What is label printing? Learn it here

Are you looking for a professional label printer to print your own labels?

As an official trade and service partner of leading label printer manufacturers such as Zebra, Sato and Epson, we can provide you with personalised advice based on our many years of experience. With us, you will find the right model for your label printing requirements in production, logistics and retail. From logistics labels to colourful product labels.

✔ Labeling with variable data

✔ Printing in colour & monochrome

✔ High printing speed: up to 457 mm/s

✔ High resolutions: up to 1200 dpi

✔ Simple integration & operation

See our label printers

Label printers for industrial use are specially designed for printing customised, self-adhesive labels that are applied manually to products, components, packaging or pallets. They process labels or continuous material in standard sizes, which are printed as required.

They essentially consist of a robust housing with control panel, print head, print roller, various interfaces and optional extensions. When the printing process is started, the print content for the label is transferred to the print head of the label printer. The finished label is output via a dispenser and can be removed. The detailed functionality of label printers differs depending on the printing method.

Professional thermal printers produce high-quality labels for products or packaging. Depending on the model, they print using the thermal transfer or direct thermal printing method:

Thermal transfer printers use thermal transfer foil as the colour ribbon. During the printing process, heating elements in the print head selectively heat parts of the ribbon, which adhere to the label as it passes through, creating a long-lasting, high-resolution print image.

Direct thermal printers require thermo-sensitive labels that run past the heating elements in the print head. The heated heating elements in the print head trigger a chemical colour reaction and produce fast and cost-effective, but not heat-resistant prints.

View thermal printers

Colour label printers bring colour into play: they create multicoloured labels individually and on demand – in brilliant quality and high resolution.

Depending on the system, the label printers print either 4 colours using ink or 2 colours using thermal transfer printing. This makes printing multi-coloured product labels or two-coloured hazardous substance labels uncomplicated and flexible. As an official trade and service partner of leading printer manufacturers such as Epson and Cab, we advise you based on your needs and our many years of expertise in label printing.

View colour label printers

Printing machines are designed for integration into automatic print and apply systems, where they print customised labels for products, packaging and pallets.

They are specially designed and optimised for robustness and durability so that they can withstand years of use in industrial operations. They can handle high printing speeds and are easy to integrate thanks to their standardised design .

View print modules

If you want to apply barcodes, batch numbers or logistics data to self-adhesive labels, Weber Marking Systems is the right partner for you. Our label printers are frequently used for cardboard labels, food labels, bottle labels or even shipping labels. Sometimes the following terms are also used to emphasise the specific area of application of a label printer.

Barcode printer

Every professional label printer can usually print barcode labels. As the readability of barcodes by barcode scanners is largely determined by the contrast and edge sharpness, you should pay attention to the colour design and alignment of the code when printing barcodes.

EAN printer

You do not need a special label printer to create EAN labels. Our label printers can print EAN codes as standard. You may only need suitable labeling software that can generate the barcodes with individual data from your database.

Shipping label printers

These include label printers that create easy-to-read shipping labels for parcel shipping via DHL, Hermes, dpd and other service providers. For efficient logistics, the special specifications of the respective shipping service must be adhered to in terms of format, content and quality.

Mobile: The label printers can be positioned wherever they are needed. No complex installation or connection is required - simply set up and start printing. The low weight enables quick and easy transport.
Compact: The compactly designed label printers can also be used in very confined spaces.
Simple operation: The label printers can be operated quickly and easily without any training. An intuitive user interface and media guide make this possible.
Many possible applications: Thanks to a large selection of different models and special accessories, our label printers are suitable for almost all industries, materials and applications.
Reliable quality: Anyone who prints a lot of labels appreciates the reliable operation and consistently high-quality print results.

Alternatives to label printers

Have you ever considered alternative technologies? At Weber Marking Systems, you can find them all from a single source!

Your personal contact from our sales team will discuss possible alternative technologies with you and find the most economical and productive solution for your labeling task.

If the task is particularly complex, the various technologies can of course also be combined with each other. The compact and modular design of our labeling devices makes this possible.

Inkjet printing

Inkjet technology is a suitable alternative to label printers, as inkjet printers mark directly and contact-free, meaning that no labels are required. This saves costs, reduces waste and enables labeling on a wide variety of surfaces, even on uneven or curved shapes where labels reach their limits. Special large character printers also cover print heights that are more difficult to realise with labels, depending on the application.

