NIIMBOT D110

The folks at NIIMBOT have made yet another great label maker.  I have previously reviewed their B21 Label Maker, and their B3S Label Maker.  Both are stylish and fun and very efficient.  And while both are portable the NIIMBOT Label Maker D110 really excels at portability.

It checks in at 4.2″ tall, 2.9″ long, and 1.2″ wide.  And it is so light you’d never feel it after you slipped it into your backpack, purse, or toolbox.  And after posting a picture of it after I received it, my brother messaged back and said he owns this very label maker and the portability is what he loves best about it.

The design is sleek and simple with one control button, one release mechanism for changing label rolls, and one USB-C charging port.  And it is of course, a thermal printer that never needs ink.
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NIIMBOT B3S Review

NIIMBOT B3S

The fine folks at NIIMBOT contacted me recently and asked me to review the B21 Label Maker.  Following that review they indicated that I could choose another label maker to review.  I chose the NIIMBOT B3S.

I fell in love with the B21 and so did my wife.  It is the most intuitive and stylish label maker I’ve gotten my hands on, maybe ever.

I have a similar enjoyment of the NIIMBOT B3S but make no mistake, they are 2 different animals entirely.

And I had to get past a couple of hurdles before I got the B3S to where I was effortlessly cranking out labels.
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NIIMBOT B21 Review

NIMBOT B21 Label Printer

It’s no secret that I love label makers.  I own a LOT of label makers and I have blogged about them extensively.  Every household needs a label maker.  I’ll expand that to say that every household needs a couple of label makers for various tasks.   NIIMBOT contacted me and asked me to pick any printer in their line up, and they would send it to me to review.

I glanced through their printers and my eyes instantly locked on to the NIIMBOT B21 Thermal Label Maker.  If I had to describe my first impression in one word, that word would be “FUN”.

So many of my label makers are industrial looking and huge.  The B21 is small, sleek, and retro looking.  They promptly sent me one with some extra labels and I’m going to put it through its paces to see how it fares.

Even though NIIMBOT provided me a label maker absolutely no pressure was applied to me to provide a positive review.  If it is positive it will be because I think it is positive.  I’ll tell you exactly what I think here.
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Coming Soon – NIMBOT B21 Thermal Label Printer Review

NIMBOT B21

Cheap Label Printer

Zebra LP 2844-Z

So, you have decided to become a re-seller or open your own home business.  Shipping items can be a challenging, and expensive part of your start up costs.   You will soon find out you need a label printer.  A cheap label printer.

A brand new, shiny label printer can cost you upwards of $200.  Some being considerably more expensive than that.  They also may take proprietary paper which drives the costs up even more.

What if I told you there was a cheap label printer out there that could be had for a fraction of the price?  And then what if I told you it could use less expensive, 3rd party, or generic labels?

Zebra LP 2844 Series

The Zebra LP 2844 printer has been around for a while.   The best timeline I can find for a release date is around October 2002 as a replacement for the Bravo 4 printer.   How many electronic devices do you own that have been viable for 21 years?
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The Best Thermal Printer For Home Shipping Needs

Introduction

I have noticed a disturbing trend in review sites.  Google up “Best Thermal Printer” and you’ll find a bunch of pages that say “The Ten Best Thermal Printers You Can Buy in 2023”.  Those pages are full of only stock photos and cherry picked pros and cons from other review sites.

In other words, these people MAY NOT ACTUALLY OWN these printers.   But they will provide you an affiliate link to buy one of “THE BEST THERMAL PRINTERS FOR 2023”.  They get paid, you get bad advice.

You should ALWAYS strive to read reviews from people who actually own, and have used the thermal printers that they write about.

Shipping labels can also be printed from ANY printer on plain paper.  You can put clear tape over your labels.  The only problem here is the continual cost of ink cartridge refills.  This is why thermal printing is so popular for shipping labels.   There is no ink and thermal print heads last for decades most of the time.

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Selecting A Thermal Printer For Home Shipping

i decided to add shipping from home to my bag of tricks.  That requires having a Thermal Printer.  There are several excellent ones to choose from and lots of comparison and review sites out there.  But all they seem to cover is the printer specs.  That’s good from some aspects but then you get that printer home and realize it doesn’t do all the things you thought it might do.

Dymo 5XL

For example, I have a Dymo 5XL.  If I go to the USPS site and create a label the only way to print it on a 4″x6″ label is to download the label as a PDF file, Then take a screenshot of it, and then print from Mac Preview.   It makes no sense to me why I can’t print directly from the USPS website but I can’t.

Then if you go to UPS they have a list of recommended printers that work with their system.  Ditto for FedEx.  There simply isn’t a printer where you can log into any shipping service, make your label and simply hit print.  What works seamlessly at one site will not work at the other without workarounds.

Actually that is kind of inaccurate as you can print with any printer to 8.5″x11″ paper.  But ultimately I want to print on a 4″x6″ adhesive backed label.  This seems to be the standard for shipping boxes.
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Dymo 5XL LabelWriter Review

I have a Dymo 5XL and I figured it was time to do a blog about it.  I am kind of a Dymo Fanboy and own several Dymo Label Makers.  Here is my harem:

• Dymo LabelManager 160
• Dymo LabelManager 280
• Dymo LabelWriter Duo
• Dymo XTL 300
• Dymo Rhino 6000+ kit

I like them all but will concede the 160 wasn’t a great value.   The Dymo 5XL falls into that category as well.  Normally, I’d ease into my assessment but I can already tell the Dymo 5XL falls short of my expectations.

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How To Make And Use a Free USPS IMB Barcode

In my last blog I discussed Intelligent Mail Barcodes. In this blog I’ll show you how to make on your own Intelligent Mail Barcode for free and apply it to a mailing label or envelope.

Business Customer Gateway Account

First you need a USPS Mailer ID.  This is really simple.  Just create an account on the Business Customer Gateway.  Once you have verified your account you’ll be assigned a 9 digit Mailer ID.  Having this ID is crucial to encoding your barcode.

Zip Code

Next you’ll need the 9 digit zip code for the address you want to ship to.  You can look that up here.

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Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB)

What is it?

The Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB) is a 65 bar barcode used in domestic mail delivery.  Also, it can be used to track progress of First Class Mail through the system.  It makes sorting easier for the post office bubbas and presumably speeds up your mail as well.

My IMB Experience

A whole lot of years ago I was stationed in Iwakuni Japan as a US Government Employee.  I had lots of time and money to buy toys.  Also back in the 1990’s real mail was more of a thing than it is now.  Now we send emails.

I bought a Dymo Label printer back then and started using Stamps.com. It would add the barcode which I believe was called POSTNET back then.   Did I need to add barcodes to my outgoing mail back then?  No.  But if you’re reading this I have long been a geek and a techie. I do things most other folks don’t.  if there is some kind of tech system in place, I try to use or exploit it.

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