the Brother VC-500W Compact Color Printer is the only model we’ve seen at anywhere near its price (currently $179.99 on Brother’s website). It’s based on the same Zink technology (short for „zero ink“) as some small photo printers, using paper stock infused with dye crystals that change color when heated. That translates to being able to print labels with color text, graphics, and photos, or even a strip of photos similar to what you’d get from a photo booth.
The VC-500W can print from Windows PCs and both Android and iOS phones and tablets. Image quality for graphics and text was excellent in our tests, offering vibrant color, minimal graininess, and respectable detail, the last thanks to the 313dpi resolution. Photos were also acceptable, though not a match for the best Zink photo printers. The label tapes come in four widths from 9mm to 50mm (0.37 to 1.97 inches) wide, at continuous lengths of 16.4 feet.Who It’s For
If you need a desktop printer for full-color labels and don’t print enough of them to justify spending four figures for the printer, you need the VC-500W. It’s that simple, for now at least, since it’s the only affordable label printer for the desktop that offers full color. However, keep in mind that if you also need to print labels that aren’t in full color, you’ll want another label printer, too. That’s because Zink rolls are a lot more expensive per inch than either paper or plastic tapes. At current prices, a 1-by-2.4-inch label for the VC-500W costs about 33 cents, compared with 2.1 cents for the same size die-cut address label for the Brother QL-800.Why We Picked It
The Rollo Wireless Printer X1040 can use label rolls from 1.57 to 4.1 inches wide, but its focus is on 4-by-6-inch shipping labels, and that focus is enhanced by the Rollo Ship Manager on Rollo’s website. The Ship Manager charges 5 cents per printed label. In return, it gives you a single shipping interface for UPS and USPS (with FedEx still in the works, according to Rollo), as well as for online shopping platforms, including Amazon and Shopify. Even better, it offers shipping discounts that Rollo says can be as high as 90% for USPS or 75% for UPS. When we tested it, we saw a range of savings from 25% to 67%.
The printer itself is a stylized box measuring 3 by 7.7 by 3.3 inches (HWD) and designed to look good sitting on a desk. It can connect by either USB or Wi-Fi, which lets you print from a PC, a phone, or a tablet. Labels feed (through a slot in the back) at suitably fast speed, even when using Wi-Fi. We measured the X1040 at 7.1 seconds for a single 4-by-6-inch label and 91 seconds for 50 labels (3.4ips). A nice touch is that it will work with labels from most manufacturers, not just Rollo’s labels.Who It’s For
The emphasis on shipping labels makes the Rollo X1040 well suited to small businesses that need to print 4-by-6-inch shipping labels, particularly if they sell products through one or more of the platforms that Ship Manager supports. However, note that Rollo also offers an online label app for creating any label you need, so anyone who needs to print paper labels at sizes up to 4 inches wide should find the X1040 worth a look.Why We Picked It
Though it lacks robust capabilities for general label printing, the PitneyShip Cube is the only printer we’ve seen that’s designed to both work with an online shipping app and print labels the postal service will treat as stamps. The Cube comes with a 30-day free subscription to either of two versions of the PitneyShip app, which lets you create labels and manage shipping online. PitneyShip claims a discount of 3 cents on First Class stamps, up to 89% on USPS Priority Mail, and up to 82% off UPS standard rates, though the exact savings varies based on shipping location, destination, and type of service. Who It’s For
If you need a printer for 4-by-6-inch shipping labels, can benefit from an online app like PitneyShip, and also want to print stamps, the PitneyShip Cube is an obvious choice. If you need a printer for labels to ship products you sell through Amazon, eBay, and Shopify, it can be a nearly perfect fit, since it has the ability to link to your accounts with each of these three sites to let you print all your labels and track all your shipments in one place.Why We Picked It
For strictly standalone printing of labels up to 0.71 inch wide, the LW-PX300 is our top pick. It weighs just 1.8 pounds with batteries and its QWERTY keyboard is comfortable to use whether the printer is sitting on a desk or held in both hands for thumb typing. Even better, its LCD is backlit for easy readability, and its firmware offers lots of features, including barcode support, options to adjust font size and style, and the ability to store 50 labels to print as needed.
Epson offers 81 continuous tapes for the printer in seven different types, including standard plastic (polyester), vinyl, fluorescent, and magnetic (think: refrigerator magnets). Options for widths and colors vary from one type to another, but widths overall range from 6 millimeters (mm) to 18mm (0.24 to 0.71 inch). Also important if you don’t print a lot of labels is that the printer doesn’t cost much. It lists for $59 for the printer itself, and is an even better buy as part of Epson’s $80 LW-PX300VP kit. The kit version adds a rubber cover that can help protect the case, an AC adapter as an alternative to using six AA batteries, and a hard-shell case to carry or store it all.
