Label printers - How do I print my own shipping labels
Often, we get customers come too us at ERS and they ask, ‘How can I print my own shipping labels?’, the simple answer, is by discovering label printers; but be aware the precise model will depend entirely on your applications requirements. Moving your label printing in-house comes with many benefits including flexibility and improving levels of efficiency. Shipping labels play a vital role in many businesses, so it’s important the text and/or barcodes are crisp and clear to ensure daily operations run smoothly. You need a label printer that you can rely on to deliver, mistakes can be costly, that’s why at ERS we understand the importance of getting it right.
So, what label printers are right for shipping labels?
Label printers fall under a giant umbrella. There are a number of categories that are all used in different industries for use cases such as shipping labels, product labels, inventory tracking, pharmaceutical and more. It’s important to understand the different types of label printers on the market to ensure you’re making the right choice for your business.
What are the types of label printers?
At ERS our label printer product range includes the likes of Brother, Dymo, Epson, Toshiba and more. Offering direct thermal, thermal transfer, and colour label printing solutions, but what are they typically used for?
Home/office printing | These devices are designed for smaller quantities for the likes of address labels or ID passes. Popular models include Brother QL-820NWB, Brother QL-810W.
Portable label printing | This printer range provides flexibility for workers, enabling them to print labels on-the-go.
Desktop label printers | Typically designed for small-medium sized businesses with models in either direct thermal or thermal transfer for the likes of shipping labels.
Industrial printing | For larger scale businesses with a need to produce a high number of labels daily.
Linerless printing | Often used within retail and hospitality businesses to produce labels without backing paper.
Colour label printers | Used in many industries for brand enhancement, product labels, colour coded inventory tracking and more. Varying in size to handle small – large scale business demands. Check out, ColorWorks C3500, ColorWorks C7500G, Oki Pro 1040.
Label printers, the deciding factors.
To ensure your label printer is running at its full potential and providing your business with the paybacks and benefits you’re hoping for, you’ll need to think about a few factors.
Printer specifications to consider.
The number of labels you’re looking to produce daily matters. As you’ll have learned above various label printers such as desktop and industrial have different capabilities. They also have different print speeds (for how fast your labels print) and resolutions (for how high the quality of your text/images/barcodes print). Another thing to think about is compatibility. Ensure that the label printer you’ve chosen will work with an existing system. Do you require USB, Ethernet, Serial (RS232), Bluetooth or Wi-Fi? Finally, don’t forget to check about labels. If you already have a stock of labels, will they be compatible with your chosen device? At ERS, we have a huge range of labels available to purchase. Choose blank stock labels that come in standard shapes and sizes or let us handle your custom requests. Labels are available in direct thermal or thermal transfer; we can also offer more specialised labelling solutions such as RFID.
Recommended shipping label printers.
We’ve chosen a couple of models available at ERS that could handle your shipping label requirements. Please be aware that this is a general recommendation. If you’d like us to find an exact model for tailored to your business’s requirements, please give our label print experts a call on +44 (0) 1234 855 300. Find our complete range of label printers.
Brother TD-4D
- Compatible with leading WMS and software solutions
- Complete set of simple connectivity choices
- Superior thermal imaging capability
- Print speeds up to 8ips
- 203 or 300dpi
TSC DA210
- Compact DT printer series for receipts and labels
- Desktop devices with a high print speed: 152.4 mm/sec.
- Models available with 203 or 300 dpi print resolution
- Lots of connectivity options, including Bluetooth and USB Host
- Line Mode, Eltron, Zebra and Datamax printer languages