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Some time ago I got rid of the inkjet printer and switched to a laser printer. This is a great hack for this digital native who doesn’t print photos and really only needs to conveniently print shipping labels and random signed documents. Instead of measuring cartridge life in months, laser printers let you measure toner life in literally years.
My next attempt at improving my printing skills was using a thermal label printer. In case you’re not familiar, a thermal printer uses no ink at all, it’s a process similar to burning special paper. My job is unique in that I ship items back and forth frequently, so most of my printing needs are shipping labels. But I’ve noticed that over the past few years, my wife’s printing needs have also mostly become shipping labels. Anyone who buys most things online is probably in the same boat.
I decided to give the Rollo wireless printer a chance to see if it could meet all of my shipping label needs and see if that option would be viable for others. The end result is that these kinds of products are not suitable for casual consumers, at least not yet. The good news is that this Rollo wireless label printer is perfect for anyone in business, from new creators to established small businesses, and those who ship regularly.
I searched the internet for a handy thermal label printer but didn’t find much to choose from. These devices are primarily targeted at small and large businesses. There are some inexpensive options, but they don’t have Wi-Fi or don’t support mobile devices well. There are others that have wireless, but they are expensive and still not suitable for full-featured applications.
On the other hand, Rollo is the best thermal label printer I have ever seen. As more and more creators and individuals are running their own businesses, it makes sense that they would need a convenient way to create and print labels to send items through the mail or otherwise.
The Rollo wireless printer has Wi-Fi instead of Bluetooth and can print locally from iOS, Android, Chromebook, Windows, and Mac. The printer can accommodate a variety of label sizes from 1.57″ to 4.1″ wide with no height restrictions. Rollo’s wireless printer also works with any thermal label, so you don’t need to buy special labels from this company.
As for what’s missing is the lack of a paper tray or label feeder. You can buy add-ons, but out of the box, you will need to find a way to install labels on the back of the printer.
The real benefit of using such a label printer is that businesses can process outbound orders. This Rollo printer supports software such as ShipStation, ShippingEasy, Shippo and ShipWorks. It also has its own free software called Rollo Ship Manager.
Rollo Ship Manager allows you to receive orders from well-known trading platforms such as Amazon, as well as handles shipping and pickup.
In particular, there are currently 13 sales channels that you can connect to using Rollo Ship Manager. These include Amazon, eBay, Shopify, Etsy, Squarespace, Walmart, WooCommerce, Big Cartel, Wix, and more. UPS and USPS are also shipping options currently available on the app.
When testing the Rollo app on an iOS device, I was impressed with the build quality. Rollo apps are not software that feels old or abandoned, but modern and responsive. It’s easy to use and packed with handy features, including the ability to schedule free shipping via USPS right in the app. In my opinion, the free web-based ship manager also does a good job.
I’m not in business, but I ship enough boxes. The problem for consumers printing shipping labels is that these labels come in all shapes, sizes, and even orientations. It would be nice if consumers could easily cut and print return labels on these thermal printers, but that doesn’t seem to exist yet.
The easiest way to print labels from your phone is to take a screenshot. Many tags appear on a page full of other text, so you need to pinch and zoom with your fingers to position the tags to cut off any excess. If you click the Share icon and choose Print, the screenshot will automatically resize to fit on the default 4 x 6 label.
Sometimes you need to save a PDF and then rotate it with your finger before taking a screenshot. Again, none of this is particularly ideal, but it will work. Is it better than a cheap laser printer? May not suit most people. I don’t mind the hassle because it means I don’t have to waste 8.5″ x 11″ paper and tons of tape every time.
It should be noted that although thermal printers like Rollo are designed for shipping labels, they can print anything you send them.
Thermal label printers are a category of products that seem to be upgradable. Rollo seems to have been the first to really get going and make it easy to use hardware and software with the devices people use most of the time, primarily phones and tablets.
The Rollo wireless printer is stylish, easy to set up, and the Wi-Fi connection has always been reliable for me. Its Rollo Ship Manager software appears to be well maintained and a pleasure to use. It’s more expensive than a standard wired thermal printer, but I think the Wi-Fi this device offers is worth the money. (If you really don’t need Wi-Fi, Rollo also offers a less expensive wired version.) Any entrepreneur and small business owner frustrated with outdated label printing should take a look at Rollo’s wireless printer.
For the average consumer looking for an easy way to save ink and paper when printing shipping labels, this is probably not the solution. But if you really want it, you will definitely succeed.
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