Anyone who runs an arts and crafts business from home or in a workshop or studio can benefit from buying one of the best thermal printers. Most of the time, good thermal printers are smaller, lighter, and more reliable than regular home printers. They also usually need less maintenance.
The best part is that thermal printers don’t need ink cartridges or toner. All you need is paper and the printer. Because of this, thermal printers can cost less to run. This makes them easy to use for making general labels and shipping labels, especially for people who print a lot, like artists and crafters who sell on sites like Etsy.
But what are the best thermal printers and the best thermal printers for the least amount of money? We chose the printer below based on its features, reviews, and price. We chose thermal printers for smaller labels and thermal printers for those on a budget. Below we mentioned the Best Thermal Printers.
Best Thermal Printers
DYMO LabelWriter 4XL
Specifications
| Size | 5.5 x 7.8 x 7.3in |
| Connectivity | USB |
| Resolution | 300dpi |
| Print speed | 127mm/s |
| Max Label Width | 4.16in |
| Compatibility | Windows and Mac |
The Dymo LabelWriter 4XL is the best thermal label printer for e-commerce sellers, whether they sell on Etsy or have small shops or websites. It is easy to set up and small. With a high resolution of 300dpi, it always makes labels that are clear and sharp.
This printer is small enough to fit on your desk, and it looks good with its black cover and silver edges. The Dymo 4XL printer can print labels of different sizes, but it works best for printing shipping labels that are up to 4 inches wide. This goes along with the fact that it works with many of the biggest online marketplaces and shipping platforms. For example, you can print shipping labels right from Amazon and eBay.
There are more than 60 label styles and formats to choose from, as well as a wide range of fonts and styles. We also found that it was easy to print. We were able to make about 29 labels per minute. If you have a lot of printing to do, this is a convenient option. Overall, this is one of the Best Thermal Printers that you can buy right now.
Pros
- High-resolution printing
- Great printing programme
Cons
- Restricted to use of specific label rolls
MUNBYN Thermal Label Printer ITPP941
Specifications
| Size | 7.6 x 4.1 x 3.9in |
| Connectivity | USB |
| Resolution | 203dpi |
| Print speed | 150mm/s |
| Max Label Width | 4.3in |
The MUNBYN Thermal Shipping Label Printer is a label printer that is small enough to fit on a desk. But even though it’s bigger than some other options and doesn’t work wirelessly, we think it’s perfect for small businesses because it works well and doesn’t cost too much.
It is smaller than many regular desktop printers at 7.6 by 4.1 by 3.9 inches, and it works with popular software and platforms like Adobe, Microsoft, Etsy, eBay, and many more. The MUNBYN label printer is fast and can print up to 72 labels per minute, but the quality of the labels is still very good.
In addition to the standard 6 x 4 inches, the MUNBYN printer can make stickers and labels of other sizes. Aside from these features, the printer comes with a USB that has a detailed video tutorial and driver for setting up the printer. Still, this is one of the Best Thermal Printers that you can buy right now.
Pros
- Easy setup
- High-quality fast printing
- Compact and lightweight
Cons
- Only 203dpi resolution
Rollo Wireless Printer X1040
Specifications
| Size | 8 × 4 × 4in |
| Connectivity | WiFi and USB |
| Resolution | 203dpi |
| Print speed | 150mm/s |
| Max Label Width | 4.1in |
| Compatibility | Windows, Mac, iOS, |
The Rollo Wireless Printer X1040 is a stylish device that is mostly white with purple accents. It is made for people and businesses who need to print 4×6″ shipping labels. It has Wi-Fi and USB connections, so it is easy to print from a phone.
We also like that it’s made to work with the cloud-based Rollo Ship Manager, which you can then connect to multiple online platforms to manage and keep track of all your shipping needs from your phone or tablet. The Rollo Ship Manager offers discounts on shipping, which is great for businesses.
However, like the device itself, these discounts are only available in the US. The video in the app that comes with the Rollo Wireless Printer made it easy for us to set it up, and we didn’t have to install a driver. For now, this is one of the Best Thermal Printers that you can buy right now.
Pros
- Fast wireless printing
- Easy to setup
- Shipping discounts
Cons
- Expensive to buy
- US only
Brother P-touch CUBE Plus PT-P710BT
Specifications
| Size | 2.6 x 5 x 5in |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth and Micro-USB |
| Resolution | 360 dpi |
| Print speed | 20mm (0.78 inches) per second |
| Max Label Width | 1in |
| Compatibility | Windows, Mac, |
The Brother PT-P710BT is a smart, small thermal printer that can be used to make narrow plastic labels. You have to use Brother’s own TZe tapes, but they work well and come in 60 different colors and sizes from 6 mm to 1 in. Currently, this is one of the Best Thermal Printers that you can buy right now.
