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  • Author Author: shabaz
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Electronics Parts/Storage: Labeling Parts!

shabaz


It’s sometimes handy having a label printer, but the costs for consumables can mount up. I recently needed to print a load of sticky labels for a school-related project, and I didn’t want to print them using a laser printer or handheld label printer, because both can be a lot of hassle, precisely positioning text, wasting sheets, or having to change handheld cartridges frequently.

An ultra-cheap option is to pick up a slightly more industrial printer. I used a Zebra TLP2824. It is compact, about the size of a kid-sized shoe-box. They are very low-cost used. The current going rate seems to be around £45 including the 20V power supply (normal barrel connector with 2.1mm sized centre-positive), or £30 without the supply. I didn't trust the cheap third-party supply that came with mine, so I took the cable from it, and attached it to a spare Lenovo 20V laptop charger supply.

image (Image source: ebay)

The photo above shows the 'Plus' model, but I bought the non-plus version since I didn't put too much thought into it at the time. I don't know the difference, but presumably, the Plus will be better!

The printer can perform thermal printing, or transfer printing, depending on which consumables are inserted. There are lots of firms supplying the printer consumables, you may need to purchase 12 rolls at a time, but that will last an extremely long time (39 thousand labels!).

The thermal printed output might only last a few months, so I went with transfer printing, it’s permanent and won’t ever fade. The cost worked out to about five labels for a penny, so it’s ultra-cheap! The cost would have been reduced further, if I’d bought the thermal printing rolls instead.

You’ll also need a Centronics printer port (at least, the non-plus version uses such a port). I didn’t have that, so I used a USB-to-Centronics adapter cable from Amazon.

The software is downloadable from the Zebra website. I went with the free version.

The screenshot below shows an example label layout. It is possible to insert images, but since the printer resolution is low, the image needs to be very simplistic.

image

Here’s the output! Each label takes about a second to print, so it’s fast. I happened to use a red transfer roll, but the normal color is black.

image

It is possible to write custom software for the printer, for instance to drive it from Linux. I didn’t try that. There may be open source code out there for it, since these printers have been around for ages.

 
Thanks for reading!

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  • I'm one of those naysayers who go "what's wrong with just printing labels using your laptop or computer". You can print just one label or many using any standard laser printer using MS Word or equivalent. So, besides maybe convenience, what other win-win features are there on the device that will convince me to spend the money...

  • in reply to BigG

    Good question, it boils down to what Jan says, it's a surprisingly rugged/simple/easy-to-use/fast device.

    Also, text/barcodes etc are easy to do by sending short string commands in the Zebra language, so it's good for automation. For home use ordinarily it might be overkill, but second-hand, it's cheaper to print labels with it than the laser printer, it wins a lot on cost. Also fairly portable (if that was needed).

    I don't like putting label sheets into the laser printer generally, I over-worry it will get stuck! : )

  • in reply to shabaz

    Example of the Zebra language. I can't recall in detail any more, but it displays a bar code of "HS12345678" and also text "Tap 15mm Elbow" and "with Shoulder" (it's a DIY store). If this is sent over the parallel port (or serial on some models of these printers) then that contains everything to generate a label.

    image

  • in reply to shabaz

    Yes, Jan has some very valid points. Although, LOL, I've seen some laser printers (mainly during the 1990's) which could withstand some bashing about in maintenance sheds etc. Maybe a case of, they don't make em like they used to.

    Actually, another concern I would have is longevity of print. In my experience I've found print from thermal printers tends to fade quicker than prints from laser printers. But maybe that has changed too.

  • in reply to BigG

    The printer works in two modes (user-selectable depending on what consumables are inserted):

    (1) "Direct Thermal", which heats just the paper and that eventually fades perhaps a few months down the road, and

    (2) "Thermal Transfer", that heats a plastic/wax? ribbon that transfers onto the paper and doesn't fade (doesn't scratch off either, at least not with fingernails). I've got such labels printed about 8 years ago, and they still look like new.

    There's a slight cost increase for mode 2, but it's so minor I think it's worth just going for that option unless the label is only required for a matter of months (e.g. food items, or if required for only part of a production process before it gets replaced with a new label, etc), where the cost saving of mode 1 makes sense in large quantities (e.g. tens of thousands).

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  • in reply to BigG

    The printer works in two modes (user-selectable depending on what consumables are inserted):

    (1) "Direct Thermal", which heats just the paper and that eventually fades perhaps a few months down the road, and

    (2) "Thermal Transfer", that heats a plastic/wax? ribbon that transfers onto the paper and doesn't fade (doesn't scratch off either, at least not with fingernails). I've got such labels printed about 8 years ago, and they still look like new.

    There's a slight cost increase for mode 2, but it's so minor I think it's worth just going for that option unless the label is only required for a matter of months (e.g. food items, or if required for only part of a production process before it gets replaced with a new label, etc), where the cost saving of mode 1 makes sense in large quantities (e.g. tens of thousands).

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