Although the name suggests that the Dymo LabelManager Wireless PnP ($119.99) is essentially the same label printer as the Dymo LabelManager PnP , but with Wi-Fi added, there's one other key difference as well. Although both print the same kinds of labels—primarily what you probably think of as plastic, although the actual material can vary—the Dymo Wireless PnP ( at Amazon) can print on wider tapes, at up to almost 1-inch wide instead of 0.5 inches. That alone makes a compelling argument for it, even if you have no need to connect via Wi-Fi to let everyone in your office print labels over your network.

Of course, Wi-Fi is the more obvious reason for considering this label printer, particularly since there aren't many of its ilk to choose from. The only other one we've seen is the Brother P-touch PT-P750W ($110.64 at Amazon) , which can not only connect through a Wi-Fi access point, but will also let you print over Brother's equivalent of a Wi-Fi Direct connection from your phone or tablet.

The Wireless PnP doesn't support Wi-Fi Direct, which means that the only way to print to it is through a USB connection or a Wi-Fi access point on your network. And Dymo includes clear, easy-to-follow instructions in the quick-start guide for connecting to a Wi-Fi network. With the Brother printer, you have to find the instructions on the company's website, which requires some detective work. On the other hand, Dymo doesn't offer any equivalent to Brother's apps for printing from a mobile device, so creating and printing labels from a computer is your only choice.

Basics

The printer is small and light enough so you can carry it easily from PC to PC to connect by USB cable. It measures 5.7 by 2.8 by 6.3 inches (HWD) and weighs just 1 pound 8 ounces, complete with the bundled rechargeable battery.

Initial setup consists of snapping in the tape cartridge and battery and then connecting the printer to a computer with the supplied USB cable. Your computer will see the printer's memory as a USB drive, and it will either auto-run or let you manually run on your PC the label printing utility stored in printer, without installing anything on your hard drive. Dymo says it will work with Windows XP through 8, and, on Intel-based Macs only, with Mac OS X 10.5 or above. For my tests, I used a Windows Vista system.

The Wireless PnP gets power, and charges the battery, over the USB connection, so once it's connected by USB cable, you can use the built-in label program to create and print labels immediately. Alternatively, you can click on an option in the utility to download and install the full version of Dymo Label 8, which offers more features. You'll also need to download the program if you want to connect the printer by Wi-Fi to print over your network.

To set up the printer for Wi-Fi, you choose the Wi-Fi setup option in the print utility and follow the instructions on screen. One minor complication is that once the Wi-Fi connection is set up, you can't connect the printer to your network if it's also connected to a USB port. And since the printer charges its battery over the USB cable, you have to remove the cable from the computer, connect it to the supplied power adapter instead, and plug the power adapter into a wall socket.

Printing

Both the full version of Dymo Label and the light version stored in the printer are easy to get started with and easy to use. Printing a label can be as simple as typing the label text, giving the Print command, and waiting a moment for the Wireless PnP to print and then automatically cut the label from the roll.

Print time varies with the length of the label. I timed a 3.4-inch label with the text "PC Labs Test" at 6.7 seconds. For 10 labels, I timed it at 66 seconds with the printer cutting the roll after each label, for an effective speed of 0.55 inches per second (ips), and at 48 seconds cutting only after the final label, for a speed of 0.75ips. Although automatically cutting the labels adds to the print time, it also saves time overall compared with cutting them manually later.

The Wireless PnP has a reasonably large selection of label cartridges to choose from, with five choices in widths ranging from approximately 0.25 to 1 inch. The available types include standard, extra strength adhesive, flexible fabric for curved surfaces like cables, and vinyl labels for extreme temperatures and UV fade resistance. Color choices include black on white, clear yellow, blue, green, red, orange, and gray; white on black, red, green, blue, purple, brown, and clear; and both blue and red on white and clear. Prices range from $17.59 to $27.49 per cartridge.

If you don't need to connect via Wi-Fi, you'll want to consider the Dymo PnP or the Brother P-touch PT-P700 ($129.95 at Amazon) , which is our Editors' Choice for a label printers to print from a PC. Either one will cost less than the Dymo LabelManager Wireless PnP. Similarly, if you want the ability to print from a phone or tablet, you should check out the Brother PT-P750W. If you don't need to print from a mobile device, however, and you want the option to connect the printer to your network by Wi-Fi, the Wireless PnP should work for you.

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