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Traditionally, retail stores have relied on price guns to label large quantities of stock. Although these guns are relatively cheap, their reliance on ink rolls and stamping means they can often be messy, smudgy and hard to read for customers. Also, charging the ink rolls can lead to ink marks everywhere. The cleanest, fastest and most efficient way to produce labels with more modern technology is via a thermal printer machine. Eschewing ink rolls, these machines work by exposing thermal direct labels to heat, bringing out colour in the necessary areas. The resulting prints are smudge and scratch-proof, and rival conventional inkjet or laser printers for quality. However, with so many makes and models available, it can be hard to know which thermal label maker is right for you. Here are our top five recommended best thermal price label printers for retail stores in 2022.
Product Comparison Table: Best Label Printer for Retail Stores
| Title | Price | Rating (Amazon) | Best in class | Buy | |
 | iDPRT SP310 Thermal Label Maker | $$$ | 3.5 stars | Best Desktop | Amazon |
 | Phomemo-M110 Portable Bluetooth Label Maker | $$ | 4.5 stars | Best Portable | Amazon |
 | NIIMBOT Portable Label Maker Machine | $ | 4.5 stars | Best Value | Amazon |
 | DYMO LabelManager 160 Portable Label Maker | $$ | 4.5 stars | Most Durable | Amazon |
 | Phomemo D30 Portable Bluetooth Label Printer | $$$ | 4.5 stars | Best Overall | Amazon |
iDPRT SP310 Thermal Label Maker
The iDPRT SP310 Thermal Label Maker is a desktop model with a super fast printing speed of 100 2×3 labels per minute. Statistically, that’s 102 mm/s, a 50% faster speed than competing desktop label printers. Using thermal technology, it can achieve a consistently high resolution of 203dpi – this is on par with office laser monochrome printers, so it will handle any size of text with ease. It can print on tapes between 1 inch (25mm) and 3.35 inches (85mm) wide, meaning it can handle any price label size, but not 4×6 inch shipping labels. Plus, auto label detection instantly recognised the size of label you feed in, and calibrates the printer accordingly. Included Label Designer software allows you to edit, import and design original labels, yet this program is only compatible with Windows. The printer in general is compatible with Windows, Linux or Mac via USB connection, though.
Pros
- Fast printing speed
- High resolution for clear prints
- Comes with Label Designer software
- Prints a wide range of label sizes
Cons
- Label Designer software is Windows-only
- No wireless connection option
Verdict
Sometimes, Bluetooth connections and small portable units won’t be right for your business. With the iDPRT SP310 Thermal Label Maker, you can benefit from all the positives of a desktop printer: stability, reliability and versatility. This machine also has the largest printable area of any label maker on our list, meaning it can handle a wide range of product labels or packaging types, as well as price tags. You will only be able to design them with the included software if you’re working on Windows, however you can just as easily use another program and print directly from that.
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Phomemo-M110 Portable Bluetooth Label Maker
The Phomemo-M110 Portable Bluetooth Label Maker connects to your smartphone via the included Phomemo app, which offers you a huge range of predesigned free label templates, editing, fonts, frames and more. The label printer can handle a relatively wide format, too – 20mm to 50mm – meaning you have a decent amount of space to express your brand. Best of all, optical character recognition (OCR) technology recognises text in under four seconds, making it easy to scan and reproduce labels as editable text. An adjustable paper holder and automatic label identification mean printing is smooth, with no jams or misprints. Lastly, you can connect your smartphone or tablet to the printer with Bluetooth 4.0 within a range of 33 feet.
Pros
- Comes with Phomemo design app
- Prints a wide range of label sizes
- OCR, auto identification and other features
- Wireless connection options
Cons
- Can’t connect via USB
Verdict
The Phomemo-M110 Portable Bluetooth Label Maker is entirely portable, connecting to your smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth. This means employees can use their own phones, making it especially ideal for trade shows or other mobile operations where you can’t bring in specialist software. However, being unable to connect to laptops and PCs might make its design options fairly limited, as you won’t have access to the fonts and images downloaded on your desktop machine.
