Color laser printer for labels

[jancita]

I have been using an inkjet printer to print my own labels, but I have decided I really need a color laser printer to ensure more reliable printing. Anyone have a recommendation of a printer that has worked for them?

 

[jancita]

Oops. I clearly put this in the wrong thread. So sorry!

 

[BusyBee]

Unlike inkjet printers, surprisingly print quality of $150 up to $4,000 color laser printers are about same.  Quality of your label paper would be more important than quality of laser color printers.  Look for heavily discounted deal among brand like Canon or Xerox.  If you are thinking of really economical one, then Brother would be the choice.  I use Samsung CLX-6260FD, but any others should work fine.  Try to find one with cheaper toner and great deal.  

 

There are labels made for use in inkjet printer only and ones made for laser jet printer only.  Some are made to use in both.  Inkjet printer label will damage the drum if it is used in laser printer.  So, make sure to check comparability of your left over labels before you put them in new machine.

 

One more thing is that thick label paper gets jammed a lot in laser printers.  If you fill the paper tray to 50% - 80% capacity, then you will have a lot less jamming problem. 

 

 

[Paintguru]

What I found was that color accuracy between color lasers varies significantly.  I started with a Brother, but my red was printing out nothing like it looked on the screen.  I tried everything to adjust.  I then found a used HP that is much better (I'll get exact info when I get home today).  Only issue with that one is I can't print on 2 sides of the paper.  It has worked well thus far and the color is spot on without any adjustments.  

[Shari]

I have had 2 Dell printers that unfortunately crapped out after 3 years or so each.  I purchased a Brother Laser printer after a lot of research for the best printers that were not too expensive to print labels (less than 400.00).   I've been extremely happy with my choice so far.  

[jancita]

5 hours ago, BusyBee said:

Unlike inkjet printers, surprisingly print quality of $150 up to $4,000 color laser printers are about same.  Quality of your label paper would be more important than quality of laser color printers.  Look for heavily discounted deal among brand like Canon or Xerox.  If you are thinking of really economical one, then Brother would be the choice.  I use Samsung CLX-6260FD, but any others should work fine.  Try to find one with cheaper toner and great deal.  

 

There are labels made for use in inkjet printer only and ones made for laser jet printer only.  Some are made to use in both.  Inkjet printer label will damage the drum if it is used in laser printer.  So, make sure to check comparability of your left over labels before you put them in new machine.

 

One more thing is that thick label paper gets jammed a lot in laser printers.  If you fill the paper tray to 50% - 80% capacity, then you will have a lot less jamming problem. 

 

 

After some research, maybe what I need is a better inkjet printer. I have an inexpensive Canon Inkjet. My problem is that i often get double lines or blurred letters, and it always seems to happen when I have an order due. 😱 I appreciate your comment about label type, because I'm pretty sure the hundreds of labels I ordered are made for an inkjet printer. I was actually thinking about this exact issue at 3 am when I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep. I never imagined candle making could be stressful, but when you sell them it is, just like any other business. 😂

[jancita]

2 hours ago, Paintguru said:

What I found was that color accuracy between color lasers varies significantly.  I started with a Brother, but my red was printing out nothing like it looked on the screen.  I tried everything to adjust.  I then found a used HP that is much better (I'll get exact info when I get home today).  Only issue with that one is I can't print on 2 sides of the paper.  It has worked well thus far and the color is spot on without any adjustments.  

I am very concerned about this issue as my labels are in color. Thank you for your feedback. 

[TallTayl]

Used a brother for many years as it was the only thing that would print well on certain clear label stock I used.  My current HP is much smaller, more efficient and more crisp.  To choose, I brought a thumb drive and label stock to the office supply store and printed there to compare.

for what it is worth, the super expensive Primera label printers are ink, so don’t be too worried about using ink jet. Label stock is probably more important of a choice. 

 

[Belinda]

I"ve been wondering this same thing. My printer is an HP but not a very expensive one and my type doesn't come out very sharp on it so I was thinking about switching to a laser printer. I've been buying  ink that's been refilled for it so I'm wondering if that could be the problem too. I think I'll place an order for some good ink I guess and see if that will make a difference. I hate to invest in another printer although this one wasn't expensive. 

[BusyBee]

Inkjet will provide brilliant colors especially if you use pigment ink.  You could notice some difference between original ink vs refilled one.  But, as long as it is pigment ink, refilled ones will perform fine.  Pigment ink will give better sharp edge & better long lasting color vs regular ink.  For inkjet printer selection, Epson WorkForce series are really good.

