The decision to buy in a thermal printer for your reselling business is a big one. It means that you are ready to take the leap and invest money to improve how you operate while shipping or listing items. Investing in good quality tools can speed up and simplify your workflow, and can end up saving you money in the long term.
However, this decision also means that you are now flooded with options that can be overwhelming.
In this article, we will demystify the biggest options available to you when it comes to thermal printers for shipping labels.
Rollo Label Printer
The Rollo printer is a popular choice among resellers, due to its relatively inexpensive price tag when compared to other options. It is a reliable machine, and is consistently rated highly on Amazon.
The Rollo thermal printer uses 6×4 labels, so it is ideal for shipping labels for direct to consumer sales or for Amazon FBA shipments. Labels can be fed from rolls or stacks.
This printer works with many of the major shipping and selling platforms, including Amazon and eBay.
High speed printer, and can print up to 150 millimeters per second.
Dymo 4XL
Dymo is another extremely popular brand among resellers, and the 4XL is one of their top selling products. It is another relatively inexpensive option, but the low price does not mean low quality when it comes to Dymo products.
This thermal printer provides versatility because it can be used to print 6×4 shipping labels, but also smaller labels of various sizes, such as FNSKU barcode labels, which is important if you are an FBA seller.
A great benefit of choosing a Dymo printer is the software and support. By using the Dymo software, you have access to hundreds of label templates. You can quickly customize your own labels and use the 4XL to print them with ease.
This printer uses labels on rolls only, so make sure you don’t buy stacks of labels if you are going with the Dymo 4XL.
Zebra GK420d
As you grow your reselling business, you may want to invest in higher quality equipment. The Zebra GK420d is an expensive piece of equipment when compared to Dymo and Rollo’s options, but this printer provides some great features to help speed up your workflows. It is an excellent option for a warehouse reseller or large operation.
This printer can be used via USB, Ethernet, or Wireless connection, which makes it usable directly from mobile devices. It can print approximately 127 millimetres of label per second, which is slightly slower than the Rollo.
The resolution and print quality of the Zebra GK420d is solid, with a DPI of 203. This provides perfectly scanable and readable labels.
Dymo LabelWriter 450
Most Amazon FBA sellers have heard of the Dymo 450. This option cannot print 6×4 labels for shipping, but is a great solution for printing FNSKU labels to place on your items when shipping to Amazon.
This printer is an extremely affordable option, with sales frequently dropping the price as low as $50. It is a great starting point for FBA sellers, but note that the 4XL would provide the functionality of the LabelWriter 450 in addition to the ability to print shipping labels, which is arguably a more important requirement for reselling, since any Merchant Fulfilled, eBay, Poshmark, Mercari or other platform orders would not be fulfill-able using the LabelWriter 450 alone.
In any case, it is a small and compact, affordable and reliable option out there. If you already have another printer for shipping labels and need something for FBA FNSKU labels, consider this option.
So which thermal printer should I buy?
Depending on your needs, you may want to look closer at one of the above printers. For example, if you already have a Dymo 450 to print small labels, you may want to get a Rollo printer to take care of shipping labels. If you don’t have either, it may be worth looking at the Dymo 4XL, which is essentially a 2 in 1, and could save you some money.
If you are further along in your journey of building your business, the Zebra may be for you. But we don’t recommend this one for new resellers, due to its high price point.
You can’t go wrong with any of these printers, but we really love the Rollo for shipping labels. It is fast and reliable – what more could you want?
We hope you found this useful. If you did, make sure to check out our free ebook to help you to increase sales in your online reselling business.
Do you currently own a thermal printer? Which one is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!
