Alice
If you’re selling products online, you will need postage labels. The United States Postal Service is perfect for sending smaller packages, providing printable labels for you to affix to your products. Their name recognition belies a level of trustworthy service that only comes from years and years of operation. However, if you are sending a large volume of packages, you’ll need a large volume of labels. You could print these through a conventional inkjet printer, although this would mean spending money on ink and toner, cutting papers down to size, and messing around with adhesives. The easiest way to create postage labels at scale is to use a thermal printer. Working without inks or toners, these machines produce designs on self-adhesive media rolls. But how do you know which thermal printer is best for you? We’ve evaluated printers from across the market to find you the best thermal printer for USPS labels in 2022.
Product Comparison Table: Best Thermal Printer for USPS
| Title | Price | Rating (Amazon) | Best in class | Buy | |
 | DYMO 1755120 LabelWriter 4XL Thermal Label Printer | $$ | 4.5 stars | Best for home | Amazon |
 | Zebra GK420d Direct Thermal Printer | $$$$ | 4.5 stars | Best for eCommerce | Amazon |
 | Arkscan 2054A Shipping Label Printer | $$ | 4.5 stars | Best value | Amazon |
 | Brother QL-1110NWB Wide Format Thermal Label Printer | $$$ | 4.5 stars | Best wireless | Amazon |
 | ROLLO Thermal Label Printer | $$ | 4.5 stars | Best overall | Amazon |
DYMO 1755120 LabelWriter 4XL Thermal Label Printer
The DYMO 1755120 LabelWriter 4XL Thermal Label Printer may not print the fastest in the world, clocking up 53 standard 4-line address labels or 129 high-capacity 4-line address labels per minute. Yet there are several areas where it excels: it includes a label holder to prevent jams, is compatible with USPS, and prints a variety of label products including 4”x6” shipping labels, warehouse labels, barcode and identification labels, bulk mailing labels, and other large-format labels. The packaging states that it can only print with authentic DYMO branded FSC-Certified LabelWriter proprietary media rolls, but we had no issues printing on generics. It prints in 300dpi resolution, so your prints will always come out crystal clear regardless of media brand. Best of all, the box includes free DYMO Connect Software so you can select from over 60 professional label templates, plus customize text and graphics
Pros
- Works with generic label rolls
- Relatively low price
- High resolution for clear prints
- Includes DYMO Connect Software
Cons
- Slower print speed
Verdict
If you need to print a smaller quantity of USPS labels – for a kitchen-table selling enterprise, for example – in good quality at a decently fast speed, the DYMO 1755120 LabelWriter 4XL Thermal Label Printer is the perfect option for you. As our best choice for home use, the DYMO fulfils all the tasks you’ll need very effectively, although it might not be up to industrial quantities of printing.
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Zebra GK420d Direct Thermal Printer
The Zebra GK420d Direct Thermal Printer is the best-selling commercial label printer worldwide, due to its excellent industrial-scale printing capabilities. It is simple to use, connecting via USB, Serial and Parallel, so you could set up multiple without too many trailing wires. Generic media rolls are supported with a 1 inch core, max diameter of 5 inches and width of 4.25 inches; this means it can easily handle 4×6 and USPS labels. Direct Thermal Technology allows printing without a thermal ribbon, prolonging the life of the machine considerably. The max speed is a relatively swift 5 inches per second, meaning it can create address, shipping and barcode labels in less than a second each. Plus, it is Energy Star approved, tested and certified to provide complete peace of mind.
Pros
- Tested and certified by manufacturer
- Durable and long-lasting construction
- Fast printing speed for large volume
- Multiple connectivity options
Cons
- Very expensive
Verdict
For large scale quantities of USPS label prints, you won’t find a better thermal printer than the Zebra GK420d. Every feature of the machine is designed with eCommerce in mind; you can run multiple machines without messy wires, bulk buy generic labels to lower costs, and run the machine continuously without heat worrying about overheating or excessive power consumption. The high price might put it out of reach of very small businesses, though.
