Industrial-strength printing of plastic (and other) labels

Epson LabelWorks LW-PX700 provides top-notch industrial labels, whether printed from a PC or as a stand-alone device, using a variety of label types, up to nearly one inch in width.

The Epson LabelWorks LW-PX700 label printer is ideal for anyone who needs to print industrial labels on the job site as needed, regardless of whether they have the ability to print from a PC. It can be used as a printer alone (plus an AC adapter and a tape) at a price of US$115.95, or as a US$195 LW-PX700 luxury kit reviewed here, which adds a hard-shell carrying case and a rechargeable lithium battery Ion batteries, etc. This kit can easily provide enough features to make it the winner of the new Editor's Choice Award for independent medium and heavy industrial label printing, while making the more expensive Brady BMP41 label printer voice and data communication starter kit ($470) our favorite​​ Huan's extreme mission industrial label manufacturer.

The LW-PX700 can be used as a lightweight kettlebell, thanks to a handle on the short side and a weight of 2.75 pounds. In terms of overall shape, it is roughly similar to the BMP41 and Brady BMP21-Plus ($195), which means that its size will vary in every dimension, depending on where you measure it.

Sit on a flat surface with the keyboard facing up, and the maximum total depth is approximately 11.7 inches. The width of the printer varies from approximately 5.4 inches as measured on the 3.25-inch LCD screen to approximately 3.75 inches at the narrowest part of the handle. The height ranges from approximately 3.5 inches near the screen to 1.75 inches at the bottom of the handle, so the top surface is tilted downward to make it easier to read the screen when the device is placed on a table or table. The shape and slope also make it easier to enter text and commands on the keyboard. Please note that although you can hold the printer with both hands for thumb typing, I found it a bit too heavy to lift comfortably for more than a minute or two.

Except for the red battery cover at the bottom and the red backing that helps the black keys on the QWERTY keyboard stand out, the printer is black. There are also some white keys for special functions, keeping the light green highlight for the print key and the slot where the label appears. Special functions include saving up to 100 label definitions to memory, retrieving them and defining labels suitable for patch panels, self-laminating tape for wrapping cables, logo labels (with small logos protruding from the cable), etc. .

The physical setup requires inserting a cassette and installing rechargeable batteries (if you have a kit) or six AA batteries (if you don't have one). You can also plug into an AC power outlet to charge the lithium-ion battery. Epson said that the battery can print five 30-foot cartridge labels on a single charge, so it is unlikely to run out of work, but you can buy a spare battery for $79 as a backup, carry some AA batteries, or fall back to AC The power supply, the 12-foot length of the power cord provides considerable freedom of movement.

You will notice that paying $115.95 for the printer alone plus $79 for the battery is basically the price of a complete kit, which also includes a USB cable to connect to the PC, a hard carrying case ($59.95 alone) and two industrial magnets ($21) Screw into the bottom of the printer so you can stick it on any convenient metal surface. These prices make this kit an obvious choice, unless you are absolutely sure that you will never need batteries and other additional equipment.

Epson provides 118 different cassette tapes for the LW-PX700. Approximately half of the 30-foot-long standard plastic (polyester) tape, with various printing and background color combinations, is 4 mm (0.16 inches), 6 mm (0.24 inches), 9 mm (0.35 inches), 12 mm ( 0.47 inches), 18 mm (0.71 inches) and 24 mm (0.94 inches). Cartridges with 12 mm and smaller widths cost US$20.85, and the two largest-width cartridges cost US$24.85. All are continuous rolls, which means that the cost of each label will vary with label size.

Other options are specialty tapes, including silver matte; strong adhesive tapes; vinyl and magnetic tape; heat-shrinkable tubing tape for cable marking; fluorescent and reflective tape; and self-laminated outer packaging tape for cables, with A clear, unprintable area that overlaps with printed text.

The quantity, length, and price of each specialty tape vary from category to category. Some offer the same 30-foot length and per-width pricing as standard tapes; others are shorter and cost more.