The direct printers code from above, below or from the side and are suitable for almost any surface with a large selection of inks, especially for surfaces where the adhesive strength of labels is limited. In addition, the manual application of labels is no longer necessary.

Laser Marking

In some cases, laser marking can be an alternative technology to label printers. For example, when labels reach their limits in terms of durability or adhesive strength.

Label printers print labels in standardised and individual formats that adhere well to all surfaces. They can therefore be found in every industry. Discover some practical application examples here.

White shipping label being applied on a cardboard box

Shipping and returns labels are printed individually and clearly legibly as required using label printers, thus ensuring on-time delivery.

Label printers enable the output of large-format labels. This allows pallets, for example, to be labeled quickly and in compliance with GS1.

In the chemical industry, label printers produce two-colour hazardous substance labels or warning labels for metal drums, IPCs or other containers.

Machine-readable barcode labels optimise production and logistics processes. They are easy to create and print using label printers.

What can a label printer do?

Theoretically, any printer can print labels. However, higher standards apply to commercial label printing applications in the manufacturing, logistics or retail sectors: The self-adhesive labels must have a professional print image and be printed at a faster speed and in larger quantities. Label printers therefore have special features that conventional home or office printers do not have.

Our industrial label printers fulfil the highest requirements in terms of print resolution, label width and print volume. They can process a wide variety of label materials and formats. As a rule, label printers have an interface that transfers variable labeling data, such as batch numbers for current production, from a database. This information is then used to print the labels individually.

Their housings are robustly built for harsh environmental conditions: Depending on where they are used, they must be resistant to heat and cold or come into contact with chemicals, among other things. They should be easy to clean, especially if they are used in the food industry, the pharmaceutical industry, the healthcare sector or in a clean room. If required, label printers can also be equipped with a cutter, a scale or other functions.

How does a label printer work?

Depending on which printing process or printing technology is used, there are a few differences in the way label printers work:

Thermal transfer printers: Direct thermal transfer printers use so-called thermal transfer ribbon as the colour ribbon. During the printing process, heating elements in the print head selectively heat parts of the ribbon, which adhere to the label as it passes through, creating a long-lasting, high-resolution print image.

Direct thermal printers: Direct thermal printing requires thermo-sensitive labels that run past the heating elements in the print head. The heated heating elements in the print head trigger a chemical colour reaction and produce fast and cost-effective, but not heat-resistant prints.

Inkjet label printers: Inkjet printers use cartridges with different ink colours that are mixed during the printing process. Another type of inkjet printer is our industrial inkjet printer, whose print head is usually mounted directly on the production line and prints customised data on passing products and packaging without contact. In many areas, they can replace labels at a favourable price.

Label printers: Label printers often refer to the particularly small devices that are used to quickly create short-lasting and inexpensive direct thermal labels.

How do I choose the right label printer?

Which model is the best label printer for you depends on your planned application. The following criteria should be considered first and foremost:

Print volume: How many labels do you expect to print per day?
Label format: What is the height and width of the labels to be printed (including backing paper)?
Printing method: Do you need long-lasting, varied prints or will more cost-effective prints with less durability suffice?
Print resolution: Should 203, 300 or 600 dpi be achieved on the labels?
Environment: Is the label printer exposed to certain ‘adversities’ (dust, cold, heat, moisture, etc.)?
Type of use: Should the label printer be mobile and transportable or will it be permanently integrated into a line?
Interfaces: Which interfaces should the label printer be equipped with (WLAN, USB, Bluetooth,...)?

What do I need to consider when maintaining a label printer?

With a few simple steps, you can extend the service life of your label printer. Regular care and maintenance according to the manufacturer's instructions promotes clean printing results and higher availability.

How can I print professional labels myself?

Many companies want to print labels themselves in order to reliably label their products or packaging. In addition to a suitable label printer, you need professional labeling software such as Loftware NiceLabel to create the labels. The programme supports you with label design and label printing. We are happy to provide you with the trial version free of charge for 30 days.

Weber Marking Systems is a leading full-service provider of industrial marking technologies. With a focus on innovation, quality and sustainability, we develop cutting-edge labeling and coding systems that meet the requirements of our customers in every industry sector. Our international sales network guarantees excellent world-wide support and service. No matter what challenges your application presents: We have the necessary experience to work with you to find the optimum solution.