This label printer’s extras are confusing
The iDprt SP310 ($109.99 MSRP) looks like, and mostly is, the kind of compact label printer you’d want sitting on your desk for tasks like addressing envelopes, labeling file folders, or printing price labels or barcodes. Unlike the Brother QL-800, which is our current top pick for entry-level printers for paper labels, it’s limited to printing in black only, and its software can be perplexing. But it also costs less in places, selling for example on Amazon at this writing for $89.99 after clipping a $20 coupon. And it offers some features that give it a little more flexibility than much of its direct competition, which is likewise limited to mono black output. Loading Labels: Inside the Box, or Out? The SP310’s graceful, rounded shape is typical for printers with room to mount a label roll internally, in contrast to the boxy shape for models like the Rollo Wireless Printer X1040, which uses external rolls and fanfold stacks only. However, in addition to letting you mount a roll inside the printer, the SP310 offers a rear input slot, so you have the option of using fanfold labels or a larger-diameter, externally mounted roll. Another key difference between the two printers is maximum label width. The X1040 is our current top pick for printing on up to 4-by-6-inch shipping labels. The SP310 can print on labels from 1 to 3.35 inches wide. The SP310 by itself measures 5.3 by 5.9 by 7.4 inches (HWD), but you’ll need to leave some additional free space behind it if you want to print on fanfold stacks or to use a larger-diameter roll than can fit inside the printer’s body. For the latter situation, iDprt sells an external holder that can handle rolls as large as 9.8 inches in diameter, according to the company, compared with room internally for a roll that measures a maximum of 3.5 inches. Setup is typical for this kind of printer. Connect the supplied USB cable and power cord; insert a label roll in the printer, or the leading edge of an external stack or roll through the rear slot; and thread the labels through the guides near the output slot in front. At this writing, iDprt doesn’t sell labels for the SP310, but the printer comes with a small starter roll and can use thermal label stock from other manufacturers. (I confirmed that fact by using both Brother and Dymo labels I had on hand.) One noteworthy touch is an adjustable spindle that you can position at one of three different heights, to let the printer accept more combinations of roll diameter and core diameter.
