The 5 Best Label Makers (2023 Review)

Whether your small business needs barcodes for its products or you want to identify what’s inside the jars in your kitchen, a label maker can help. The This Old House Reviews Team has combed through the options on Amazon and selected the best label makers for a variety of uses. Keep reading for more information on each of our picks.

Top 5 Label Makers

• Easiest To Use: Brother P-Touch Easy-To-Use Label Maker
• Best Basic Label Maker: DYMO Label Maker
• Best Display: Brother P-Touch Label Maker
• Best Professional Label Maker: DYMO Label Writer
• Best Portable Label Maker: NiiMbot Label Maker Machine

Easiest To Use

Pros and Cons

✔ Features one-touch keys
✔ Includes 27 user-friendly label templates
✔ Can remember up to 30 labels

✘ Doesn’t have a backlit display
✘ Doesn’t include the six AAA batteries that are needed for operation

Key Features

• Has a keyboard to design labels
• Has an LCD display
• Offers 14 fonts, 97 frames, 27 templates, and over 600 symbols
• Has a one-year warranty

What Customers Are Saying

Satisfied customers liked this label maker’s portability, print quality, and user-friendly interface. Other reviewers recommended this product because of its many personalization features. Negative reviews criticized this label maker for wasting space on the label and missing tape that it was supposed to come with.

Best Basic Label Maker

Pros and Cons

✔ Comes with three rolls of printing paper
✔ Includes eight box styles
✔ Certified by Amazon for being climate-friendly

✘ Has a small keyboard that may be difficult for people with larger fingers to use
✘ Noted by some customers that they received poor customer service

Key Features

• Has a keyboard to design labels
• Has an LCD display
• Offers five font sizes, seven print styles, and eight box styles
• Comes with three label rolls
• Has a two-year warranty

What Customers Are Saying

Many customers were pleasantly surprised with how high-quality this DYMO label maker was, especially for the price. Positive reviews highlighted that the label maker was easy to use because of its user-friendly interface. Negative reviews said that their label maker didn’t work right out of the box and that customer service didn’t help them solve this issue.

Best Display

Pros and Cons

✔ Offers a large variety of fonts
✔ Includes an AC adapter for on-the-go use
✔ Can connect to your computer for more functions

✘ Noted by some customers that their labels had color banding
✘ Takes up a lot of space in your home or office

Key Features

• Has a keyboard or connects to your computer to design labels
• Has a color display
• Has a two-year warranty

What Customers Are Saying

Positive reviews noted that the adhesion of the labels was excellent. Many also said that the machine was versatile and easy to use, making labeling a faster job. Unsatisfied customers pointed out that this product had color banding on its printed labels.

Best Professional Label Maker

Pros and Cons

✔  Uses thermal printing, which eliminates the need for expensive ink or toner
✔ Offered in multiple machine styles
✔ Prints USPS-approved postage stamps

✘ Has the highest price out of the models in this review
✘ Criticized by customers for jamming easily

Key Features

• Connects to your computer to design labels
• Prints labels, stamps, barcodes, and more
• Prints out of two slots
• Has a two-year warranty

What Customers Are Saying

Positive reviews highlighted how easy to use the DYMO label maker was. In addition, many enjoyed the strong adhesion and high print quality of the labels. Negative reviews criticized this label maker for jamming easily and having a poor label guide.

Best Portable Label Maker

Pros and Cons

✔ Comes in multiple eye-catching colors
✔ Features a rechargeable battery
✔ Weighs less than half a pound for easy portability

✘ Doesn’t feature a keyboard
✘ Criticized for printing somewhat sheer labels

Key Features

• Connects to your computer or phone to design labels
• Prints labels, barcodes, and more
• Features a carrying handle

What Customers Are Saying

Positive reviews praised this product for its long battery life and easy setup. Other reviews noted that this product was a good value for the money. Some customers reported that their labels seemed somewhat sheer. They also disliked having to make an account to use the label maker’s app.

Buyer’s Guide

Here are a few of the most important factors to consider when looking at label maker options.

Built-In Keyboard vs. Device Connectivity

Some label makers have a keyboard with either an ABC or QWERTY arrangement for typing your labels into the device. These are usually the simplest to use, but they can be bulky to carry. The other option is a label maker that connects to your computer or mobile device. This gives you more design options, but it’s more expensive. Some high-end models offer both, allowing you to choose the method that works best for the specific task at hand.

Portability

Label makers can be powered by a cord, batteries, or both. Battery-powered machines are more portable, but they tend to require quite a few batteries and run through them pretty quickly. Corded models must be used by a wall outlet, but you don’t have to worry about replacing batteries every few uses.

Customization

Basic label makers give you only one font, though you can often customize its size and style. Other models come with multiple fonts, symbols, frames, and graphics. You’ll have even more design options if you’re using a computer. Consider how complicated your labels will be to determine how many design settings you’ll need on your label maker.

Labels

Most label makers use spools of paper with an adhesive backing. However, these spools come in many widths and colors. Determine how much content you want to put on your labels and what you want the labels to look like when choosing spools.

Professional Functions

Modern label makers can print more than just text. Small businesses often use them to print QR codes, barcodes, and postage stamps. However, you probably won’t need these functions for household use.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do thermal label printers work?

Unlike typical office printers, thermal label makers don’t print with ink or toner. Instead, components within the machine burn the words or graphics onto specially treated labels that react to heat.

How long do printed labels last?

It varies depending on temperature and humidity fluctuations, but most labels can last for years if kept indoors.

Do label makers require ink cartridges?

Ink label makers require cartridges, but thermal label makers don’t. You’ll need to replace ink cartridges every so often. They’re fairly affordable, only costing about $5 each or even less in a pack.

Why Trust The This Old House Reviews Team

This Old House has empowered homeowners for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement content in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content on its website and social media platforms. The This Old House Reviews Team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content to help inform your purchasing decision for just about any item or resource that you might need for your home. The This Old House Reviews Team has written over 1,000 reviews on products in the home space, from cordless drills to kitchen trash cans, lawn mowers, and dining room decorations.

We recommend products in each review using an intensive research process, spending hours combing through the best available models on Amazon. For a product to make our list of top picks, it must hold a solid sales record on Amazon, have consistently positive customer reviews, and offer unique features, among other factors. After narrowing down our list of recommendations, we conduct additional research and sometimes in-person testing to ensure that the products meet our standards. Once we conclude the research phase, we craft a well-rounded, user-friendly article that includes our recommended products and additional information to help homeowners like you make the right purchase.

To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews Team at reviews@thisoldhousereviews.com.