Printer Profile: Color Label Printers from VIPColor

There’s little to nothing that is particularly easy about being the owner and operator of a small or medium-sized business, especially in any subsection of the retail sector. Even when enlisting the aid of several trusted employees to handle front- or back-of-house responsibilities, it can be something as seemingly minuscule as a late order or an incorrectly priced product that causes the type of setback capable of ruining an entire work day. 

Proper labeling and branding can greatly improve the daily operations of any small business.

As such, it’s understandable for those leading small companies to take advantage of any available opportunities to simplify their operations – this is an instinct that we at DuraFast can completely understand. Label printers may be just what small businesses need to tackle their product branding tasks. Today, we’ll start by taking a look at the VIPColor VP485 desktop color label printer, which is one of its manufacturer’s flagship offerings, and also examine the series’ other models. Somewhere across this product spectrum, business owners will find the ideal machine for their labeling requirements.

Features and Specifications

The VP485 is the entry-level color label printer of its series, but don’t let that deceive you into thinking it is somehow markedly less capable than its compatriots. This VIPColor label printer can handle the reproduction of as many as 5,000 labels per job cycle, so meeting volume needs should not be a problem even for manufacturers and vendors that create and sell a wide variety of products. Sudden bulk orders that must be shipped in expedited fashion are also well within the purview of the VP485. Prime labels are a specialty for this printer due to the dye ink it employs, stored in a single cartridge that contains all necessary base colors. Capable of printing at resolution as high as 1,200 x 1,200 dots per inch, the VP485 connects to back-end systems via USB or Ethernet, to initiate print jobs in seconds.

Companies with more specific labeling needs – particularly those whose products will remain outdoors for extended periods of time and endure the depredations of precipitation, UV ray exposure and other, similar factors – should perhaps consider the versatility of the VIPColor VP495. Like the VP485, it prints labels with resolutions as high as 1,200 x 1,200 dpi, but its use of durable pigment inks means the labels produced will be waterproof, fade-resistant and highly durable, which in turn extends their shelf life. Users can print exactly as many labels as they need in a given job without wasting labels or ink. Also, it’s equipped to print on labels with width up to 8.5 inches (215 millimeters) at a rate of 100mm per second. The VP495 features the same connectivity options as its predecessor for simple integration.

Rounding out VIPColor’s suite of label printers is the VP700. This industrial-grade model produces at a rate of 12 inches per second thanks to its thermal inkjet printing method. Therefore, a print job requiring thousands of individual labels can be completed in mere minutes. Higher resolutions are also no problem, due to its maximum threshold of 1,600 x 1,600 dpi. The VP700’s ink cartridges boast 250 mL storage capacity for greater time span between replacement, and its ultimate cost per label and overall cost make it more efficient than many other competing desktop label printers. Last but not least, the high-grade steel composition of the VP700 makes it up to the challenge of high-quality operation in production facilities, warehouses and other industrial settings. 

Ideal Use Cases

Small businesses that must ensure the availability of high-quality labels, but don’t necessarily require their production at any massive volume, will likely be well served by the VP485 desktop color printer. Liquor stores specializing in fine wine and craft beer and spirits, gourmet food shops, independent bookstores and small clothing sellers are just a few of the business types for which the VP485 will be ideal. Such establishments will find that the VP485’s versatility and compact size make it a perfect tool for the back end even in shops that have very limited floor space with which to operate.

Companies that sell products in open-air spacessuch as farmer’s markets and nurseries, naturally require labels that can withstand the effects of the elements. This is also true of the manufacturers of industrial items falling under the purview of BS-5609, the U.K-created but internationally applicable regulation affecting barrels and drums containing chemicals shipped across oceans. The VP495 is certified for its compliance with BS-5609, and serves its requirements by printing durable fade-resistant and waterproof labels that won’t degrade when submerged – even without lamination. 

When it comes to high-volume production in warehouses, fulfillment centers or print houses serving consumer packaged goods businesses’ large label orders, though, nothing in VIPColor’s catalog beats the VP700 industrial model. Using Memjet inkjet technology and its three print modes – roll-cut, roll-roll and print-hold – this heavy-duty color label printer produces its first label 5 seconds after the initiation of any print job and cranks them out by the hundreds and thousands in hardly more than a minute. Also, even if using the highest resolution – 1,600 x 1,600 dpi at 6 ips, with glossy ink and label materials – the maximum cost per label with the VP700 is just under 14 cents. That sort of cost efficiency is priceless – no pun intended.

To learn more about any of these VIPColor label printers, visit the DuraFast Labels U.S. or Canadian websites.