Label makers
For shipping, for stock, and for the cables under your desk.
What actually matters
- Two different tools: a shipping label printer for postage, and a small handheld labeller for organising things.
- Check the tape or label cost. This is where the money actually goes.
- A thermal printer uses no ink at all, which removes a recurring cost and a recurring errand.
- If you ship daily, look for direct integration with the postage service you already use.
Picks
No specific picks in here yet — I only list things once I've actually formed an opinion about them. The points above are what I'd go on in the meantime.
Also in paper, print and post
- PrintersMostly for shipping labels, invoices and the occasional thing that must be on paper.
- Paper cutters & trimmersIf you sell anything printed, this is the difference between a product and a craft project.
- Shipping suppliesThe unglamorous things that decide how long packing takes.
- Packaging & presentationWhat the customer opens. The last thing you control before they judge you.
Kit is the easy part. The awkward part is usually the process.
Buying a label printer fixes an afternoon. If the thing eating your week is the admin around the orders rather than the packing itself, that's the part I build.
Tell me what's eating the week