Key Takeaways
- Thermal label printers like the Rollo Wireless offer low-cost printing, using heat instead of ink.
- The Rollo Wireless printer caters to modern needs with wireless connectivity, ease of use, and automatic label resizing.
- While versatile and reliable, the Rollo printer is best suited for those with frequent shipping needs.
In recent years, I realized most of my household’s printing was for shipping labels, so instead of a new inkjet or laser printer, I went searching for a thermal label printer. There are plenty of options, but few are modern, which is why I’ve come to really love the Rollo Wireless printer and being able to print return shipping labels directly from my iPhone.
Why a Thermal Label Printer (and What It Is)
I discovered the Rollo Wireless printer because I (and my wife) frequently needed to print shipping labels for product returns, but was tired of dealing with ink and toner—both the cost and mess. In my eyes, and for my limited needs, a thermal label printer prints for free.
In the case of Rollo, it sells 500 4×6 labels for $20, or $0.04 per print. So while not technically free, it’s a low cost. How does it do this? Well, as evident from the name, a thermal printer uses heat to react with the label paper to print.
When I initially went down the path of looking for a thermal label printer, the kind shipping stores use, I found plenty of options, but most of them were wired or ancient. Ones made to connect to a point-of-sale device of some sort. The Rollo Wireless printer, on the other hand, works with iPhones, Android phones, and Windows and Mac computers. No drivers or installation is needed either. When selecting a printer, my phone just sees it on my network.
The Rollo Wireless Printer Fills a Modern Need
The best gadgets are the ones that fill a real need and do their jobs well. That’s why I’ve continued to love this Rollo Wireless printer over the last few years and have even begun to take it for granted. It’s a workhorse that prints reliably.
I wasn’t planning on gushing over a product that’s probably best suited to small businesses and content creators, but it’s highly versatile and works for regular consumer use too.
The printer’s primary draw is, of course, its wireless connectivity. My wife and I both constantly print shipping labels directly from our phones. Then all that’s required to get a package in the mail is to slap the sticker on it. But it’s not just its connection method that makes printing easy.
Most of the time return labels are oddly sized and not configured for an exact 4×6 label. Instead of manually needing to crop and resize a label, Rollo does some magic and will automatically re-format PDF labels to the correct label size. It’s not without its occasional faults, but for the most part, I can send it any PDF shipping label and it will come out looking perfect. The print gets regular over-the-air updates to improve this intelligence as well.
This Printer Is Great, But Not For Everyone
Although the Rollo Wireless printer is fairly robust for what it is, it certainly isn’t for everyone. I’ve used it to print a few lists and random things in a pinch, but a 4×6 sticker is not the same as a traditional-sized piece of paper. You won’t be able to turn in a school assignment on a label. (For that you’ll want to check out the best traditional printers of 2024.) If you’re searching for other kinds of print jobs, a laser printer or 3D printer might also be in your future.
The Rollo printer and its app are highly geared towards connecting shipping accounts like FedEx and USPS. Ultimately, it is a device best suited for people with some kind of frequent shipping needs, whether you run an Etsy shop or constantly sell items on eBay. But if you think it might be for you, it’s a gadget that’s easy to love and might sneakily find a place in your daily life.