Color laser will provide better sharp edge and letters, but color isn't going to come what you would hoped.  Even $4,000 printer is not going to give brilliant colors.

If you laminate them, then it will give effect of bring out better edges for inkjet & little bit of colors for laser printer.

 

Different label materials will give different result.

It is kind of hard tell from this picture, but it kind of shows little bit.  It is printed on 5 different label materials.  Last one became my choice of material.

 

 

[NightLight]

I when you look for printer the higher dpi the better resolution. Also your artwork, save high resolution and use vector art.

i have hp and  use very good generic toner. Laser toners can cost you a fortune.if you are getting fuzzy printout then your printer may not have ability to print out decently if that makes sense.

[jancita]

Has anyone used an Epson P700 for printing labels?

 

[Lightkeeper]

After using a Dell for years, I just bought a new Xerox Laser Printer.  The colors are exceptional compared to my old printer, but now all my Glossy Clear labels are getting jammed & labels come off on the roller no matter which media setting I have tried. & they are the ones made specifically for Laser printer.  Very frustrating!  Most of my labels are printed on paper label stock, and those look great,  so now debating if I should return it & try to find  something that will work great for both types of labels.   Does anyone print a lot of these type of labels, and if so what type of printer works well for these?

 

 

[TallTayl]

1 hour ago, Lightkeeper said:

After using a Dell for years, I just bought a new Xerox Laser Printer.  The colors are exceptional compared to my old printer, but now all my Glossy Clear labels are getting jammed & labels come off on the roller no matter which media setting I have tried. & they are the ones made specifically for Laser printer.  Very frustrating!  Most of my labels are printed on paper label stock, and those look great,  so now debating if I should return it & try to find  something that will work great for both types of labels.   Does anyone print a lot of these type of labels, and if so what type of printer works well for these?

 

 

I HATE when labels do that.  My old brother was a work horse for many years, but it got to the point where I had replaced everything that could be replaced and it was time to let go. I picked up the ho lasterjet m452nw (I think, from memory, will check when I get to the office). It printed on all of my clear glossy labels no problem. It can jam, but at least the toner sticks and have not yet had any peel from the backing. 
 

for actual labels, I broke down a couple of years ago and bought a primera. Wow what a nice printer. It is nice to be able to print a single label, or a run of 1,000 pretty much effortlessly. 

[Lightkeeper]

Thanks TallTayl!  Sounds like the primera was a great investment. Good to know about the HP.  I can handle a jam once in awhile.  But this is jamming every single sheet & curling up really bad with several labels coming off each time also.  So this is not going to work for these labels at all. 

 

[Laura C]

Hi.

I too have had misc. problems when it comes to printing product labels whether it's alignment, crispness or proper colors. It can be really frustrating and time consuming. Here's some general things to consider and keep in mind for both laser jet and inkjet printers.

- To avoid curling or peeling labels when printing, use the tray that shoots the label sheets straight through and keeps the sheet flat and don't use the tray that bends the label sheet.

- For crisper prints, periodically running the printer's maintenance tools will help.

- To get the most accurate color results all the devices in your workflow need to be color calibrated with the same color profile, your monitor, printer, etc.

- I believe most inkjet printers only use the small ink cartridges that can be expensive and not last very long, especially when printing in color. Whereas laser jets use the huge ink cartridges that are not as expensive and last alot longer. Something to consider when calculating long term usage and costs.

- Also, be aware of generic ink or ink that is too cheap to believe, maybe not all of them but do your research and read the reviews. They can be junk or cause the ink cartridge sensor in the printer to malfunction. 

[StanfordP]

On 6/16/2020 at 4:50 AM, BusyBee said:

Quality of your label paper would be more important than quality of laser color printers. 

Agreed. When I switched actual label stock to a better quality paper, the results were mind-blowing. It looks like I outsourced the printing. So, don't underestimate paper quality, too!

 

On 8/19/2020 at 10:38 PM, TallTayl said:

for actual labels, I broke down a couple of years ago and bought a primera. Wow what a nice printer. It is nice to be able to print a single label, or a run of 1,000 pretty much effortlessly. 

Same! And, I like how you can adjust the quality so if you need color-rich, you can get it. BUT, don't like that there isn't a black ink... wish I could get deeper blacks. 🤷‍♂️