Thermal Printer vs InkJet Printer

[blueapples_22]

So we do on average about 5-6 packages a day.  Currently we are using an InkJet printer with labels I get off Amazon, 2 to a page.  I was wondering, for folks that use thermal label printers, is it worth it?  If so, which one is most cost effective?

Thanks.

[stephenmorgan]

Question

With the Dymo 450 can you resize the print area?  

I use a lot of small boxes so currently when I print my labels off eBay I resize them to print at 85%. 

I have to cut the excess away and end up with a 4.75" X 3.25" label.

[coastaltechsolution]

I bought a used Rollo thermal printer that does 4X6 labels and have been using it for a year, no ink needed. I also have labels for my inkjet printer when I have to use USPS retail. I use my inkjet printer for printing printing sales receipts for customers but in the end the savings are there.    

[farmalljr]

First, I'd never use an inkjet printer. You have to clear tape the whole face of the label. If the ink gets wet, it smears. It's also the single most expensive way to print. 

I use a thermal. Anyone who is dedicated to selling, really should have one. Makes shipping a LOT easier. I would recommend AVOIDING a thermal printer, like DYMO, that uses proprietary labels. You HAVE to use DYMO labels, or your warranty is voided (not to mention DYMO has more problems then other comparable thermal printers).  Get one that prints 4x6 labels. FedEx/UPS only print in this format. There are many to choose from, but stick to name brand, not something that is a Chinese brand. 

If you are serious about selling, you will also want a good laser printer. Dump the inkjets, they cost too much and are less reliable. 

My thermal printer cost me $200, my laser $400. Both were very good investments for my business. 

[1tuna]

I use an HP laser jet 1102 and have a few of them around.black and white only for me.  as others have mentioned the big cartridges are cheap on ebay and print 1200 labels easy for me with intructions and label records

i print 40-50 labels a week and change cartridges maybe 2x a year .........  maybe $30 in ink per year

[scstool]

I use HP Laserjets which can be found very cheaply. They work very well in my workflow because I also print a packing slip for each order on the same printer.

Keep in mind there are two different types of thermal printers and some printers can be used in either configuration. Thermal direct printers use one media roll and produce labels that fade over time. Thermal transfer printers use an additional ink roll and produce higher quality long lasting labels. If you are a high volume user it makes sense to go with the thermal transfer option as the ribbon is not as abrasive as the paper label and your $$$ print heads will last longer.

[uncle-papaw]

I use a Brother HL-L2320D laser printer. About 100 times cheaper than ink jet. Lasts a long time and toner and drums very cheap on ebay.

[mozartbach1971]

I use an HP laser jet printer.  It's overall reliable, however I have to change the toner every two or three months.  I print around 70 labels a week.  The toner costs over  seventy dollars each.

[farmalljr]

Dump the HP printer. I had one and I found toner on a HP is way more expensive and way less prints. I use a Brother 3290CDW. 

This color printer only cost 70 bucks for all FOUR off brand toner cartridges. You can buy just the black toner cartridges too.  Even though the initial investment in the printer was $400, the money saved in toner was huge. 

For me, the current Brother is a workhorse and the toner savings are huge. The HP I had was "rated at 1500 pages per toner cartridge, and I found that was WAY under rated. The Brother was rated at 2500 pages and find this estimate is spot on or even more pages.

[farmalljr]

I'll add this general reply to the discussion:

A Thermal printer is more capable and useful then just printing shipping labels. With templates and sometimes the right software (like DYMO and ROLLO include) you can use your thermal printer to print BIN labels, skews for products, shelf tags, and many other things. Thermal labels come in many different sizes. I have 2x4 labels I use for BIN identifiers. I've also got 1x1 labels coming to do individual product tags (for location within a bin). All of these tags make identification of the item to be pulled, so easy ANYONE can do it if I can't. 

Maybe most of the people here already know this, but I think those pondering buying a thermal just don't think about that. I know I didn't when considering buying a label printer. I'm currently adding a second thermal that it's main use will be printing off 1x1 labels for item skews. This will save me loads of time from hand writing skew numbers for individual products on tags. 

While all of this equipment costs money, your TIME is worth money. I can be more productive with the right equipment, so it's an investment to get my time back. That time can be more free time for me, or more productive time to make more money. If you are an occasional seller, then no, this investment will likely never pay you back. If you sell part time to full time, then yes, it's an investment to make more money. Get the most out of your equipment! And by all means, get the best DEAL. My ROLLO and my Brother printer, I bought new, most of my other equipment (including the new thermal printer) I looked for deals. My latest printer was half price (new without box). My scanner was new for 1/10 the price, with a broken hinge that was easily fixed with a spot of super glue, and now functions flawlessly. You don't HAVE to buy a spanking new printer. 

If you are looking for comparisons over many models of thermal printers, check out thecollegepicker on YouTube. He does a great job comparing MANY models. 

[johnjefprks]

I purchased a Brother QL-700 thermal label printer 3 or 4 years ago for around $50.00. One of the best decisions I have made since I started selling on ebay. Just don't buy the factory label rolls you can get the knock offs a lot cheaper on ebay.