A while ago, I got rid of inkjet printers in favor of laser printers.This is a great life hack for the digital native who doesn’t print photos but just needs the convenience of printing shipping labels and the occasional signed document.Instead of measuring cartridge life in months, laser printers allow me to measure toner life in literally years.
My next attempt to up the printing game was to try a thermal label printer.If you’re not familiar, thermal printers don’t use any ink at all.Its process is similar to branding on special paper.My job is unique because I am constantly sending products back and forth, so most of my printing needs revolve around shipping labels.But I’ve noticed that my wife’s printing needs have also become mostly shipping labels over the past few years.Anyone who buys most items online is also probably in the same boat.
I decided to give the Rollo wireless printer a chance to see if it could meet all my shipping label needs and see if it was a viable option for others to consider.The end result is that these types of products are not suitable for the average consumer, at least not yet.The good news is that this Rollo Wireless label printer is perfect for anyone with a business, from new creators to established small businesses, and those who ship frequently.
I searched the internet for a consumer friendly thermal label printer but came up with very few options.These devices are primarily aimed at small and large businesses.There are some low-cost options, but they don’t have Wi-Fi or don’t support mobile devices well.There are others that do have wireless connectivity but are expensive and still not suitable for full-featured applications.
On the other hand, the Rollo is the best consumer-friendly thermal label printer I’ve seen.More and more creators and individuals are taking care of their own businesses, so it makes sense that they need a convenient way to create and print shipping labels for mailing items or other items.
Rollo wireless printers have Wi-Fi instead of Bluetooth and can print natively from iOS, Android, Chromebook, Windows and Mac.The printer can print labels of various sizes from 1.57 inches to 4.1 inches wide, with no height restrictions.Rollo wireless printers also work with any thermal label, so you don’t need to buy special labels from the company.
For what it lacks, there’s no paper tray or label feeder.You can buy add-ons, but out of the box, you’ll need to find a way to set up the labels behind the printer.
The real benefit of using a label printer like this is letting businesses process shipping orders.This Rollo printer supports software such as ShipStation, ShippingEasy, Shippo and ShipWorks.It also has its own free software called Rollo Ship Manager.
Rollo Ship Manager lets you receive orders from established commerce platforms like Amazon, but it can also handle shipping payments and arrange pickups.
More specifically, there are currently 13 sales channels that you can log in to connect using Rollo Ship Manager.These include Amazon, eBay, Shopify, Etsy, Squarespace, Walmart, WooCommerce, Big Cartel, Wix, and more.UPS and USPS are also currently available shipping options in the app.
Testing the Rollo app on an iOS device, I was impressed with its build quality.Rollo apps are modern and responsive, rather than software that feels outdated or neglected.It’s easy to use and full of features, including the ability to schedule a free USPS pickup directly in the app.In my opinion, the free web-based Ship Manager also does a good job.
I’m not in business, but I do ship a decent amount of boxes.The challenge for consumers printing shipping labels is that these labels are available in a variety of shapes, sizes and even orientations.It would be great if there was a way for consumers to easily cut and print return labels on these thermal printers, but it doesn’t seem to exist yet.
The easiest way to print a shipping label from your phone is to take a screenshot of it.Many labels appear on pages filled with other text, so you’ll need to pinch and zoom with your fingers to position the labels to crop out any excess.Clicking the share icon and selecting Print will automatically resize the screenshot to fit the default 4″ x 6″ label.
Sometimes you need to save a PDF and then rotate it with your finger before taking a screenshot.Again, none of this is particularly ideal, but it will work.Is this better than a cheap laser printer?Probably not for most people.I don’t mind the hassle though, as it means I don’t have to waste an 8.5″ x 11″ sheet of paper and tons of tape every time.
It should be noted: While thermal printers like the Rollo one are good for shipping labels, they can print anything sent to them.
Thermal label printers are a modern product category that seems to be ripe.Rollo appears to be the first product to really put to work and make the hardware and software experience easy to use with the devices people use on a regular basis, mostly phones and tablets.
The Rollo wireless printer is sleek and beautiful, and it’s easy to set up, and its Wi-Fi connection is always reliable for me.Its Rollo Ship Manager software appears to be well maintained and a pleasure to use.It’s more expensive than a standard wired thermal printer, but I think it’s well worth the cost of what the Wi-Fi on this device offers.(If you really don’t need Wi-Fi, Rollo also offers a cheaper wired version.) Any entrepreneur and small business owner frustrated with outdated label printing should check out the Rollo wireless printer.
This may not be the solution for the average consumer looking for an easy way to reduce ink and paper waste when printing shipping labels.But you can definitely make it work if you really want it.
Newsweek may earn commissions for links on this page, but we only recommend products we support.We participate in various affiliate marketing programs, which means that we may receive commissions on editorially selected products purchased through our retailer website links.
Post time: Feb-14-2022