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Arkscan 2054A Shipping Label Printer
You might think the Arkscan 2054A Shipping Label Printer looks similar to the Zebra GK420d, and you’d be right; the Arkscan is very alike to Zebra’s hugely popular but discontinued workhorse model, the LP2844. A multifunctional label maker, it can print any label with dimensions ranging from 0.75 inches to 4.25 inches in depth, and 0.4 inches to 90 inches in length. This is perfectly compatible with USPS labels. Furthermore, the roll paper loads inside the printer to support a print speed of 5 inches per second, with no jams. It even includes the BarTender UltraLite Label Design software toll in-box, allowing you to work off of templates and produce custom text, graphics, barcodes and serial numbers – alongside USPS labels. There’s also extensive US-based customer support via phone, live chat and remote access if you have any issues with the printer.
Pros
- Great value low price
- Shares features with the costly Zebra
- Free software included
- Customer service
Cons
- Software only works on Windows
- Only supports Arkscan, Zebra or DYMO labels
Verdict
The Arkscan 2054A Shipping Label Printer is our best value choice, sharing features of more costly machines, without the price to match. It will handle the basic needs of most USPS shippers, plus a couple of neat features on the side. Bear in mind there are compatibility issues: it can’t support generic labels, and the software only works on Windows. However, great customer service means the Arkscan is an ideal first thermal printer for fledgling businesses.
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Brother QL-1110NWB Wide Format Thermal Label Printer
The Brother QL-1110NWB Wide Format Thermal Label Printer is entirely wireless, allowing you to print from your smartphone, desktop, laptop or tablet. Very few thermal printers offer WiFi printing, let alone alongside Ethernet and Bluetooth. As for the physical printing process, the Brother QL-1110NWB prints on wide format labels up to 4 inches wide, ideal for USPS labels. Print speeds reach 69 labels per minute, at 300 dpi. The machine can also detect the size of the tape inserted, and then automatically adjusts the onscreen template before cutting the sheet down to size. The setup is also mind-blowingly simple, taking as little as five minutes; the built-in “Plug and Label” feature lets you print instantly on wireless connection, without the need to install software or drivers.
Pros
- High resolution for clear prints
- Fast printing speeds
- Wireless connectivity
- Automatic features (cutter, size detection, Plug & Label)
Cons
- Features are windows-only
- Only supports Brother branded labels
Verdict
The Brother QL-1110NWB Wide Format Thermal Label Printer is the best wireless thermal printer for USPS labels we could find. The excellent quality and speed more than sell this printer on their own, but the entirely wireless connection makes this machine truly cutting-edge. Again, however, there are compatibility issues; the Plug and Label feature is Windows-only, and it only supports official Brother branded labels.
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ROLLO Thermal Label Printer
The ROLLO Thermal Label Printer may not be the cheapest option on our list, but it will definitely last the longest; it has a 650,000 label life expectancy, enough for at least ten years of consistent commercial use. It also prints lightning-fast, producing 150mm per second. That’s twice as fast as some others we’ve reviewed, taking well below a second per 4×6 USPS label. It also boasts Automatic Label Identification for sizes between 1.57 inches and 4.1 inches wide, at the touch of a button. Any generic, proprietary or branded thermal direct label roll is supported, and using unbranded labels will not affect your warranty. If you need to access this warranty, or have any issues with the machine, you can contact ROLLO’s excellent US-based 24-7 customer service.
Pros
- Long life expectancy
- Fast speed and great quality
- Automatic label identification
- Supports any labels
- Customer service
Cons
- No wireless connection
Verdict
The ROLLO Thermal Label Printer is Amazon’s top selling thermal printing machine – for good reason. It combines features from all the others on this list (automatic functions, great print quality, customer service, label support and sturdy construction), at an extremely good value price. It may not support wireless connection, but this does make setup a cinch, as all you need to do is plug in a good old-fashioned USB cable. This is our choice for the best thermal printer for USPS in 2022.
