In a world where e-commerce and small business shipping are booming, having the right tools to streamline the packaging and shipping process is essential. One tool that has become a ‘staple’ (office supply PUN intended) in my home office is a reliable thermal printer.
When I first started looking into thermal printers, there were countless options. You can do a quick Amazon search for ‘thermal shipping printer’ and you’ll see many different non-recognizable brands in the market. There are may different wired and wireless thermal printers, some using wi-fi and bluetooth technology. But with so many choices, how do you pick the right one?
Enter Rollo. Rollo entered the thermal printing space offering e-commerce owners a way to print labels and do it efficiently and in a cost-effective manner. I took the plunge and invested in a Rollo Wireless (Rollo X1040) Wi-Fi Thermal Printer, and after a full year of using it in different scenarios, I’m here to share my experience.
In this article, I’ll take you through my journey with the Rollo Thermal Printer, including the setup process, daily usage, performance, and support experiences. I’ll also delve into the features, compare it with some competitors, and ultimately answer the question: is the Rollo Wireless Thermal Printer worth it?
Table of Contents
Features and Specifications
- Wireless Connectivity: Connects to devices via Wi-Fi, allowing for remote printing from various devices such as laptops, smartphones, and tablets. Rollo also has an app to help with the set up along with some shipping management tools. I personally don’t use the app and I manage all of my shipping through Shopify.
- High-Speed Printing: Capable of printing at a speed of up to 150mm/s, which equates to about 238 labels per minute. Printing speed is not really a factor for me to consider. I typically print the shipping labels at the end of the day to fulfill the next morning. Since it’s wireless, I have the printer in another room and I don’t even see it printing.
- Wide Compatibility: Compatible with all major shipping platforms and marketplaces, including UPS, FedEx, eBay, Amazon, Shopify, and more. Some thermal printers only work with certain shipping platforms and labels. The Rollo print is agnostic to label brand or shipping services so they will all work.
- Label Support: Supports a wide range of label sizes, with the ability to print labels up to 4.1 inches wide.
- Thermal Printing Technology: Utilizes direct thermal printing, which means there’s no need for ink or toner.
- High Resolution: Produces high-quality prints with a resolution of 203 dpi, ensuring clear and legible labels.
- Automatic Label Identification: Automatically detects the size and characteristics of your labels, reducing the need for manual calibration.
- Compact Design: Boasts a small footprint that saves desk space and makes it portable for travel or different work environments.
- Easy Setup: Simple and straightforward setup process with plug-and-play functionality.
- Customizable: Allows for customization of labels with your logo, text, or barcodes through compatible software.
- Software Support: Compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems and works seamlessly with various label editing software.
Is the wireless feature worth it?
It’s 2023 and the world is wireless, which means your thermal printer should be too. The freedom and flexibility of having a wireless connection to the Rollo Thermal Printer is unmatched.
Now let’s be more accurate – it’s not completely wireless – the Rollo Wireless Thermal printer still needs to plug into the wall using a wire. The wireless part comes when you no longer need your laptop connected to the printer to use it.
By using Wi-Fi the Rollo can connect to your home Wi-Fi signal making it available to print using your laptop, iPhone, iPad, or any other wireless device.
In my office setup, I have my printing area in a different room from where my laptop computer setup is. This was a hurdle in the past with wired printers where it would take up much space on my office desk. But thanks to Rollo’s wireless capabilities, it’s not. Instead of having to move back and forth between rooms or waste all that space on my desk, I can effortlessly send all of my labels and packing slips to the printer from my laptop at the end of the day. This means that everything is ready and waiting for me to ship out the next morning.
The wireless feature turns the Rollo printer into a central hub that effortlessly integrates with your devices, streamlining your shipping operations no matter the layout of your workspace.
Setting up the Rollo Thermal
Unboxing and setting up the Rollo Wireless Thermal Printer was pretty straightforward. The package comes with the printer itself along with USB cable, power adapter and a quick start guide.
To set up the wireless connection, it was a easy as downloading the Rollo App on my iPhone, connecting to the printer via Bluetooth and then following the instructions to connect it to the Wi-Fi network. Once this set up is complete, you can go to the laptop and add a printer in the system settings. You should see the Rollo X1040 listed as one of the printers you can add in your systems settings. More detailed instructions can be found on Rollo’s website.
The printer also didn’t require any proprietary label rolls, which meant that I could get started right away with the labels I already had. Within a matter of minutes, I went from unboxing to printing my first label. The automatic label size reader works great – the printer feeds a few labels through to understand the size with it’s sensors and it’s good to go.
Print Quality
The Rollo prints at 203 dpi. Although some shipping services want 300 dpi prints, I have not had any issues with the print quality. I even use the Rollo to print the packing slips for the orders which have logos and images. Of course it’s hard to see the images in black and white but for a no-ink printing, it does a surprisingly good job.
Daily usage and performance
The Rollo printer has become one of the most used devices in the office for my e-commerce store. I use it to print shipping labels and packing slips for all Shopify orders. All of my labels are printed on 4×6 Thermal Labels that I get from Amazon but I am also aware there are options to get free thermal labels through UPS.
One notable issue I faced early on involved the wireless connectivity, which was due to my old router having dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz and 5GHz). My devices were connecting to different bands, and this created intermittent connection issues with the Rollo printer.