It’s a great little thermal printer that can be used with both desktop and mobile devices, but because of its size and design, it works best with Android or Apple devices. Even though it can be used with Bluetooth, it’s nice to have the USB 2.0 there as a backup (although USB-C would be preferable). The app is also a plus because it has icons, images, barcodes, logos, and more. It can even check your spelling.
Pros
- Wireless and easy to use
- Compact cube design
- Rechargeable
Cons
- Outdated USB 2.0 connection
Brother VC-500W
Specifications
| Size | 4.5 x 4.6 x 3.8in |
| Connectivity | Wireless and USB |
| Resolution | 313dpi |
| Print speed | 8mm/s |
| Max Label Width | 1.96in |
If you want to print in colour, the Brother VC-500W full colour label printer is the best thermal printer we have found. It’s a great choice for printing labels because you can choose from 9-50mm width and up to 50cm length, and the print quality is still high at 313DPI.
We were able to print directly from most devices and operating systems, including social media platforms. We also liked the free Colour Label Editor app, which you can download to edit your photos and add emojis, text, borders, and filters, among other things.
One of the biggest problems with this thermal printer is that the printing rolls aren’t cheap, which can make it expensive to use. But if you don’t have a lot of labels to make, the Brother VC-500W is a good choice for printing colour labels. Overall, this is one of the Best Thermal Printers that you can buy right now.
Pros
- Wireless printing
- High quality colour printing
- Supports most devices
Cons
- Expensive to run
Arkscan 2054A
Specifications
| Connectivity | USB (wireless version available) |
| Size | 8.3 x 9.5 x 6.5in |
| Compatibility | Windows and Mac |
| Max Label Width | 4.25in |
| Resolution | 203dpi |
The Arkscan 2054A is for people who want a simple thermal printer that is easy to use. We found it very easy to set up, and it only took a few minutes. It’s not fancy, but any business that needs to print 6 x 4-inch shipping labels every day will find it useful. Still, this is one of the Best Thermal Printers that you can buy right now.
We found that the printer was quick. It printed at a rate of about 5 inches per second. Even though it is a little bit bigger than some of the other printer options, it can use both fan-fold stacks and a label roll that is stored in the printer. This printer also has a unique option that lets it work with the Zebra LP2844. This means that it can run some software that usually only works with the Zebra printer.
The printer comes with BarTender UltraLite Label Making Software, which can be used to design both text and images. But this is only for Windows users. If you have a Mac, you won’t be able to use all of these printers’ features. Overall, it’s a flexible thermal printer, and you can pay extra for a LAN version that lets you print wirelessly instead of through USB.
Pros
- Easy setup and use
Cons
- Expensive to buy
What is a thermal printer?
Normal printers use ink cartridges and toner, but a thermal printer doesn’t. Instead, it uses heat to print on special paper that has been coated with a material that reacts to heat. Many point-of-sale (POS) systems, ticketing machines, portable printers, and label printers use this type of printer.
Thermal printers can print quickly and quietly. Over time, they are cheaper than regular printers because the special paper is usually less expensive than ink. Also, you don’t have to worry about nozzles getting clogged. On the other hand, the quality of reproduction is lower.
How does a thermal printer work?
The coating that thermal printers use is made of a heat-sensitive material that changes colour when it gets hot. So, when the print head puts heat on the paper, the part of the paper that it touches changes colour. The colour and brightness of the image or text it prints depend on how hot the plate is and how long it is exposed.
FAQs
What is a thermal printer good for?
Thermal printers are great for businesses, professional crafters and artists, and hobbyists who need to print labels or receipts, for example. Thermal printing wears off over time, so it’s not good for things that need to last longer.
Which is the best thermal printer?
Several things need to be taken into account when choosing the best thermal printer for you. The most important thing is that you know what you want to do with the thermal printer. Some people may want to buy a thermal printer for their small business, while others may need one for their larger business.
What are the advantages of thermal printer?
Normal home printers, which usually use laser or inkjet technology, work differently than thermal printers. Thermal printers use heat to move pigments from one surface to another. This makes the coating of the thermal paper black where it’s heated. The best thing about this is that you don’t have to buy ink cartridges. All you need is paper and the printer. Most regular printers are also bigger and heavier.
