Silk Road forums

Discussion => Shipping => Topic started by: beyondbelief on April 01, 2012, 05:15 am

Title: Cheap thermal label printers
Post by: beyondbelief on April 01, 2012, 05:15 am
Does anyone know what the cheapest USB USPS-compatible thermal label printers are and where you can get them? I found someone selling a few for US$45 each but then I found out they were serial, not USB. Printers capable of printing out extremely small labels would be nice (Small as in around 4"x6" or similar). Thanks.
Title: Re: Cheap thermal label printers
Post by: opi on April 01, 2012, 05:19 am
I tried to find a cheap one, but ended up getting a GOOD professional quality brother one.. it as 100$, but w/e it pays for it self...
Title: Re: Cheap thermal label printers
Post by: dankology on April 01, 2012, 06:28 am
1. Get a regular printer for cheap as fuck.  They connect via USB.

2. Go to office depot, staples, etc. any office supply store and find the mailing address label paper, its basically small rectangular white stickers(there are tons of different sizes and shapes but it will say something like "mailing address labels" on the front, usually they are near the paper section of office stores, just ask an associate).  The cheapest ones i believe are made by 3M, I paid like 15 bucks for a package I have probably not even gotten 1/2 of the way through and I got these when I began vending.  Anyway 3m's website has templates for microsoft word for all of their address label papers for free download, microsoft also offers free microsoft word but it has adds (just tiny ones at the bottom) and doesnt include a few features you wouldn't need anyway. 

Just did a quick google and found the gold mine for ya, all of these labels are available at office supply stores.

http://www.3m.com/us/office/labels/products.html
Title: Re: Cheap thermal label printers
Post by: beyondbelief on April 01, 2012, 06:37 am
I don't have a problem with getting labels and all, I print labels off from my regular printer already. The reason I was looking for a label printer was to reliably print extremely small shipping labels for extremely small packaging and not have them come out distorted or anything.
Title: Re: Cheap thermal label printers
Post by: dankology on April 01, 2012, 07:59 am
You could use the "return address labels" 3m sells.  They are quite small, 2-3 times smaller than their normal mailing address labels.  They are transparent also.
Title: Re: Cheap thermal label printers
Post by: Prawl42 on April 01, 2012, 12:15 pm
Or you could get a serial to usb adapter they are pretty cheap
Title: Re: Cheap thermal label printers
Post by: thedoctorisin on April 02, 2012, 05:01 am
1. Get a regular printer for cheap as fuck.  They connect via USB.

2. Go to office depot, staples, etc. any office supply store and find the mailing address label paper, its basically small rectangular white stickers(there are tons of different sizes and shapes but it will say something like "mailing address labels" on the front, usually they are near the paper section of office stores, just ask an associate).  The cheapest ones i believe are made by 3M, I paid like 15 bucks for a package I have probably not even gotten 1/2 of the way through and I got these when I began vending.  Anyway 3m's website has templates for microsoft word for all of their address label papers for free download, microsoft also offers free microsoft word but it has adds (just tiny ones at the bottom) and doesnt include a few features you wouldn't need anyway. 

Just did a quick google and found the gold mine for ya, all of these labels are available at office supply stores.

http://www.3m.com/us/office/labels/products.html

You are not worried about the tracking w/ regular printers... that's the whole point of thermal, they do not have that built in "feature"
Title: Re: Cheap thermal label printers
Post by: Laughing Man on April 02, 2012, 05:06 am
1. Get a regular printer for cheap as fuck.  They connect via USB.

2. Go to office depot, staples, etc. any office supply store and find the mailing address label paper, its basically small rectangular white stickers(there are tons of different sizes and shapes but it will say something like "mailing address labels" on the front, usually they are near the paper section of office stores, just ask an associate).  The cheapest ones i believe are made by 3M, I paid like 15 bucks for a package I have probably not even gotten 1/2 of the way through and I got these when I began vending.  Anyway 3m's website has templates for microsoft word for all of their address label papers for free download, microsoft also offers free microsoft word but it has adds (just tiny ones at the bottom) and doesnt include a few features you wouldn't need anyway. 

Just did a quick google and found the gold mine for ya, all of these labels are available at office supply stores.

http://www.3m.com/us/office/labels/products.html

You are not worried about the tracking w/ regular printers... that's the whole point of thermal, they do not have that built in "feature"

Black and white printers don't have that problem. Also, buy your printer with cash.
Title: Re: Cheap thermal label printers
Post by: thedoctorisin on April 02, 2012, 10:19 pm
1. Get a regular printer for cheap as fuck.  They connect via USB.

2. Go to office depot, staples, etc. any office supply store and find the mailing address label paper, its basically small rectangular white stickers(there are tons of different sizes and shapes but it will say something like "mailing address labels" on the front, usually they are near the paper section of office stores, just ask an associate).  The cheapest ones i believe are made by 3M, I paid like 15 bucks for a package I have probably not even gotten 1/2 of the way through and I got these when I began vending.  Anyway 3m's website has templates for microsoft word for all of their address label papers for free download, microsoft also offers free microsoft word but it has adds (just tiny ones at the bottom) and doesnt include a few features you wouldn't need anyway. 

