Editor
A good quality label printer can be indispensable for any small business. With high quality, efficient labelling equipment, you can keep office spaces organised, mark out important files, let customers know the price of products and much, much more. The lowest-cost way to make labels is thermal direct printing, which saves you money on toners and ink cartridges. However, label printers exist on the market for practically any purpose you can imagine. With this many choices, it can be hard to know which option is right for you – especially when you operate out of the UK, where many popular American models are less accessible. That’s why we’ve compared printers from across the market to find you the best for your needs, with a UK shipping option. Here’s our list of the top five best label makers for UK small businesses.
Product Comparison Table: Best Label Maker UK
| Title | Price | Rating (Amazon) | Best in class | Buy | |
 | SKIO Portable Bluetooth Label Maker | $$ | 4 stars | Best portable printer | Amazon |
 | Supvan LP5120M Label Maker Machine | $$ | 4 stars | Best for laminated labels | Amazon |
 | DYMO Embossing Label Maker | $$ | 4.5 stars | Best value | Amazon |
 | Brother P-Touch PTD400AD Label Maker | $$$ | 4.5 stars | Best customisation | Amazon |
 | iDPRT SP320 Bluetooth Label Printer | $$$$ | 4.5 stars | Best desktop | Amazon |
SKIO Portable Bluetooth Label Maker
The SKIO Portable Bluetooth Label Maker slims down its compact frame by dispensing with the typical keyboard and screen setup; with this model, your smartphone serves as the interface between you and your printer. With the accompanying app, you can print a wide variety of labels, QR codes and barcodes, utilising a wide range of customisation options: text sizes, images, icons, 15 fonts and 9 languages. There are even premade templates if you’re stuck for ideas! The print speed averages at around 1 label per second, without inks or toners as the machine is entirely thermal. The maximum print size is 12mm x 30mm, meaning this printer is strictly designed with organisational labels in mind. As for connectivity, the printer connects to both Android and iOS smartphones seamlessly via Bluetooth.
Pros
- Wireless connection
- Compact, portable design
- Comes with customisation app
Cons
- Can only print narrow labels
Verdict
If file-folder and storage labels are what you need, you won’t get much better than the SKIO Portable Bluetooth Label Maker. Operating entirely wirelessly, this printer won’t have trailing leads that get in the way when you’re trying to sort out your storage or organise your workspace. It can only print one type of label, however, so if you’ll need a variety of sizes, another option might work better for you.
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Supvan LP5120M Label Maker Machine
The Supvan LP5120M Label Maker Machine is made to be as hard wearing as possible, and create labels to match; prints from this machine have a water, UV, corrosion and scratch proof finish, heavyweight adhesion, and a lifespan of up to 10 years outdoors. The built-in keyboard offers 1356 industry symbols, various fonts and barcodes. In turn, the system can communicate in 17 kinds of system language, so it will always seamlessly integrate into your existing setup. The printer supports only Supvan branded thermal direct laminated rolls in three sizes: 6, 9 and 12mm wide. Yet, despite being such a durable workhorse, the machine is still extremely lightweight and portable, weighing in at just around 300 grams. It can be powered by 6AA batteries for use on-the-go, or an AC power adapter, however neither of these are included in-box.
Pros
- Built to integrate with existing systems
- Wide range of text and symbol options
- Durable laminated labels
Cons
- Doesn’t include batteries or cable in box
Verdict
The Supvan LP5120M Label Maker Machine is our top choice for outdoor use, or use in extreme environments like construction sites and warehouses. Laminated labels provide a level of durability that will serve these businesses perfectly, and this machine produces them at a much lower cost than most of its competitors. You will have to shell out extra for batteries, though.
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DYMO Embossing Label Maker
Before thermal technology, embossing label makers were the go-to option. The DYMO Embossing Label Maker may be a little retro in its mechanism, but it has been augmented with a series of striking modern features. First of all, the clean ergonomic design makes the machine relatively easy to use: simply crank the intuitive turn-and-click system to create customised labels, designed using a 49 character range of text, numbers and symbols. Perfect for organisation of files, folders, boxes and drawers, this machine is made extremely reliable by being non-electric – no batteries, connections or power supplies required. There is no auto-cutter function, though, so you’ll have to cut label tapes yourself.
Pros
- Comes with label rolls
- Entirely non-electric
- Great value low price
Cons
- Embossed, not thermal labels
- No auto-cutter
Verdict
Sometimes, when you haven’t got a lot of money to spend, you just need a machine that does the job. That’s where the DYMO Embossing Label Maker comes in. It may be a little more time consuming and fiddly to use than some of the thermal machines elsewhere on this list, but this machine will do the job if all you need to do is organise some boxes and files. It’s incredibly low cost, too!
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Brother P-Touch PTD400AD Label Maker
The Brother P-Touch PTD400AD Label Maker has intuitive one-touch keys, meaning they’re not at all fiddly to use. You can play with a huge selection of 99 frames, 600 plus symbols, 14 fonts and 7 point sizes just by pressing the appropriate keys, and print up to nine copies of your design. Internal memory can also store up to fifty designs, so you can tweak them over time – this is a great option when you’re starting to build a brand. The box includes a traditional AC adapter cable, however the printer can also be powered by 6 AA batteries – although these are not included on purchase. The machine also only supports Brother Genuine P-Touch TZe branded tapes, in sizes from 18mm to 3.5mm width.
Pros
- Huge range of customisation options
- Built-in one-touch keyboard
- Powered by AC or battery power
Cons
- Batteries not included on purchase
- More expensive than others
Verdict
The Brother P-Touch PTD400AD Label Maker has the most customisation options out af any of the label makers on this list. Not only does it offer access to a huge number of font, symbol, image and text customisations from directly within the machine itself, but it also is compatible with an enormous range of coloured tapes from Brother. These tapes come in any shade from neon yellow to white, and can be in any finish from laminate to fridge-proof to iron-on fabric.
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iDPRT SP320 Bluetooth Label Printer
The iDPRT SP320 Bluetooth Label Printer can be used to print address labels, UPC labels, barcodes, or any other label format with a width between 0.98 and 3.15 inches (25mm-80mm). With the free HiLabel label design app for iOS and Android, you can customise labels to reflect your brand identity and fulfil whatever purpose you need. The most impressive feature of this machine is its printing speed, which comes in at a lightning-fast 180mm/s – that’s 140 2×3 labels per minute, or nearly 2.5 per second. In turn, it has an extremely high resolution of 203dpi, meaning labels always come out looking clear, professional and readable. As for connection, the HiLabel APP allows wireless printing from smartphones with Bluetooth connectivity, whilst PCs and Macs can connect directly to the printer by USB cable.
Pros
- Prints wide range of label sizes
- Wireless connectivity options
- Super fast printing speed
Cons
- Most expensive
- Large and bulky
Verdict
The iDPRT SP320 Bluetooth Label Printer is a great fit for businesses that do a lot of business online; this desktop printer allows you to print larger labels for packaging, products and addresses. With Bluetooth connection, too, this machine would work well in a busy office or retail space. However, it doesn’t print 4×6 address labels, so make sure you’re not intending to use it for larger shipping stickers.
