Color Label Printers

[SalesServiceGuy]

Inkjet color label printers such as the popular Epson TC3500 start at about $2,000.00 USD and have lots of great uses and applications.

The TC3500 is compact in size, uses four separate CMYK 35 ml ink containers that are pigment based so the ink dries very quickly, does not smudge and is water resistant. You can print on plain paper or poly label media in matte or glossy finish with good image quality on small point sizes. The label media can be on a continuous roll (there is a built in cutter), pre-cut labels on a roll or via fanfold media entering from the rear of the printer.

I am wondering if an A4 toner based colour MFP printing on Letter/Legal sheet labels can perform very much the same task at a much lower operating cost?

Unlike the Epson, the A4 MFP can print at speeds 3.5 to 6.5 times faster at a fixed cost per sheet when sold on a cost per copy model. The Epson is a variable cost depending on how much ink you use.

The Epson would definitely be the only choice if your requirement is to print on polypropylene labels and the preferred choice if you need to print on glossy labels. If you need to print on plain paper,matte, labels, I think the A4 MFP could have a convincing much lower total cost of ownership.

If you need to place labels in cold storage, the Epson might be better.

Is it more convenient to peel labels off a roll as opposed to sheet labels, probably.

An A4 MFP offers both Windows and iOS print drivers. The Epson only offers Windows print drivers.

I supply Toshiba label printers but the product line does not offer color label printers. Toshiba just introduced a great new e330AC A4 line that is price competitive with the Epson TC3500.

Can anyone think of any good reasons why a color A4 MFP is not a good choice for printing plain paper sheet labels?

[blackcat4866]

Re: Color Label Printers

Can anyone think of any good reasons why a color A4 MFP is not a good choice for printing plain paper sheet labels?

Are you going to offer a service agreement on devices dedicated to labels?

We had a Lexmark dedicated to printing monochrome UPS label sheets for a shipping department. In our favor, an A4 device will not print LEF, so we did not have a lot of issues with labels peeling off in process. We did however have issues with the adhesive getting onto the drum, into the developing unit, and coating the exit rollers. It took over an hour to remove and clean the exit rollers, every month. The supplies rarely made yield. So if you're going to try this, three things:

Make sure that the labels are always fed SEF
Plan on visiting monthly to clean off adhesive
Plan on significantly lower consumable yields

You should try some of these labels before agreeing to do this. We have another customer that prints sheets oval vinyl labels. They consistently choose the wrong media type "because it takes too long...", it fuses poorly, and the oval labels come off in the fuser. If they could just leave the label in the fuser it would be OK ... but they dig them out with a box knife. It's been a nightmare. =^..^=

[allan]

Re: Color Label Printers

Will for sure cots more then the standard cpp.

Like this machine. Wonder what the costs are on it.

[allan]

Re: Color Label Printers

Mmm imagine this.
Guess it will only take proper firmware modification to get an A4 desktop color laser to do continues banner prints.
No synchronization for sized labels rolls unless you add a sensor of some kind. Then it would need to cut or spool the output.

Now wonder if banner print function on MFP's would have any advantage in label production.

So a MFP is not the right tool for the job but can work well depending on the application.
Seen many companies use wide format vinyl printers for labels.

[SalesServiceGuy]

Re: Color Label Printers

Will for sure cots more then the standard cpp.

Like this machine. Wonder what the costs are on it.

Clearly, it is an Okidata color laser printer with two optional label rewinders attached to each side.

Might be sold with customized software.

I expect the cost to be well above $5,000.00 USD.

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Color Label Printers

Inkjet color label printers such as the popular Epson TC3500 start at about $2,000.00 USD and have lots of great uses and applications.

The TC3500 is compact in size, uses four separate CMYK 35 ml ink containers that are pigment based so the ink dries very quickly, does not smudge and is water resistant. You can print on plain paper or poly label media in matte or glossy finish with good image quality on small point sizes. The label media can be on a continuous roll (there is a built in cutter), pre-cut labels on a roll or via fanfold media entering from the rear of the printer.

