Are Label Printers a Wise Business Investment?

According to a recent report, “the label printer market is anticipated to record a CAGR of 4.2% during the forecast period of 2022 to 2032”.

Every single commodity in today’s world comes with barcode labels; hence, label printing is a great means to get your commodities noticed. Finding the most effective label printing method is therefore vital. Different label printers (for example, TSC DA210 Direct Thermal 4” USB Label Printer)come at different prices and have different features. Regardless of the size of your business, whether you create your own products for sale, or sell other people’s products, you would need a label printer- a cost-effective solution.

This blog outlines the pros of owning a label printer to determine if these devices are a wise business investment.

Let us begin by laying out an overview of label printers.

Usually, most point of sale (POS) bundles come with the most widely used hardware components such as POS computers, barcode scanners, receipt printers (mobile receipt printers being the most preferred option), payment processors, and more, label printers being one of the crucial elements.

Every product you see around you comes with a barcode label attached to it that contains product-related information like the product, name, number, price, how to use the product, nutritional information (for edible items), date of manufacture, and so on. There are different printing methods to print labels such as digital printing, wide-format printing, or flexographic printing.


A label printer is an electronic device, available in different sizes, and is used to print on self-adhesive label material or tags. These devices come with an in-built keyboard and display for stand-alone use, require different printing materials like paper and synthetic plastic, and different print mechanisms like a laser, impact, and thermal printing.

Now that we know what a label printer is, let us rehash our understanding of the types of labels and label printers.

Types of Labels

  1. Direct Thermal Labels: Direct thermal labels (for example, 100mm x 150mm Direct Thermal 400/R or 40mm x 28mm Direct Thermal Label) come with a special heat-activated chemical coating on their surface. When the heated printhead comes in contact with the label, a black printed image is formed. These types of labels are used for direct thermal label printers and are cost-effective.
  • Thermal Transfer Labels: Thermal transfer labels (for example, 102mm x 150mm thermal transfer label) come with ribbon- a thin film that is wound on the roll. This ribbon has a black coating on one side which is made from a wax or resin formulation. These labels are used for thermal transfer label printers and offer excellent print accuracy and high definition.
  • Tags: Tags like 80mm x 25.4 Thermal Transfer Card/Tags or 102mm x 178mm White Hole Punched Perforated Tags are labels attached to something for their identification or to provide information.
  • Laser Labels: Laser labels such as A4 Laser Labels 105 x 74mm 8 Per Page produce images by combining heat and an electrically charged powder called toner. When the laser passes over a drum, it creates a static charge on the drum, attracting the toner; and when the paper passes over the drum, it collects the toner. The heat of the printer bonds with the toner to the page, creating texts and images. Laser labels can not only use a black toner but an array of colours.
  • Retail Labels: These labels are usually attached to products that contain the identifying and pricing information about the product, for example, 40mm x 28mm Direct Thermal Label. Usually, retail labels are printed with alphanumeric information or barcodes that are encoded with that information.
  • Freight/Shipping Labels: As the name implies, shipping labels are identification labels that help describe and identify the contents of a container or a package, for example, 102mm x 63mm Direct Thermal Perforated Labels. Freight/shipping labels contain essential information such as addresses, names, weight, and tracking barcodes.

Types of Label Printers

  1. Thermal Transfer Label Printers: These label printers are capable of printing quality and durable labels and are available in different price ranges (starting from low to high) and models (be it entry-level desktop models or industrial-grade printing systems), for example, Zebra GK420T Thermal Transfer Label Printer. Thermal transfer printers use ink ribbons that are made of wax, resin, or a blend of both. Therefore, while choosing your label material, ensure that it matches the right ribbon so that it produces high-quality prints. Also, make sure you choose the label applications which are chemical, oil, extreme temperatures, and outdoor exposure resistant. Thermal transfer label printers use less heat compared to other technologies and offer a range of tags and adhesive options such as paper, plastic, polyester, etc. However, most of these printers are used for both direct thermal printing and thermal transfer printing.
  • Direct Thermal Label Printers: Unlike thermal transfer label printers, direct thermal printers do not use any ink ribbon, for example, TSC TE210 USB Serial Ethernet USB or Bixolon (Samsung) SLP-DX420 Direct Thermal Label Printer. As previously discussed, direct thermal label printers use direct thermal labels that are specially coated. Since these printers do not use any printing ribbons, the cost of each printed label is comparatively low. However, the label themselves are expensive because of the chemicals added to them. The installation process of direct thermal printers is quite easy and requires only one media supply to monitor.
  • Laser Printers: These types of printers are ideal for daily home or office work and help make printing labels convenient and cost-effective. Perfect for on-site printing, the durability of these labels varies depending on their applications and temperature differences. However, the key drawback of laser printers is that they can only print one label at a time.

