4x6" Thermal Label Printer Recommendations

[19ninety]

I need to buy a 4x6" thermal printer for Royal Mail and Parcelforce labels, what's a good printer which doesn't have expensive labels?

I'm tempted by a newer Zebra printer as I have a Zebra QLn320 currently for address/return address labels, fantastic printer ... absolutely awful software and a nightmare to setup, so bad that I have kept the same wifi password for 7 years because it is so difficult to change in the printer. I don't want to spend a few hundred on another Zebra only for it to be equally difficult to work with...

 

[Tim Ford]

Can't go wrong with a Citizen CL Thermal printer.

 

[DefinitelyMaybeUK]

Worth a read of a previous thread:

Thermal Label Printer - Royal Mail Labels

Hi guys, can anyone recommend a thermal label printer that works with royal mail labels as well (apparently royal mail supply them for free?). It will be used to print shipping labels from my shopify site for now as you can pay for postage as well whilst fullfilling each order through the...

www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk

The price of the RM recommended GK420 does seem to have shot up recently, but as other have said it's worth it. Check out the perpetual discount for RM account holders as mentioned. Guessing you do have an RM account? But then again you're worried about expensive labels - the 6x4 labels are FREE to account holders so no problem there We use our 420 via Windows USB with no issues. It's assigned in printnode (aka RM printassist) so prints automatically from click and drop web/api. Never had an issue with setting - there was a couple of changes from default iirc, but all simple stuff. Tip: It can be renamed to a "ZP450" in the settings which then makes it name compatible for the (clunky) UPS java print system so labels print automatically from that too...

 

[LPB 123]

We have 2, a Zebra LP2844 bought second hand for £100 about 8 years ago and still going strong. Must print 30,000 + labels a year.

Just recently bought a Zebra GX430T second hand for £125. The print is 300 dpi as opposed to the usual 203 so the print quality is very good and it prints rapidly compared to our old LP2844.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

HOw many labels do you print at a time and a week?

 

[DanH]

We have three Zebra printers (GK420 and GX430T) and a Citizen thermal printer. Can't really fault the Zebras coupled with the free 6x4 Royal Mail labels we get!

 

[Mister B]

FWIW we bought a Munbyn off Amazon for around £100. Very reliable and uses the free RM labels without issue.

 

[19ninety]

Thanks for your replies all, I am a Click & Drop and a Drop & Go users, is the link below the correct one to enquire about labels and the discounted printer?

https://www.royalmail.com/business/shipping/online-mail-supplies

 

[DefinitelyMaybeUK]

I am a Click & Drop and a Drop & Go users, is the link below the correct one to enquire about labels and the discounted printer?

Yes, follow the order mail supplies link. But are you a registered business customer and as such have an "OBA" Online Business Account? See the sign-up otherwise.

However, the supplies shop is renowned for not displaying even with a valid business account - there's a whole page on how to cure it, but usually to no avail! TBH, I'd login first via the business portal and navigate to services->supplies etc:

https://www.royalmail.com/business/user/login

You're looking for the 500 label roll, code P6709.

You should speak to your account manager (or customer services to find out who your manager is) and see if the zebra offer is available, but ultimately you'd need to contact thebarcodewarehouse with your OBA customer number and email address, as mentioned here: https://www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/...printer-royal-mail-labels.412104/post-3079989

 

[Sco]

However, the supplies shop is renowned for not displaying even with a valid business account - there's a whole page on how to cure it, but usually to no avail!

For me after I login and get to the main shop (I can't post link), if I click on MY ACCOUNT at the top, then the page refreshes and the online supplies store link will show, in case that helps.