I am wondering if an A4 toner based colour MFP printing on Letter/Legal sheet labels can perform very much the same task at a much lower operating cost?

Unlike the Epson, the A4 MFP can print at speeds 3.5 to 6.5 times faster at a fixed cost per sheet when sold on a cost per copy model. The Epson is a variable cost depending on how much ink you use.

The Epson would definitely be the only choice if your requirement is to print on polypropylene labels and the preferred choice if you need to print on glossy labels. If you need to print on plain paper,matte, labels, I think the A4 MFP could have a convincing much lower total cost of ownership.

If you need to place labels in cold storage, the Epson might be better.

Is it more convenient to peel labels off a roll as opposed to sheet labels, probably.

An A4 MFP offers both Windows and iOS print drivers. The Epson only offers Windows print drivers.

I supply Toshiba label printers but the product line does not offer color label printers. Toshiba just introduced a great new e330AC A4 line that is price competitive with the Epson TC3500.

Can anyone think of any good reasons why a color A4 MFP is not a good choice for printing plain paper sheet labels?

I have an EPSON C3400 (see pic below) and I've found no toner based printer that will take it's place. Bar none. I bought it to print ID labels for the copiers.


Epson 3400.jpg

[allan]

Re: Color Label Printers

In this video its a Lexmark.

[SalesServiceGuy]

Re: Color Label Printers

Are you going to offer a service agreement on devices dedicated to labels?

We had a Lexmark dedicated to printing monochrome UPS label sheets for a shipping department. In our favor, an A4 device will not print LEF, so we did not have a lot of issues with labels peeling off in process. We did however have issues with the adhesive getting onto the drum, into the developing unit, and coating the exit rollers. It took over an hour to remove and clean the exit rollers, every month. The supplies rarely made yield. So if you're going to try this, three things:

Make sure that the labels are always fed SEF
Plan on visiting monthly to clean off adhesive
Plan on significantly lower consumable yields

You should try some of these labels before agreeing to do this. We have another customer that prints sheets oval vinyl labels. They consistently choose the wrong media type "because it takes too long...", it fuses poorly, and the oval labels come off in the fuser. If they could just leave the label in the fuser it would be OK ... but they dig them out with a box knife. It's been a nightmare. =^..^=

1. My plan was to offer a regular cpc model. The customer is getting as a bonus a copier, laser printer and scanner.

2. By LEF, you mean long edge first. Great point in favor of A4 vs A3, since you can only feed SEF (Short Edge First) from a paper tray.

3. Regarding the adhesives. Another good point to consider before quoting a cpc. I went 20% above street price because besides printing coffee bag labels, this copier will print one time use black only disposable menus in the restaurant area. Toner coverage will average well above 5%. The Toshiba copier actually features a pixel counter which measures average toner consumption that I can use to justify cpc increases.

4. The sheet labels will be placed full time in the paper drawer.

5. Re frequent cleaning. This customer is a five minute drive away and the lease will be for 42 months on a 100% new MFP.

6. As mentioned above I priced the cpc 20% above market.

7.Re customer to make the required adjustments to the print driver. Good point! Fortunately, within the print driver or from the copier's LCD panel, I can create "one touch" buttons that will be optimized to the task.

8. The labels will always be rectangles that cover the majority of the label sheet. I will tell the customer that they cannot reuse partial sheets.

All great thoughts!

Thanks,

[SalesServiceGuy]

Re: Color Label Printers

I have an EPSON C3400 (see pic below) and I've found no toner based printer that will take it's place. Bar none. I bought it to print ID labels for the copiers.


[ATTACH=CONFIG]47527[/ATTACH]

The Epson LC3400 is discontinued and replaced by the superior LC3500. Mostly because Epson went from a single CMY + processed black inkjet cartridge to four individual CMYK cartridges.