Just did a quick google and found the gold mine for ya, all of these labels are available at office supply stores.

http://www.3m.com/us/office/labels/products.html

You are not worried about the tracking w/ regular printers... that's the whole point of thermal, they do not have that built in "feature"

Black and white printers don't have that problem. Also, buy your printer with cash.

Well, I never knew... Actually, I've looked at printers for some time so I can honestly say I didn't know that they still sold b/w printers.
Title: Re: Cheap thermal label printers
Post by: kimbo on April 09, 2012, 02:23 am
FUCK DYMO.  There is only one answer to this.

Get a four inch wide Zebra printer like the LP2844.  Used ones are OK but I got a bad one once.

I think all have serial and parallel connections, newer ones have USB.  Lucky you'll get one with Ethernet.
Title: Re: Cheap thermal label printers
Post by: Bungee54 on April 17, 2012, 03:16 pm
A friend of mine bought that one recently and I will buy it from him fro cash

Brother P-touch QL570

But I am scaried the fucker prints hidden stuff which leads the FED to my friends home and i don´t want him on such an rendezvous..

U guys think this one is okay?

Or do i have to get one anonymously ?

Title: Re: Cheap thermal label printers
Post by: adam420 on April 17, 2012, 03:43 pm
i use dymo 450

its easy to use . never got problems with it.

Title: Re: Cheap thermal label printers
Post by: markwest on April 17, 2012, 11:21 pm
vendors unless you bought your printer with cash and/or get a new one every few weeks/months, or you are recommending a printer you dont use you are giving the cops a bucket load of pc/evidence/tracking ideas, they can id packaging based on printing device used. bear in mind this guy is brand new, and tfm has just gone down.

be very careful what you say here
Title: Re: Cheap thermal label printers
Post by: tordemon on April 18, 2012, 12:56 am
vendors unless you bought your printer with cash and/or get a new one every few weeks/months, or you are recommending a printer you dont use you are giving the cops a bucket load of pc/evidence/tracking ideas, they can id packaging based on printing device used. bear in mind this guy is brand new, and tfm has just gone down.

be very careful what you say here
Eh, I wouldn't be so sure of that. I would most certainly agree that they should be careful of what they say, but for the vast majority of printers (besides those with the product-specific ink markings mentioned elsewhere) are indistinguishable in their prints. They're not gonna get that much information from it.

Also, if I read the article correctly, they only were able to shut down TFM because they were accepting payments via Western Union and Paypal. I can't verify this myself, but that's what the news article I read claimed. =P
Title: Re: Cheap thermal label printers
Post by: Bungee54 on April 18, 2012, 10:51 am
vendors unless you bought your printer with cash and/or get a new one every few weeks/months, or you are recommending a printer you dont use you are giving the cops a bucket load of pc/evidence/tracking ideas, they can id packaging based on printing device used. bear in mind this guy is brand new, and tfm has just gone down.

be very careful what you say here

I absolutely understand what ur saying..I´ll get that printer back to him and serarch for the same used one for cash..i like that one specially ..it`s a great prodcut..

I also checked lots of sites for hints if my printer could gimme away..no hints anywhere about that specific one..and if i am not sure i won´t use it..
thanks for your input !
Title: Re: Cheap thermal label printers
Post by: markwest on April 18, 2012, 01:27 pm
vendors unless you bought your printer with cash and/or get a new one every few weeks/months, or you are recommending a printer you dont use you are giving the cops a bucket load of pc/evidence/tracking ideas, they can id packaging based on printing device used. bear in mind this guy is brand new, and tfm has just gone down.

be very careful what you say here
Eh, I wouldn't be so sure of that. I would most certainly agree that they should be careful of what they say, but for the vast majority of printers (besides those with the product-specific ink markings mentioned elsewhere) are indistinguishable in their prints. They're not gonna get that much information from it.

Also, if I read the article correctly, they only were able to shut down TFM because they were accepting payments via Western Union and Paypal. I can't verify this myself, but that's what the news article I read claimed. =P

no im saying that given that tfm has gone down the feds are now on to new business, sr is much more secure than tfm so any way in would be good for them
Title: Re: Cheap thermal label printers
Post by: opi on April 18, 2012, 02:41 pm
A friend of mine bought that one recently and I will buy it from him fro cash

Brother P-touch QL570

But I am scaried the fucker prints hidden stuff which leads the FED to my friends home and i don´t want him on such an rendezvous..

U guys think this one is okay?

Or do i have to get one anonymously ?



cause its thermal its good to go. I have the higher model of it... its awesome so quick I am able to print out 20 labels in seconds :D
Title: Re: Cheap thermal label printers
Post by: Bungee54 on April 18, 2012, 04:48 pm
Thanks a bunch opi !

Sometime i`ll drop u a BTC for your help !