Things to Consider Before Choosing Label Printers

If you’re in the market for a label printer, there are a few factors you’ll need to remember and think about before making your purchase. Today’s market offers a variety of label printers, and the opportunities appear limitless. Selecting the best Label printer might be difficult if you are unsure which one best meets your needs. Each printer has a tonne of features and advantages to offer. To ensure that you do not miss out on certain printers’ fantastic features, you must research before making a choice.

Review Things to Consider Before Choosing Label Printers

This blog post will review a few factors you should consider before buying a label printer to ensure you purchase the best possible product for your needs.

1. Label Size and Life Requirement

Select a food label printer that can print at the maximum width required. For instance, the most common printers can print labels as wide as 104 mm.

The label’s longevity gets influenced by direct thermal or thermal transfer. Every technology has advantages and disadvantages. If you want to know which technology is best for you, depending on how long you want the labels to endure and whether they will be exposed to weather or extreme temperatures, learn the differences between direct thermal and thermal transfer, and select your best choice.

2. Printer Resolution

Printer resolution is expressed as DPI – Dots per Inch. Your label will have a barcode if you print labels for any products displayed for retail purchase. Barcodes must be clear to be scanned and read by barcode scanners.

Text, numbers, and codes print beautifully on conventional 203 dpi printers. A 203 dpi printer will work if you only use your labels to print barcodes or low-resolution images.

High-resolution printers, including those with resolutions of 300 or 600 dpi, can fit more data onto small labels and enhance barcode scan performance. However, they are more expensive than standard printers with 203 dpi resolution. The best method for creating 2D barcodes is this one.

3. Printer Volume, Size, and Speed

The amount of label printing done each day and whether the printer needs to be movable determine the size of the printer (mobile, desktop, industrial). While some label printers are made to handle large amounts of label production, others work best for short runs. Larger volumes necessitate faster printing. After all, you don’t want to slow down production because your printer can’t handle the increased volume.

4. Long-term Operational Costs

Some consumers frequently choose a printer that is within their price range. However, there will be some circumstances when it costs more in the long run. It’s crucial to remember that the annual cost of replenishing ink cartridges, ribbons, and other consumables for a printer is just as significant as the initial cost of the printer itself.

The cost of setting up the printer and, if training is necessary, how long it will take to teach the personnel are two other crucial considerations regarding the ultimate cost. There won’t likely be a full-time technician on hand, and occasionally there won’t even be an IT department. Therefore, picking a printer that is easy to maintain is excellent. Additionally, it is clear and user-friendly.

5. Connectivity Options

The most common connection type for connecting a printer to a computer is USB. You will be looking into more printers that enable Ethernet (LAN) connectivity if you require a printer that supports numerous simultaneous connections. The printer must be able to connect to a PC or a mobile device, such as a phone or tablet, via Bluetooth or WiFi connectivity if you intend to carry it around and want it to be portable.

Lastly, how are the labels created? Printers come with essential label design software, which has some drawbacks. To design labels, we suggest the Bartender Label programme. The four editions of Bartender support a variety of printing and marking solutions, from small, standalone environments to significant, automated infrastructures connected with top ERP programmes from Oracle, SAP, IBM, and other vendors. It enables users to make cards and RFID tags in addition to labels like address labels, shipping labels, product description labels, and barcode labels.

6. Flexibility

Check to see if the labelling items a firm sells will be adaptable enough to match your needs before making a prospective purchase. CTM extensively uses industry-standard parts, and its applicator is flexible and sufficient to work in any position. The key is working with a manufacturer who will integrate its product into your system. To ensure that we comprehend the requirements of our end users and provide hardware that integrates easily into our customers’ environments, we conduct the site survey previously indicated.

7. Reliability

The secret to any product’s dependability is quality management. Your company deserves a durable, dependable product that can withstand the strain of your everyday needs. Utilise a manufacturer whose quality control procedure involves a 100% inspection and testing of each print engine they receive from their vendors.

8. Type of Data Printed

A labelling applicator will do this if an end user uses their labelling system for static projects (pre-printed labels). However, a print-and-apply unit is more appropriate for the job if the customer plans to use the product for a variable project. End users will discover that a shot and applying a solution gives them more freedom.

Contact DAL for the Best Label Printers

Picking the right label printer for your business doesn’t have to be complicated. Just keep the point we mentioned earlier. Our professionals at DAL can help you select the correct printer per your industry requirements. So, if you are searching for the best label printers, contact DAL experts soon!