I clearly am not saying that the Epson is not a great color label printer.

I am saying that I can cut the operating cost in half and more for higher volume color label printing for the same cost of hardware.

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Color Label Printers

The Epson LC3400 is discontinued and replaced by the superior LC3500. Mostly because Epson went from a single CMY + processed black inkjet cartridge to four individual CMYK cartridges.

I clearly am not saying that the Epson is not a great color label printer.

I am saying that I can cut the operating cost in half and more for higher volume color label printing for the same cost of hardware.

Yeah, I know all about the differences between the C3400 and C3500. I' ve actually used both of 'em as opposed to only reading about 'em.


Look, in your attempt to cut the printing cost for your customer, you're likely to lose money for your company. But that's just my opinion. Try it out. Let us know how it turns out.

[SalesServiceGuy]

Re: Color Label Printers

In this video its a Lexmark.

I did study this video and manufacturers website closely.

This particular video does feature a Lexmark print engine that has been customized.

This particular video demos potential customers expectations of a product that is a clear step above what my A4 copier can offer, so it is good to know what my limitations are.

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Color Label Printers

On a side note, I remember going to a local print shop and getting a quote for some copier ID labels and when I looked at the quote it took my breath away for a few seconds. I thought to myself "screw that" and I began searching for the best printer to do it in house. I had a friend that was a fellow business owner and he had the Epson C3500. That printer was new at the time and cost a few grand if I remember correctly. I picked up a used C3400 on EBAY for about $600. That was a couple of years ago. It's a great little label printer.

[SalesServiceGuy]

Re: Color Label Printers

The customer, a coffee mill and restaurant needs to print 500-1000 black only disposable menus per week and maybe 100-200 colour labels per week.

Their current MFP copier has died and they do not have the budget for two devices. I am hoping to solve both requirements with one device that fits their limited budget.

The kicker is that they want this all to work in a Mac iOS environment and it is hard to find an affordable iOS Color label printer. My A4 MFP provides print drivers for iOS Catalina 10.5 and the latest Big Sur 11.0 .

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Color Label Printers

Inkjet color label printers such as the popular Epson TC3500 start at about $2,000.00 USD and have lots of great uses and applications.

The TC3500 is compact in size, uses four separate CMYK 35 ml ink containers that are pigment based so the ink dries very quickly, does not smudge and is water resistant. You can print on plain paper or poly label media in matte or glossy finish with good image quality on small point sizes. The label media can be on a continuous roll (there is a built in cutter), pre-cut labels on a roll or via fanfold media entering from the rear of the printer.

I am wondering if an A4 toner based colour MFP printing on Letter/Legal sheet labels can perform very much the same task at a much lower operating cost?

Unlike the Epson, the A4 MFP can print at speeds 3.5 to 6.5 times faster at a fixed cost per sheet when sold on a cost per copy model. The Epson is a variable cost depending on how much ink you use.

The Epson would definitely be the only choice if your requirement is to print on polypropylene labels and the preferred choice if you need to print on glossy labels. If you need to print on plain paper,matte, labels, I think the A4 MFP could have a convincing much lower total cost of ownership.

If you need to place labels in cold storage, the Epson might be better.

Is it more convenient to peel labels off a roll as opposed to sheet labels, probably.

An A4 MFP offers both Windows and iOS print drivers. The Epson only offers Windows print drivers.

I supply Toshiba label printers but the product line does not offer color label printers. Toshiba just introduced a great new e330AC A4 line that is price competitive with the Epson TC3500.

Can anyone think of any good reasons why a color A4 MFP is not a good choice for printing plain paper sheet labels?

PS - The EPSON C3400 & C3500 has mac print drivers. See below:

c3400 mac.JPG

[SalesServiceGuy]

Re: Color Label Printers

PS - The EPSON C3400 & C3500 has mac print drivers. See below:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]47530[/ATTACH]

Good to know. There is an error on their website between the product description and the Support page.