However, the silver lining came when I switched my internet service, which involved upgrading to a new router. This new router operates on a single Wi-Fi band, eliminating the confusion and connectivity issues I was facing earlier. Now, with a stable connection across all my devices, the Rollo printer performs seamlessly.
Traveling with your Rollo Wireless Thermal Printer
One of the lesser-known perks of the Rollo printer is its portability. This is a game-changer for entrepreneurs on the go. On several occasions, I’ve taken my Rollo with me while visiting friends and family. Many of the products I sell on my Shopify store are small stickers and flags that are easy enough to travel with. To make sure I’m on top of orders – if I am traveling for more than 2 weeks at a time, I tend to pack the printer. Its compact design makes it easy to pack alongside my laptop without taking up much space or weighing me down.
The ability to print labels on-the-go means I can keep my business running smoothly even when I’m not in my usual workspace. This portability has proven invaluable during the Christmas season, as I can extend my stay with loved ones without worrying about falling behind on orders.
Updates and Maintenance
Rollo automatically pushes out regular updates to the firmware of the printer. Once in a while, you’ll see a printed label that states that an update to the printer occurred.
Maintenance of the Rollo printer is pretty straightforward. It’s important to keep the printer free of dust, as it can affect print quality. If you see any white spots on the printed label, you may need to clean the printer to get rid of the dust. You can open the printer and use a Q-Tip and alcohol gently to remove any debris from the printer head.
What are the negatives of the Rollo Wireless Printer
While the Rollo printer impresses in many aspects, it’s only fair to shed light on a drawback that might be noteworthy for potential users. One glaring omission is the lack of a built-in tray to hold the labels. This means that if you don’t invest in the optional label holder add-on, your labels may end up scattered or rolled out untidily. Some might find it a minor inconvenience, but for a printer in this price range, an integrated label holder would be expected. But this is also one of the reasons the Rollo is so portable so pick your poison.
For this reason, I typically buy the fanfold thermal labels instead of the rolls. With the fanfold labels I can just place the stack of labels behind the printer without the need to have an additional attachment on the printer.
Add-ons to your Rollo Wireless Thermal Printer
- Label Holder: As mentioned earlier, the label holder is an essential add-on that holds your label rolls and feeds them smoothly into the printer. It’s particularly useful for keeping your workspace organized and streamlining the printing process, especially for high-volume printing.
- Carrying Case: For those who often need to move their printer or travel with it, a carrying case is invaluable. Rollo’s carrying case is designed to protect your printer from dust and damage during transit. It’s compact and lightweight, making it easy to carry your printer wherever you go.
- High-Quality Labels: Though you can use any direct thermal labels with the Rollo printer, Rollo offers its own range of high-quality labels. These are available in various sizes, and opting for Rollo’s own labels guarantees optimal printing quality and adhesive strength.
- Rollo Label Cleaning Sheets: To maintain the longevity and performance of your Rollo printer, it’s important to keep the print head clean. Rollo’s Label Cleaning Sheets help you do exactly that, by easily removing dust and residue from the print head.
Print packing slips using a thermal printer
One of the standout features that I found incredibly beneficial was using the Rollo printer to print not just shipping labels, but also packing slips. Before using Rollo, I had been juggling between different printers for packing slips and shipping labels which was both time-consuming and cumbersome. With Rollo, I could print both on the same device, and this brought an unexpected level of efficiency to my workflow.
The savings on paper were substantial, but what was even more significant was the saving on ink costs. Since Rollo is a thermal printer, it doesn’t use ink or toner. This not only translates to direct cost savings but also eliminates the headache of replacing cartridges.
To print your packing slip on the thermal label, I recommend changing the template for your packing slips on Shopify. This will make your text larger and formatted corrected to be printed on 4×6 labels. Here are instructions on how to do that within Shopify.
Moreover, by printing packing slips and shipping labels seamlessly, it considerably reduced the processing time for each package. This kind of efficiency is invaluable, especially during peak seasons when orders are piling in. In a nutshell, utilizing Rollo for packing slips proved to be a game-changer in streamlining the shipping process, and also contributed positively to the bottom line by reducing consumable expenses.
Additional uses of the Rollo Wireless Thermal Printer
- Product Labels: Customize and print product labels for packaging. It’s perfect for businesses selling handmade goods, crafts, or small-batch products.
- Barcode Labels: Useful for retail businesses, print barcodes for product inventory, making product management and check-out processes efficient.
- Name Tags and ID Labels: Perfect for events or organizational needs, you can print name tags and ID labels quickly and efficiently.
- Food Labels: It can be used in restaurants for printing labels for take-out orders. This ensures that orders are well-organized and easily identifiable, contributing to better customer service.
- Stickers: For creative businesses or personal use, print custom-designed stickers for promotional materials, crafts, or just for fun.
- Address Labels: Quickly print address labels for envelopes, invitations, or direct mail campaigns.
- FBA Labels: For Amazon sellers, efficiently print FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) labels to adhere to Amazon’s labelling requirements.
- Library Labels: For libraries or personal book collections, print spine labels to organize and categorize books.
- Asset Tagging: In an office setting or for asset management, print labels to tag office equipment or other assets for easy tracking.
- Medical Labels: In a healthcare setting, print patient labels, specimen labels, or pharmacy labels.
- Shelf Labeling: In retail or warehouses, print labels for shelves, helping to manage and organize inventory efficiently.
- Garden Labels: For gardening enthusiasts, print labels for plant pots or seed packets to keep track of different plant species.