on LW-600P Bluetooth Label Printer
| Pros |
Cons |
| Bluetooth & USB |
No computer support for Bluetooth |
| AA Battery or mains powered |
Tapes are not laminated |
| Hard wearing labels |
Slightly noisier than other similar printers |
Introduction
The Epson LW-600P is a compact and mobile label printer. With USB and mains power connectivity, it's great for on your desk in the office. With its Bluetooth connectivity and battery compartment, it's great on the move using the Android or iOS mobile app. It has a great selection of tape sizes and colours, so it'll be perfect for organizing files, drawers, cabinets, containers and so much more!
Features
- Print on continuous tape sizes of 6, 9, 12, 18 & 24mm
- Powers from mains or 6x AA batteries
- USB and Bluetooth connectivity
- Automatic electric cutter
- Print resolution: 180 DPI (128 printable)
- Print speed: 15mm per second
- Buttons: power feed/test
- Sensors: tape width & cover open
- Status lamps: Bluetooth, low battery & alert/error
- Auto power off when opened and to save battery
- Size: 54 x 132 x 146mm (2.1 x 5.2 x 5.7 inches)
- Power usage: 12 Watt (printing), 0.8 Watt (ready), 0.21 Watt (Power off)
Setup & Software
I opened up the packaging and my first thought was, "it looks like a Brother P-Touch printer, but better" (sorry Brother). Its matte pale grey case, gloss black front, 2 clear windows and quirky angles makes it look very modern. You'd expect to see this in a very clean, almost clinical environment and not my messy desk that's littered with paperwork, stationery and other printers. I inserted the 6 AA batteries into the base of the printer and inserted the tape cartridge. I installed the
Epson iLabel app from the Google Play store onto my Android phone. After switching on the printer I opened the app on my phone and it paired via Bluetooth within seconds; no password required.
Using the app
The app is easy (you'll get bored of me bragging about how easy this printer is to use, but it's true). Open it, pair it with your printer, choose blank label, barcode,
QR code or template, edit the label and input all data you require then press print. It really is as quick and as simple as it sounds! It takes a little moment to send the label from phone to printer, but the whole process is rather effortless. It truly is a mobile printer with the edge of being able to produce the labels from a smartphone/tablet instead of from the printer itself. I didn't need to use the batteries for my next test so I removed them from the printer and connected the supplied mains power adapter. Firstly it was the usual install procedure. It installs the software and driver in one go. When I opened the software is has a very simple interface which I can relate to.
It was set to inches by default and changing this setting required restarting the software. Much like Brother's
P-Touch Editor, the software detects the tape size in the printer. It will automatically adjust the length of the tape to fit your data. You can insert text in any size font or style, barcodes, symbols, images, borders and even your own company logo. I initially printed using the USB cable. If your computer has Bluetooth you will not be able to use it with this printer as it's not supported. It would have been handy to print from a Bluetooth enabled computer, if for example if you look at the new Macbook that doesn't have any USB ports without a £65 adaptor, wireless printing would be a great solution.
Printing
The LW-600P uses tapes sizes of 6, 9, 12, 18 & 24mm. Its printing isn't the fastest compared to the latest Brother P-Touch models, but I wouldn't say it's slow. The labels themselves have a good adhesive and the print is very hard wearing. Plus the backing paper is much easier to peel away compared to DYMO D1 & Rhino tapes. The built-in cutter is automatic, cutting the tape to make each label individual. Unlike equivalent Brother P-Touch printers which drop the label on the spot or DYMO LabelManager printers that spit the label a few centimetres away from the exit; the Epson printer has a little roller by the exit which does a poor attempt at holding the most recently printed label. I think they got the idea from a lot of the Brady printers that securely hold the label using little rubber rollers until you're ready to remove them. Also if you set the margins to minimum, it cuts a small part first which could get stuck and caught inside this front part where the roller is. It's a shame really as this printer has so much going for it and this small design feature failure is the finale of the whole process.
Tape cost
Below is a quick comparison of the 24mm black on white tapes from the top three competitors. This compares the manufactures recommended retail price and does not reflect our discounted prices.
| Brand |
Tape length per cartridge |
Tape cost per meter |
| Brother |
13% shorter than Epson cartridges |
61% more expensive per meter than Epson |
| Casio |
13% shorter than Epson cartridges |
2% cheaper per meter than Epson |
| Dymo |
29% shorter than Epson cartridges |
37% more expensive per meter than Epson |
Final Verdict
- FEATURES: 8/10
- USABILITY: 8/10
- BUILD: 8/10
- OVERALL: 8/10
Its functionality with Bluetooth, USB, battery and mains makes it a very versatile, portable printer while still keeping it on the desk and not in your hand. The software is quick to install, easy to use and the same goes for the mobile app. It's possibly the smallest printer that prints onto a 24mm tape that is currently on the market. The software is full of features to make this printer perfect for first-timers and experienced users. The printer itself is great, so is the software. Its selection of
tapes are great too with it's wire wraps, reflective and glow in the dark options.
