DuraFast: The Best Color Dye Inkjet Label Printers Review for Business

Listen to this article

We’ve talked to Basat Khalifa, CEO of DuraFast Label Company, a couple of times last year. It turns out that there are a lot of different types of color label printers on the market. There are whole categories based on ink type. We asked him to tell us more about the best color dye inkjet label printers for business.

Q: What are dye inkjet color label printers used for?

A: When it comes to color inkjet label printers, the printers use either dye or pigment inks. Dye inkjets produce labels with more vibrant colors than pigment inkjets. Thus, color dye inkjets are typically used where image quality is important such as for product labels, food labels, photo identification labels and badges, and packaging labels. Pigment Inkjet label printers are more popular for applications such as GHS BS5609 chemical label printing, where you need a label that can be immersed in saltwater for 12 months and survive due to its durability. These labels are generally matte labels made from special synthetic label materials.

Q: Which color dye inkjet label printers are the best if you are on a budget (under $3,000 USD)?

A: That’s a good question, and a hard one, too, because it really depends on what the business owner needs from a print quality, volume and print speed, ink cost per label, maintenance, or equipment purchase perspective. For example, the Primera LX900 or LX500 are two of the best color dye label printers in terms of print quality and value since they have the lowest printer price in the market. They print at an amazing resolution of 4800 dpi. But they are slow, and the ink gets very expensive if you print more than a few hundred labels per month. Basically, the more you spend on the printer, the lower your ink cost and generally the faster the print speed.

Recommended: Easy Tax File Uses Technology To Make Tax Filing More Convenient And Efficient

Q: Fair enough. Can you give us a synopsis of your favorite color inkjet label printers based on each of those factors you must mentioned, under $3,000 USD?

A: Sure can. I just mentioned the Primera LX900 and LX500, which are the best in terms of print quality and the lowest price in the market. Primera actually dominates the entry-level market. For example, the LX500 is the lowest price inkjet label printer in the market at only $1225 USD and the LX900 is just $2350 USD. Another close contender for the best print quality would have to be the VIPColor VP485. Its print quality is comparable to the Primera LX900, it prints a tad faster, and has a lower ink cost. It also has a slightly higher price tag, but gives you network connectivity since it includes an Ethernet port.

I’d also like to mention that the Primera LX500 can print at 4800 dpi. With this compact unit, it comes down to size and volume. If you only need to print, say, 500 labels per month, and your labels measure less than 4 inches, then this is a great little high resolution, full color label printer. Boutique wineries love the Primera LX500, for example. They can print professional, high quality wine labels in small batches without having to spend a lot of money on label printing equipment.

Q: What about print speeds? Which color dye inkjet label printers are best in terms of volume and speed?

A: In the $8,000 to $10,000 price range, a great example would be the Afinia L801 featuring Memjet technology. Though it retails for $7995 USD, the L801 is also the least expensive 8.5” wide label printer to operate in a high volume printing environment. It is a Memjet color label print that uses a page-wide print head for single pass printing and blazing fast speeds. It prints 8-5-inch wide, 1600 dpi color labels at a speed of 60 feet per minute (12 inches per second).

As far as a high volume, high quality color inkjet label printing for 4-inch wide labels, it’s hard to beat the Epson TM-C7500G. This color dye inkjet is another single pass solution that prints 4-inch wide labels at 11.7 inches per second at 1200 dpi. The food industry has been particularly receptive to the Epson TM-C7500G, which retails for $8495 USD, thanks to Epson’s focus on developing food-safe, non-toxic inks. The dye inks used in the Epson TM-C7500G are free from major toxic chemicals like asbestos, PCBs, dioxins, disrupters, ozone layer, and other key prohibited chemical substances. The Epson TM-C7500G is the only printer that never needs a replacement print head, since it’s good for the life of the printer. This alone will save you thousands of dollars per year.

Another relatively unknown 4-inch label printer is the Swiftcolor SCL4000D, which is manufactured by Canon. The same printer is sold by QuickLabel Systems as the Kiaro. We sell the Swiftcolor version of this Canon printer for $8500 USD. It is a dye-based inkjet printer with a print speed of 7.9 inches per second at a print resolution of 1200 dpi. The Swiftcolor SCL4000D’s speed and quality are lower than the Afinia L801; however, it can print labels as small as 1-inch wide since it accepts label media from 1 to 4 inches wide. The Epson TM-C7500G and Afinia L801 Memjet both require label media that is 2 inches or wider. Its ability to hold smaller media rolls gives the Swiftcolor SCL4000D an edge when you need to print small width labels like vape labels and electronic cigarette labels.

In this price range, some of the best options in terms of volume and speed include the Afinia L801, Epson TM-C7500G, Epson TM-C7500GE or Swiftcolor SCL4000D.

Recommended: Qebot Helps SMB’s Find And Manage Marketing And Operations Tools

Q: Are there any other considerations when choosing a color dye inkjet label printer?

A: Yes, there are two more points I’d like to make. We often look at the number of labels printed per month before we recommend any color label printer. I mentioned small wineries and the Primera LX500. They may print just 200 labels per month, so the higher ink costs per label that this label printer has compared to the Afinia L801 with the industry’s lowest per label ink costs won’t impact them too much.

However, when you start printing higher volumes, such as 5,000 or more labels per month, you’ll actually save money by buying the higher priced Afinia L801, Epson TM-C7500G, Epson TM-C7500GE or Swiftcolor SCL4000D based on the monthly ink savings. The ink savings will often cancel out monthly lease payments for those who finance the equipment.

Another consideration involves maintenance and service. Some printers have long-lasting print heads where others require frequent print head replacement — at several hundred dollars each time. We really like the Epson TM-C7500G because its print head is rated for the life of the printer. Plus, it’s the only industrial-grade printer in the market that requires no print head replacement and no special maintenance or upkeep other than replacing the ink cartridges as you finish them. Therefore, there are no service stations or rolls that need to be changed or serviced. When you add the Epson onsite warranty, Epson will have a technician at your facility within 48 hours anywhere in USA or Canada or they will send you a replacement. Our industrial customers love this level of service and support – and no downtime.

Q: Wow, that is a lot to consider.

A: Yes. I’ve included a table that might help. We can answer any questions or print sample labels upon request at DuraFastLabel .