Portable label printers all look similar in photos. These four specs tell you whether one will actually suit your counter, stockroom or warehouse aisle.
1. Print resolution (DPI)
DPI is the number of heating dots per inch on the print head. Around 200 DPI is fine for plain text. Around 300 DPI keeps small fonts crisp and lets barcodes with thin bars scan on the first try, which matters at a busy billing counter.
2. Battery and charging
A built-in battery means you can carry the printer to the rack instead of carrying stock to a desk. Look at the battery size (mAh) and the charging port. USB Type-C is convenient because the same cable charges most phones.
3. Roll width
- 58 mm: stickers, price tags, small product and batch labels
- 80 mm and wider: bigger labels and receipts
- 4x6 inch: courier and shipping labels, which need a dedicated shipping label printer
Pick the width that matches what you print most, not the biggest one available.
4. Connection
Bluetooth to a phone app is the simplest setup for small shops. There is no PC, no cable and no driver.
Running cost
Direct thermal printers use heat-sensitive paper, so there is no ink or ribbon to buy. Your only ongoing cost is rolls.
As an example, our pocket model prints at 304 DPI, has a 750 mAh USB Type-C battery and takes 58 mm rolls. Full specs: PackForge Bluetooth label printer
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