About Cost Per Label

Cost Per Label compares label makers and shipping label printers by what they cost to keep using: the tape and labels, plus the batteries, not only the price of the machine.

Every pick starts from sources a reader can check: the makers' specification sheets, the Amazon listing as it read on the date shown, and named, dated reviews from other publications (Bob Vila's roundup, first published in 2020 and updated since, and Your Best Digs' 2023 update). Where a listing and an older review disagree, the listing wins and the change goes into the fix log.

We do not run a test lab and no page claims first-hand use. Owner problems are summarised from patterns that repeat across public reviews and Q&A, and labelled as owner reports. Cost-per-label figures are estimates built from the makers' cassette lengths and typical retail price ranges, and the calculator lets you use your own price.

Links to Amazon earn this site a commission on qualifying purchases; your price does not change. Commission never decides the order of a list, and no maker has paid for a placement or seen a page before publication.

How picks are made

Fourteen machines are covered: thirteen on the home page and the Brady M210 for electricians. They were shortlisted from named reviews and maker line-ups, then checked against the Amazon listings collected on October 26, 2026.

Each machine is judged on the tape it uses, what a label costs, how it is powered, how you design labels (keyboard, app or computer) and the problems owners report most often.

Star ratings and collected prices stay off the page because they change daily. Tape lengths are the makers' figures; per-label costs are estimates you can redo in the calculator.

What every page is built from

• Maker specification sheets and manuals: Brother, DYMO, Rollo, MUNBYN, NIIMBOT, Nelko and Brady
• Amazon listings for every machine, collected October 26, 2026 (model numbers, bundles, supplies)
• Bob Vila's label maker roundup (first published September 2020, updated since)
• Your Best Digs' label maker guide (2023 update)
• Recurring problems in public owner reviews and Q&A, labelled as owner reports

Who writes it

Pages are written and kept up to date by the editor, under the pen name Imogen Pratt. The fix log on that page lists every correction with a date.

Corrections and contact

Spotted an error or a changed listing? Write to imogen@www.best-label-maker.com.