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NIIMBOT Portable Label Maker Machine
The NIIMBOT D11 Portable Wireless Label Printer comes in a range of different colours: green, pink, black and white. It has a solid resolution of 203 dpi, and can achieve a maximum of 60mm/s and a minimum of 30, enough to print 4 labels per second at top speed. The resolution remains high even when printing fast, so your price labels will be clear and precise. It can handle labels up to 15mm wide. The NIIMBOT APP allows you to design labels using a plethora of fonts, symbols and icons, and control the printer directly from your tablet or smartphone. This app is compatible with both Android and iOS, but can’t be downloaded on desktop PCs, laptops or Macs. Lastly, the machine is fully rechargeable, with a battery that lasts for up to 2 months on standby, or 5 hours of continuous use – from just 2.5 hours plugged-in charging time.
Pros
- Great value low price
- Comes with NIIMBOT app
- Long lasting rechargeable battery
- Wireless connectivity options
Cons
- Only prints up to 15mm wide
- Can’t connect to
Verdict
For very small businesses, or businesses who need to buy a lot of machines for a lot of staff, the NIIMBOT D11 Portable Wireless Label Printer is a great value choice. This printer works well at the basic task of price label making, at an extremely low price. It also comes in awide range of colours, so it’ll match your branding and decor – especially important if you’re planning on giving one to shop-floor employees.
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DYMO LabelManager 160 Portable Label Maker
The DYMO LabelManager 160 Portable Label Maker can print laminate labels, which are like regular tapes, but covered with a clear outer layer of vinyl. This makes them durable, waterproof, scratch proof and UV resistant, perfect for both indoor and outdoor use. On top of durability, the LabelManager also offers impressive customizability. A large LCD display and QWERTY keyboard let you design labels directly on the machine, using six font sizes, eight text styles, four boxes, and over 200 symbols and clipart images. Plus, one-touch fast-formatting keys speed up the design process. Last-label memory means you can store designs to instantly reprint them, without having to type them again. Lastly, the machine is powered by 6AAA batteries or an AC adapter, neither of which are included. An automatic shut-off saves battery by powering down the printer when idle.
Pros
- Durable laminated label tapes
- Large LCD display and one-touch keyboard
- Huge range of design features
Cons
- Power supply not included
- Only works with specific DYMO branded label tapes
Verdict
The DYMO name is trusted for a reason; they can be relied on for high quality machinery and effortless functionality. The DYMO LabelManager 160 Portable Label Maker may rely on costly branded labels, yet the durability and quality of these labels makes them definitely worth the money. This label maker would be a perfect choice for retail stores that sell products outdoors, or have manufacturing in-store that might produce scratchy dust and fragments.
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Phomemo D30 Portable Bluetooth Label Printer
The Phomemo D30 Portable Bluetooth Label Printer uses direct thermal technology to print crisp, dark labels between 0.23 and 0.589 inches wide (6-15mm). The resolution is a decently high 203 dpi, and an easy to use paper cutter means you can instantly pull off and stick when they’re done. Best of all, the included app gives you access to a wide variety of pre-designed templates, alongside a ton of other design elements: 300+ symbols, 60+ frames, 14 fonts and more. The machine is powered by a built in 1200mAh large rechargeable battery, which can keep printing for 4 hours continually; enough for 50 rolls of labels, or 400m cumulatively. The print head is equally long lasting, going for an average of three years. As for connections, you can link your smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth 4.0.
Pros
- Large range of customisation options
- Long-lasting rechargeable battery
- High resolution for clear prints
- Wireless connection options
Cons
- Can only print from tablets or smartphones
- Small printable area
Verdict
Phomemo printers have already got a good review on this list, so it’s hard to imagine how they could go any better. The D30 Portable Bluetooth Label Printer improves on the M-110 by providing practically all the same functions at almost half the price, plus a massive number of extra customisation features. This machine makes it cheap and easy to translate your brand into your product price labels, despite the relatively small printable area. This is our best overall price label printer for retail stores in 2022.
