A Beginner’s Guide to E-Commerce Printing: Inkjet Printer Labels

If you’re trying to grow a successful e-commerce business (here is our eCom shipping guide), streamlining your label printing process can work wonders for your bottom line and peace of mind. One can probably think of about a thousand better ways to spend your days than fighting off a finicky paper jam with your shipping label printer or writing out labels by hand.

Efficient order fulfillment and reliable delivery are crucial for e-commerce businesses, especially when handling bulk orders.

In this guide, we’ll take a look at three of the most popular shipping label printers for online businesses—inkjet printers, laser printers, and thermal printers—and break down the pros and cons of printing with each, the best labels for the job, and other considerations like environmental impact, how labels hold up to the elements, and more.

Introduction to Ecommerce Store

Ecommerce stores have transformed the way businesses connect with their customers, making it easier than ever to reach a global audience and grow a loyal customer base. As online shopping continues to surge in popularity, businesses of all sizes are recognizing the need to establish a strong online presence to stay ahead in today’s competitive market. By embracing ecommerce, businesses can expand their reach, streamline operations, and offer customers a seamless shopping experience from the comfort of their own homes.

What is Ecommerce Store

An ecommerce store is an online platform that allows businesses to sell products or services directly to customers over the internet. Whether you’re offering custom products, print on demand products, or a wide variety of demand products, an ecommerce store provides a flexible and accessible way to showcase your offerings. Customers can browse, select, and purchase items from your store at any time, making it possible for businesses to sell to a global audience without the limitations of a physical location. Ecommerce stores are ideal for businesses looking to scale, diversify their product catalog, and tap into the growing demand for online shopping.

Benefits of Ecommerce Store

There are numerous benefits to running an ecommerce store. One of the biggest advantages is the ability to reach customers worldwide, breaking down geographical barriers and opening up new markets. Ecommerce stores typically have lower upfront costs compared to traditional brick-and-mortar shops, allowing businesses to invest more in marketing and product development. Additionally, the convenience and accessibility of online shopping can lead to higher customer satisfaction, as customers enjoy a user-friendly experience and the ability to shop whenever they choose. By leveraging the power of an ecommerce store, businesses can boost sales, improve customer loyalty, and operate more efficiently.

Key Components of Ecommerce Store

To build a successful ecommerce store, it’s essential to focus on several key components. A user-friendly interface ensures that customers can easily navigate your online store and find the products they want. Secure payment systems and reliable shipping options are crucial for building trust and ensuring smooth transactions. Offering a broad range of custom products and demand products, along with competitive pricing, helps attract and retain customers. Excellent customer service and clear communication about shipping costs and delivery times further enhance overall customer satisfaction. By optimizing your ecommerce store for important SEO keywords like online store, custom products, demand business, online business, and shipping options, you can improve your visibility in search engines and attract more customers to your business.

Inkjet Printing Methods

Inkjet printer labels are available in standard white, matte white, white gloss, clear, metallic, fluorescent, pastel, true color, 100% recycled, and more. Inkjet printers support a variety of printing methods, offering extensive customization options for creating customizable products tailored to your branding or design needs. Some labels even come with extra opaque coverage and technology that helps the printer avoid misalignments or jams.

Laser Printing Techniques

Laser printers use static electricity to attach toner—a powdered, grain-like ink—to a sheet of paper. For printing at high volume, they can be a viable shipping label printer option, since they offer super-fast printing speeds.

Pros and Cons of Laser Printers

Pros:

• Lower Cost Per Page. Despite higher toner costs and upfront expenses, laser printers can still be an economical option in the cost-per-page department. With a laser printer, it costs less than a few cents per page for black-and-white prints and just about 15 cents per page for color.
• Longer-Lasting Toner Cartridges. Although toner cartridges have a greater initial expense than ink cartridges, they’re known for long-lasting use. They’re also less likely to dry out than inkjet cartridges, which can shrivel up when they’re not being used.
• Quieter Printing. Lasers are significantly quieter than inkjet printers.
• Efficient High Volume Shipping Label Printing. Since lasers are more efficient and print much faster than inkjets, they are a strong high volume label printing option.

Cons:

• Higher Upfront Costs. Laser printers are generally more costly than Inkjet printers, with lower quality models ranging from $70 – $200 and premium models ranging from $500-$1500.
• Toner replacement. Replacement toner cartridges for laser printers can also come at a premium.

Types of Laser Printer Labels

A wide variety of shipping labels are compatible with laser printers, including white, fluorescent, color, removable, weather-resistant, quick-lift, blockout, kraft, clear, foil, and even integrated labels that print packing lists and shipping labels on the same sheet so it’s easier to consolidate your e-commerce packaging and printing needs.

Laser printers utilize advanced printing techniques and quality assurance processes to ensure consistent, high-quality labels for every application.

For a more eco-friendly shipping label printing option, you can opt for zero waste shipping labels or 100% recycled sheet labels. They’re printable on laser or inkjet printers and make it simpler for paper pulpers and recyclers to process packages.

Other Things to Consider

If and when it’s possible, using labels for laser printers that are either easy to remove (like a multiuse label with removable adhesive), 100% recycled, or made from the same material as your packaging can ensure your customer’s labels aren’t contaminating other recycled waste.

Thermal Printing Techniques

Other Things to Consider

If you’re factoring your e-commerce company’s carbon footprint into the shipping label equation, direct thermal printing is capable of small batch or single label printing with next to no waste, which can help reduce carbon emissions compared to other methods. On the flip side, the thermal transfer printing ribbon is not a candidate for recycling, so it can be particularly wasteful if little is being printed on it.

Whether you’re prioritizing the low up-front cost of an inkjet printer, the high volume printing capabilities of a laser printer, or the all-around efficiency of a thermal printer, finding a smart shipping solution that streamlines the shipping label printing process is one of the best ways to free up even more time and resources for your online business. Shippo is here to help.

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