LW-PX700 provides great flexibility in printing. When connected to a laptop or desktop computer, the latest Windows application at the time of writing is Epson's Label Editor 2.04. As I mentioned in other Epson label printer reviews, I found the software easy to use and one of the more powerful label programs I have seen. Those familiar with Epson's early Label Editor Professional 1.03 for Windows can download it as needed, and both downloads come with a standard driver for printing labels from almost any Windows program. Unfortunately, printing from macOS is not supported.

It is more challenging to start using LW-PX700 as a standalone printer. However, you can learn how to store and retrieve label definitions or take advantage of built-in functions including barcodes and QR codes without having to flip through the menus; print vertically or horizontally; and define up to 50 labels with different texts and lengths , Just press a button to print. You can also mirror print labels and use any of the 859 industrial and professional symbols, which are divided into 27 menu categories. Fortunately, Epson provides a handy cheat sheet that shows the symbols in each category, so you can quickly find the symbols to be printed.

When running under AC power, Epson sets the speed of the LW-PX700 at 30 mm or 1.18 inches per second (ips). This is significantly faster than the Brady BMP21-Plus' 0.4ips rating, matching Epson's $299.99 LabelWorks LW-PX750PCD, and only slightly slower than the Brady BMP41's 1.3ips rating.

In my test, the LW-PX700 printed four 4.2-inch labels at a measuring speed of 0.67ips, and the automatic cutting was turned off. When I set it to cut in half between the labels, this allows you to later remove a single label from the continuous backing material tape, the speed drops to 0.48ips, which saves more than the cost of printing time labeling Time. The battery and AC power supply and printing from the PC are the same as the measurement results printed from the printer itself.

Please also note that the typical resolution of this type of printer is 180dpi, which provides clear and sharp edges and highly readable text.

Epson LabelWorks LW-PX700 provides world-class flexibility in the various label types you can print and the content on the label. But the same is true for the other printers mentioned here.

If your budget can increase a bit, check out LabelWorks LW-PX750PCD and Brady BMP41. The former provides similar functions to the LW-PX700, but the QWERTY layout can be said to be large enough to be used as a small keyboard instead of a small keyboard. The BMP41 label printer voice and data communication starter kit is the winner of our heavy industrial label editor’s choice award. It is designed with data communication workers in mind, but it also provides other configurations for different applications, any of which can be customized to meet your needs need.

In other words, Epson LW-PX700 is a printer that beats its price class. Compared to Brady BMP21-Plus, it provides faster speeds, increases the ability to print labels from a PC, and includes a lifetime warranty-Epson said, including accidental damage (although the warranty does not include accidents). The warranty period of BMP21-Plus is only two years. If you prefer the ABCD keyboard layout and do not need to print from your PC, then BMP21-Plus is worth considering, but LabelWorks LW-PX700 provides enough extra features to win our Editors’ Choice Award as a medium to heavy industrial label machine- Job use.

Epson LabelWorks LW-PX700 provides top-notch industrial labels, whether printed from a PC or as a stand-alone device, using a variety of label types, up to nearly one inch in width.

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M. David Stone is a freelance writer and computer industry consultant. He is a recognized generalist and has written credits on various topics such as ape language experiments, politics, quantum physics, and an overview of top companies in the gaming industry. David has extensive expertise in imaging technology (including printers, monitors, large-screen displays, projectors, scanners, and digital cameras), storage (magnetic and optical), and word processing.

David's 40 years of technical writing experience includes a long-term focus on PC hardware and software. Writing credits include nine computer-related books, major contributions to the other four, and more than 4,000 articles published in national and global computer and general interest publications. His books include Color Printer Underground Guide (Addison-Wesley) Troubleshooting Your PC, (Microsoft Press), and Faster and Smarter Digital Photography (Microsoft Press). His work has appeared in many print and online magazines and newspapers, including Wired, Computer Shopper, ProjectorCentral, and Science Digest, where he served as a computer editor. He also wrote a column for Newark Star Ledger. His non-computer-related work includes NASA's Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite Project Data Manual (written for GE's Astro-Space Division) and occasional science fiction short stories (including simulation publications).

Most of David's writing in 2016 was written for PC Magazine and PCMag.com, as a contributing editor and lead analyst for printers, scanners and projectors. He returned as a contributing editor in 2019.

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