Label printers fall into two main categories: paper and plastic. That's admittedly a little oversimplified, since some print on both kinds of stock, but it's still their main differentiator. Unlike some general-purpose label makers, shipping label printers print on paper, not plastic. (When was the last time you saw a plastic shipping label? Paper is cheaper.) Within the universe of paper label printers, what defines a shipping label printer depends largely on the size of labels you need, which determines the width of the label rolls or stacks that the printer must be able to handle.

Shipping label printers are typically 4-inch-wide printers, for a simple reason. If a printer can accommodate a 4-inch-wide strip of labels through its input and output slots, it can print a variety of sizes, with a maximum of 4 inches on one side. Four by 6 inches is the most common label size and is generally considered standard. Other common shipping label sizes include 4 by 4.25, 4 by 6.25, 4 by 7, 4 by 8, 4 by 8.25, and 4 by 11 inches. Printers can also handle labels that are narrower than their maximum width, so a 4-inch wide printer can also print 3-by-6-inch shipping labels (typically used for mailing tubes) or 2-by-4-inch labels (common on small packages and envelopes).

(Credit: M. David Stone)

In some cases, the shipping label printer you need doesn't have to be a 4-inch wide printer or even a label printer at all. If all your shipping needs are confined to one of the smaller sizes, a 2-or 3-inch wide model can serve nicely. And you can print letter-, A4-, and legal-sized labels using any printer that supports them. That said, the need for 4-by-6-inch labels is far more common, so all the recommended choices we include here are 4-inch models.

The majority of models in this category print strictly in monochrome, which is all you need for a shipping label. However, some models offer two special-purpose rolls that can print in black, plus either red or blue (depending on the roll), allowing you to print more eye-catching shipping-related labels, such as "Fragile" or "This Side Up," in addition to shipping labels themselves.

Do I Really Need a Thermal Printer for Shipping Labels?

The label printers we've reviewed are designed for consumers, professionals, or small businesses alike, with prices in the $150 to $400 range. The thermal technology these printers use—they don't need ink or toner—is mature enough that there's little change over a span of several years. We reviewed one of the models included here in 2020, and it remains our Editors' Choice pick. We like that much of what's available on the market is a collection of proven, solid performers, and even the newer models are based on an equally well-proven technology.

Since shipping label printers are a subset of label printers, you can learn even more about the wider breadth of these printers in our Best Label Makers guide.

Label Sizes and Cutters: What You Need to Know

The first point to check for any label printer is whether all the label sizes you need are available for the printer. Some require you to only use the labels that the manufacturer provides. If this is the case for the model you choose, make sure the brand offers the label types and sizes you'll need. Some printers, like the Rollo Wireless Printer X1040, can use third-party labels. Just be sure you know which labels work with the printer before buying. Some things to check:

• Labels can come in stacks or in rolls. Be sure to find out if the printer can handle both.
• What's the spool diameter the printer can handle? A roll with a 0.5-inch spool is not going to work in a printer designed for a 0.75-inch or larger spool.
• Some printers have room for a roll inside the printer, while others require a separate holder that sits behind the printer and effectively adds 7 or 8 inches to the printer's depth. Make sure you have enough room for it if you need one.
• Whether a roll goes inside the printer or on a holder behind it, find out the maximum diameter that will fit.

(Credit: M. David Stone)

In addition, all label printers have cutters of some sort, ranging from serrated-edge blades that require you to tear off labels much like Scotch tape to automatic blades that cut each label as it emerges from the printer. If you have a preference, make sure the printer offers it.

Nearly all 4-inch-wide shipping label printers are thermal printers, which typically don't have rated monthly duty cycles but often have rated lifetimes given in terms of the total length of labels they can print. If you convert the length to inches and divide by six, you'll get the number of 4-by-6-inch labels the printer is rated to print over its lifetime. Divide that result by the number of labels you expect to print every year to get a sense of how long the printer will last. (For a closer approximation, be sure to adjust the number you divide by so it matches the average label length you expect to use.)

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How to Get Your Shipping Labels Printed

The question of which device you will print from is actually two questions: What device will you give the print command from, and what software will you use to send the label to the printer? The device will most often be a Windows or macOS computer, but Android and iOS phones and tablets are also becoming increasingly common possibilities. The actual label will be generated by the shipping service, like FedEx or UPS. However, depending on the printer's software, or lack of it, the print job could come from the cloud—either from the shipping platform itself or from a shipping service like Rollo Ship Manager—or you could save it as a PDF file and print the file. Printing directly is faster, if it's an option, but if you like to keep a copy on your own disk, saving it to a PDF file before printing may be more convenient. Whatever your preferences are, make sure the printer and its software can match them.

(Credit: Pitney Bowes)

For printing from a PC, you can connect the printer directly via USB, Wi-Fi Direct, or Bluetooth, or connect through a network, with the printer connected to the network via Wi-Fi or Ethernet. For mobile devices, the same list applies, except for USB. And don't forget options like Android Print and AirPrint, which utilize Wi-Fi. Here again, whatever your preferences, make sure the printer offers them. One other thing to watch out for is that some printers don't support all their features through all connection choices. Ensure the printer supports the features you want to use with your preferred connection option.

If you plan to use the printer for other kinds of labels, be sure to consider any additional label design software that comes with the printer as well. As we suggest in our guide to label printers in general, check our authoritative reviews for details on their bundled software, if any.

What About the Labels and Total Cost of Ownership?

For any label printer, the total cost of ownership—meaning the initial cost of the printer plus the running cost—can be an important factor. Comparing the total cost between two shipping label printers is relatively easy, especially if you plan to use them primarily with a single size and type of label.

For die-cut labels (which include most shipping labels), the cost per label is the cost of the roll divided by the number of labels in the roll.

For continuous rolls, you can calculate a price per inch by dividing the cost by the number of inches. You can then estimate how long your labels will be on average, which is easy if you plan to print only one size shipping label, as I'll assume is true for this example. Dividing the total in inches by the inches per label will give you the number of labels.

(Credit: Rollo)

Once you've calculated the cost per label for each of the two printers, simply comparing the results will tell you which one has the lower running cost. If that model has a lower initial price as well, it will have the lower total cost of ownership. If the more expensive printer has a lower running cost, subtract its cost per label from the other printer's cost per label, and divide that number by the difference in price between the two printers. The result from that calculation is how many labels you'll need to print before the more expensive printer will give you the lower total cost of ownership.

Ready to Buy the Right Shipping Label Printer?

If you've decided it's time to get a printer specifically for shipping labels, this guide, which outlines the key factors to consider and discusses the best 4-inch shipping label printers that we've tested, should help you find the right choice. However, if the only shipping labels you need are 3 by 6 inches for mailing tubes, or 2 by 4 inches for small packages, you might be better off with a 2- or 3-inch wide printer, and should also take a look at our top choices for the best label makers overall.

Finally, if you don't mind folding and stuffing regular paper into a pouch, check out our guide to the best printers overall.