Everything You Need To Know About Label Printers

A label printer is an inevitable tool for any business enterprise. A label is an integral entity that has multiple usages and purposes that can help to raise the standard of your industry. It is used in the identification process, for advertising, Barcode printing, instructional purpose, shipping purpose, and also to pose statutory warning and advice.

A label printer is a crucial element that determines the professional standard of an industry, and they differ from ordinary printers since it prints on various types of materials like rolled sheets, thermoplastics, sensitive papers, and 3-D printing materials. We need to understand some paramount instructions before buying label printers. 

Image by Pashminu Mansukhani from Pixabay 

Before that, let’s see some varieties of label printers, their usage, and specifications to get an overall idea about the types of label printers available in the market. 

Types of Printers and Industry Choices

Label Printers vary according to the mode of usage. There are Handheld, commercial and industrial models. For choosing the right label printer, you need to understand the ongoing necessities and quality requirements. Now let’s figure out the common varieties available in Label Printers.

1. Handheld Label Printers    

Do you want to complete your job professionally? 

Handheld Label Printers can give you a credible and professional outlook. You can maintain the industry standards by printing durable and customized onsite labels. Handheld Label printers are mainly used in warehouses, small business platforms, and for cables and electrical panels.

Image by Obsahovka from Pixabay 

2. Commercial and Desktop Label Printers

Commercial label printers are mostly used for making colorful print materials for various organizational and business needs. They are used on factory floors and manufacturing units to produce custom label designs for packaging, printing logos, and pharmaceutical needs.    

Image by egonkling from Pixabay 

3. Industrial Printers

Industrial printers are used for intensive purposes where speed and efficiency matters a lot to produce standardized labels for wall posters, barcode printing, distribution centers, factories, and vehicle wrapping. Thermal Transfer printing mode is used to control the immediate fading of these labels. Also, Industrial printers are equipped to withstand harsh environmental conditions.   

Image by painezhang from Pixabay 

How to Choose the Best Label Printers

Hundreds and thousands of label printers are available in the market. To choose the one apt for your purpose, you should identify the nature of the workplace. Here are some factors to consider while selecting the label printers to imbibe better performance and quality work.    

1. Analyze the nature of the workplace     

Are you sitting inside a comfortable office space? Does your work involve continuous mobility? Well, the size of the label printers is a factor you need to consider. You can choose a handheld or portable label printer if you are a field worker. They are smaller in size and easy to handle.

If your work involves sitting continuously inside a cabin desktop label printers are ideal. They assure quality performance by printing the quantities you need. Personal desktop label printers also help you to experiment with your designs.   

Photo by Obsahovka Obsahovka from Pexels

2. Consider the width and length of the label material

Labels are available in a plethora of sizes and shapes and materials. If you are printing a lab report, you may need a vast sheet, or if you are printing a supermarket bill, you may prefer a lengthy sheet. And there are separate sheet labels for other uses like packaging and shipping. So, choosing the appropriate label sheets is also important. 

Each label material has its properties and durability. You should have a basic idea about the varieties of label papers to generate a productive environment. Here are some casual label sheets that are used widely

• White label papers
• Vinyl labels 
• Nylon cloth labels
• Thermal and thermal transfer labels
• Film varieties  

3. Explore the Durability factor

You cannot use a desktop label printer in manufacturing units where the device is exposed to dust and excessive heat. Desktop label printers are mostly made of plastics. It cannot be used for industrial purposes. For high-end industrial works, you should prefer industrial labels.      

4. Examine the durability of the labels

Materials to be printed and adhesives should be chosen according to the industrial standards. The label tag printed on a dress material and ESD sensitive devices differ in matters of longevity. You can choose heat-sensitive direct thermal labels or thermal transfer labels to cater to durability needs. 

Image by Robert Martin from Pixabay 

Heat sensitive direct thermal labels have a shorter life span compared to thermal transfer labels, and they can be used for a temporary purpose. Heat sensitive labels are also available at a low cost, and they cannot withstand heavy heat and sunshine.   

5. Review the Print Resolution

Resolution determines the sharpness and quality of the printed image. The high-resolution image gives a professional look. When it comes to resolution, consider the print area and the dimension of the labels. Resolution is not the size of the image, but it is the measure of pixel density.  

300Dpi is the standard printing resolution for all the printers. If you are printing a barcode material, then choose 600Dpi. The nature of the workplace is a crucial factor to be considered while selecting the resolution.    

6. Inspect the performance and speed

Printer speed and performance is a vital factor to consider if your firm demands a continuous flow of documents. You have to cross-check some essential elements to determine the performance of the label printer. They are

• Processing time 
• Concurrent processing time
• Warm-up time
• Quality in tandem with the speed 

7. Ensure high-end connectivity

Label printers have become flexible devices. You can connect it directly with your computer, you can set up a network printer with Bluetooth connectivity, cloud printing technology, and wifi connectivity, and also there are mobile printer apps. Understand the nature of your workplace and enhance the connectivity by utilizing the flexibility of the label printers.

Image by Obsahovka from Pixabay 

Bottomline

Label Printers are an essential component in heavy-duty industries and commercial workspaces. The quality and performance of the printer are imperative factors that determine the productivity and professional outlook of a firm. Hence, choosing the right printer is necessary to increase performance. 

At Gokimco, you will find a plethora of adaptable cost-effective label printers and printing resources needed to equip your workspace with continuous flow and durability.