Depending on the types of printer, there are some common label printer designs that are used for printing labels such as-

  1. Industrial Printers: If you own a factory, a warehouse, or run a distribution network, industrial label printers are must-have equipment for you. These durable devices are capable of producing hundreds of label prints per day and guarantee high-quality prints.
  • Commercial Printers: This type of printer is capable of handling rolls of labels up to 8 inches wide and is comparatively more potent than desktop label printers. For a medium volume of printing, commercial printers are a perfect option.
  • Desktop Label Printers: For shorter-run labels, desktop label printers are the best option. Comparatively smaller and more affordable than industrial or commercial label printers, these printers are a perfect choice for office settings.
  • Portable Printers: Lightweight and easy to vary around, portable printers are perfect for events, shows, and more. These devices also work perfectly in offices, warehouses, and other similar places.
  • Personal Label Printers: These are small, hand-held devices that allow users to create custom labels. Although these printers are not recommended for daily use, they are perfect for limited label printing at home or a small office.

To determine if investing in a label printer is wise, we need to know the advantages the device offers.

Benefits of In-house Label Printing

  1. Private Labelling: The popularity of private labelling grew over the past decade, particularly in the food, beverage, cosmetic, chemical, medical, and dietary supplement industries. Most customers these days prefer purchasing products that come with private labels or store-branded labelled goods. Therefore, manufacturers who use in-house label printers can get a competitive edge in the marketplace by printing their own customised labels, that too cost-effectively.
  • Produce Labels Instantly: The ability to print the exact number of labels you require, anytime you need enhances productivity by making labels on-demand. If you are a manufacturer, producing multiple products, having the right label in inventory at the right time is quite challenging, which owning a label printer can resolve.
  • Cut Costs and Reduce Inventory: In the short run, in-house label printing helps cut costs, print small quantity labels and allow businesses to replace inventories with simpler production practices.
  • Gain Production Flexibility: Earlier, commercial label printing houses have outsourced the task of printing full-colour primary display labels whereas black panel labels were printed in-house. However, nowadays, both front-panel and back-panel labels can be printed simultaneously in a single print pass.
  • Maintain in-house Quality: For industries like pharmaceuticals, medical devices, hazardous chemicals, and more, the packaging processes need to meet quality standards that are maintained by in-house quality management systems.
  • Reduce Delivery Time to Market: For most companies, customer convenience and keeping up with customer demand is a top priority. Using an in-house label printer, you can print labels on-demand and get shipments to retailers and customers quickly, easily, and efficiently, minimising unnecessary downtimes.

We have also enlisted a few tips on choosing the perfect label printer for your business.

  1. The first criterion that you need to consider is, what you will be using your printer for. Of course, label printers would be used to print labels but you need to consider the quantity you will need to print on a daily basis to know the perfect type of printer you should purchase.
  • To purchase any product, considering your budget is mandatory, same with purchasing a label printer. Ensure that you set a budget for yourself and strive to stick to it. Pick a printer that meets all your business needs perfectly and fits your budget too.
  • Decide where you would be purchasing your printer from and think if you would be shopping online or from a brick-and-mortar store. There are some leading online stores that can give you high-quality label printers at exciting prices.
  • Ensure that you consider the cost of running a printer in terms of the number of labels you intend to print per month.

Finally,

If you have decided to purchase your label printers online, you have landed on the right page.

POS Plaza is Australia’s leading online reseller of point of sale (POS) hardware, consumables, and accessories, all available at competitive prices. Browse through our extensive inventory and pick the perfect label printer that would meet both your budget and business needs perfectly. You can also get in touch with our experts who will provide you with a personalised shopping experience.

Location: Australia

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