Lots of people make a bit of extra cash by selling unwanted possessions on eBay, Amazon or other online marketplaces. Quite a few make a very good living selling online and have forged lucrative full-time careers from it. But with so many packages and parcels to ship, how can eBay sellers streamline their shipping processes and ensure what they are selling arrives on time and at the correct address?

If you are a professional seller, you’ve probably already graduated from using your local post office to one of the larger couriers like UPS, DHL or FedEx. These companies use specially formatted shipping labels with barcodes that speed up the delivery process and make shipping as swift and secure as possible. The standard shipping label measures 4 x 6 inches and while it can be printed on a sheet of A4 paper, that involves cutting down the printed area and covering it with sticky tape to stop the ink from running if the parcel gets wet. 

The alternative is to get a thermal label printer like the excellent Zebra ZSB range I reviewed last month. Thermal label printers are fast and waterproof. They can print up to 60 labels a minute, which is fast enough for even the most prodigious online seller. The Zebra wireless printer is the Rolls Royce of label printing and uses custom and recyclable label cartridges. However, that’s reflected in its price and running costs. If you want to save some money you could opt for one of the two iDPRT printers that I’m reviewing here.

As a specialist maker of industrial label printers used by some of the largest companies, iDPRT has all the know-how to make thermal label printers for the consumer market. They are competitively priced and offer great value for money. In this review, I’ll be looking at iDPRT’s SPR10 workhorse model, designed primarily for printing from a stack of fanfold shipping labels in bundles of 500. It’s an affordable and small printer that takes up little desk space and is easy to use. The SP410 will work with most shipping companies’ software or courier websites, plus it has printer drivers for Windows and macOS.

The second model I tested was the slightly more expensive iDPRT SP420, which looks a little prettier than the SP410 and is designed for printing labels on rolls with support for various sizes from small barcode labels up to the 4 x 6 variety used by most couriers.

Before we look at each of the printers, I want to point out a gap in the market for user-friendly label design software. As a Mac user, I was very attached to a program called Addresses & Labels from Ukrainian developer BeLight Software. Sadly, the program wasn’t updated to 64-bit when Apple dropped support for 32-bit software with the launch of macOS Catalina. BeLight makes a desktop publishing package called Swift Publisher which has a good labeling function, but it’s not a dedicated shipping label application. 

Most makers of label printers like Dymo, Brother and Seiko produce their own label design software, but these packages only work with each company’s printer. It’s a shame that iDPRT doesn’t have its own label design software app but there is a package called Bartender that works with PCs and can be downloaded from iDPRT’s website but there’s no software on offer for Macs. Any software developer looking for a new project ought to consider producing a great label design package that can work with multiple printer brands and people will beat a path to your door. 

An alternative to software package is a web-based label design system such as ShipStation. It’s an integrated shipping process that does all the hard work of addressing and preparing shipping labels, but it involves taking out a monthly subscription. If you ship a lot of parcels, it’s worth looking into, but if you’re an occasional shipper, try the affordable Swift Publisher from BeLight.

Now let’s take a closer look at these two printers from iDPRT. The SP410 is a boxy little number that can handle labels ranging from 2 inches to 4.65 inches across. The length of the labels is measured using a hole or a black mark that enables a sensor in the printer to calculate the position of the label. The SP410 can handle labels on a roll or in a fanfold up to a maximum length of 100mm per label.

The thermal printhead of the SP410 has a resolution of 203dpi (8 dots/mm) which is fine for text and line graphics. The labels used must be thermal as the printer doesn’t use ink, which is good for running costs. Unlike some more fancy printers, the SP410 doesn’t have an automatic or manual guillotine for cutting the labels. The printer is designed for use with die-cut labels on perforated rolls or fan folds where the labels is physically torn off. 

The SP410 draws labesl into the printer using a large rubber roller. As soon as the label is in its correct position the roller stops. The maximum speed is six inches per second and means the SP410 can handle around 60 labels per minute when batch printing from a database. The printhead has a durable coating that iDPRT claims is good for up to 160,000 shipping labels. Replacing a worn-out printhead is straightforward so the printer should give many years of service.

Other features include a built-in power supply that can handle multiple voltages. The printer is supplied with a figure-of-eight mains cable and a USB B cable for connecting the SP410 to a computer.

The second printer I want to share with you is iDPRT’s SP420. This model is a little larger than the squat SP410 and can easily use rolls of paper that fit inside the printer under a Perspex cover. The SP420 can handle label from 28 to 118mm in width. The rolls can be up to five inches in diameter are accommodated inside the printer. There’s also an optional fanfold and outsize label stand available as an optional extra.

Inside the SP420, is a gap and black mark sensor that can tell when labels are in the optimum position for printing. This ensures there’s no slippage during a long print run and that addresses are always printed in the same position. Like the SP410, this model supports ‘Reprint after Error”, a function supported by many major shipping companies.

The SP420 is compatible with shipping software from FedEx, Amazon, UPS, eBay and many other couriers. It’s a quiet printer and offers the same 203dpi as the SP410. Barcodes are supported across the iDPRT range for Code 39, Code 93, Code 128UCC, Code 128 subset A, B, C, Codabar, Interleave 2 of 5, EAN-8, EAN-13, EAN-128, UPC-A, UPC-E, EAN and UPC 2 (5) digits add-on, MSI, PLESSEY, POSTNET, RSS-Stacked, GS1 DataBar, Code 11.

Verdict: Both these thermal label printers from iDPRT are excellent and affordable models for anyone who does a lot of shipping. They are durable and quiet in use and, unlike the Zebra system, iDPRT, use rolls or fanfold labels. This does mean that there’s not the jam-free claim that Zebra’s ZSB cartridge system offers. That said, rolls and fanfold labels are less expensive and easy to source from almost anywhere. The SP410 or the SP420 are perfect for anyone running a business and shipping a lot of products. The SP410 is a good for someone who iuses the same shipper and prints 4 x 6-inch labels. For anyone who needs to print a wider range of labels in different sizes and on rolls, might prefer the slightly more expensive SP420.

Pricing and Availability: iDPRT SP410 Thermal Shipping Label Printer $139.99 / £112 and  iDPRT SP420 Thermal Shipping Label Printer $159.99. Until Aug 11, 2021, Forbes readers can get a 5% discount by clicking on the link above and quoting codes ForbeSP410 or ForbesSP420.