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Best Brother Label Printers (2024 Update)

Best Brother Label Printers (2024 Update)
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Looking to buy a Brother label maker for your home or office? In the past, it might have been as simple as choosing the only machine available. But now, there are countless Brother label printers to choose from and they all specialise in different applications. Whether you're a parent labelling your child's school books or a business printing barcodes for inventory items or eCommerce orders, there’s quite literally a Brother label maker for you.

All Brother label printers come in a wide range of styles, each with its own features. Some print in colour, others are ink-free. Some have Wi-Fi, while others are manually typed. Whilst Brother is known for having a solution for every need, the naming conventions leave a little left to be deserved. I mean, if you can tell the difference between the PT-P950NW and the PT-P710BT, you deserve a medal!

Thankfully, you don’t have to memorise those elaborate codes to find the right machine for you as we've tested the entire range to provide you with a shortlist of the top 6 Brother Label makers for practically every use case. 

Ready to find your perfect label printing companion? Let's get started.

Top 6 Brother Label Makers

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1. Brother PT-H105 - Best For Home Use

By “home use” we mean casual home use. If you're managing your micro-business from home, you might want to step it up with a more capable machine. But for school book labels, jars, and files, the PT-H105 is the best pick. Why? Because it’s cheap, easy to use and reliable. There are, of course, some trade-offs in the feature department– there’s no wifi, and printing in bulk would be a pain– but even if you're planning to use it a couple times a year, it’s actually a bit of a steal.

It’s not flashy, but it's a workhorse that you can keep around for years and years. The  replacement Brother labels and tapes are cheap, durable, and comes in all the colours you could want. There’s even a surprising amount of style options for you to get creative with– from fonts to icons you can add like a cat, a dog, or a cherry.

For the usual user, the PT-H105 is the buy. You type in something, you press print. Simple. But if you’re planning to use the machine daily, you’ll need to step it up with one of the major machines below– like the PT-P710BT.

The Features:
  • Handheld and lightweight– carry it around the house without hassle.
  • Multiple fonts and special symbols– for a little flair.
  • LCD Screen– easy to read, low battery use.
  • Quick and efficient printing.
  • Affordable and perfect for casual use.
  • Wide range of colour tapes.
Pros:
  • Lightweight and portable.
  • Easy to operate.
  • Customizable labels.
  • Durable Plastic.
Cons:
  • Limited to home use
  • No Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
  • Smaller Labels

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Buy now from $38.45

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2. Brother QL-1110NWB - Best For eCommerce

For  shipping and packaging labels, you’ll need a label printer that can print big and that can be connected to your computer (or your smartphone). The Brother QL-1110NWB can do USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth with the ability to print labels from popular eCommerce platforms such as Woocommerce, Shopify, eBay and more.

It can also shoot out an impressive 69 labels per minute, making keeping up with even a surprise sell-out easy to handle. It’s these well-rounded features that make it stand out for e-commerce, because it’s as digital and flexible as your business. You can print on the fly from your phone and go desktop with it and get grinding.

So before you see the QL-1100 and think it does the same for a lot less, it doesn’t. If you’ve got a warehouse or storage facility you want to walk around printing labels for, the QL-1100 will have you returning to your computer every time you need to print one. On the other hand, the NWB version can be brought along and use your phone to print from. Whether that convenience suits your business best will be case-by-case, but check the reviews and you’ll see the QL-1110NWB comes out on top despite the price jump.

Features and Benefits:
  • Prints labels as wide as 10cm.
  • Multiple connectivity options (USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth).
  • Can print out labels just over one per second.
  • Can print different label types and sizes.
Pros:
  • Can connect to both computers and mobile devices.
  • Large label printing capability.
  • P-Touch Label Design Software
Cons:
  • Higher price.
  • Boxier machine.
  • Black-and-white printing only.

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Buy now from $570.47

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3. Brother QL-700 - Best For Small Business

The QL-700 is the brand’s big seller and it’s easy to see why. It’s super cheap, can print delivery labels and plug into your computer. That’s all that many small businesses need from their labeller. When compared to Brother’s bigger machines, it is no slouch in the quality department either. The QL-700 can print quicker than most, can do both paper and film, and can't be faulted for print quality.

So why is it so cheap then? It has limited features. No LCD screen, no wireless connectivity, no colours, no design software. Essentially, it lacks style and grace. And for most small businesses that’s not a deal breaker, this machine is reliable and at that price point, it can’t be faulted for lacking pzazz. Although, if you’re prepared to pay more, check out our pick for ‘best for no ink’ below.

Features and Benefits:
  • Plug-and-print– no software installation.
  • Prints up to 93 labels per minute.
  • Can print on both paper and film labels.
  • High-resolution printing.
Pros:
  • Great price.
  • Fast printing speeds.
  • No software installation required.
  • Versatile label compatibility.
Cons:
  • Limited to smaller labels.
  • No wireless connectivity.
  • Black & white printing.

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Buy now from $91.66

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4. Brother QL-820NWB - Best For Zero Ink

The Brother QL-820NWB manages to do a lot of things well, not the least of which is not using any ink or toner. Thermal printing. That’s the trick, and it’s not even limited to black and white– it can do bright red too– for when you need to catch the eye. What’s more is that it leaves the QL-700 in the dust, rapid-firing 110 labels a minute. So what’s the catch? Why isn’t this the best for small businesses instead? It’s in thermal paper. It has a couple drawbacks. It’s not as durable, and has a hard time sticking to all but paper. This means that the labels can flounder in the warehouse, or on packaging.

Instead, it’s designed for the office or the small store, and it’s here that it shines. Guest name tags, sale stickers, and all those common print outs with one-time uses. These are the type of things that you’ll end up printing a lot of, so they can rack up ink and toner bills. This inkless printer is the alternative, and can save you in the long run.

Features and Benefits:
  • Direct thermal printing, no ink or toner required.
  • Supports both black and red printing on compatible labels.
  • Multiple connectivity options including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Ethernet.
  • High-speed printing for up to 110 labels per minute.
Pros:
  • LCD Display
  • No ink or toner required.
  • Versatile connectivity.
  • Fast and efficient printing.
Cons:
  • Limited to thermal paper labels.
  • Medium-to-high price point.
  • Needs DK-22251 continuous roll to print in black and red.

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Buy now from $332.38

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5. Brother PT-P950NW - Best For Barcode Printing

For a brick-and-mortar store, a warehouse, or even a fast-paced office, you’ll be printing boatloads of barcodes. For that, there’s the PT-P950NW, a sturdy black box built for barcodes. It’s industrial-grade. The labels are too, boasting high-strength lamination. That way they can handle the rough scuffs of a busy warehouse without losing readability. It’s also fully decked-out with features: wireless connectivity, multiple tape types and sizes, and option add ons like a touchscreen. Surprisingly, it’s also quiet, something its competitors can rarely tout.

The PT-P950NW is quite a brick and a major investment, so you’ll know if you need it– that’s also why it isn’t our ‘best for small businesses’. That said, if you need a reliable workhorse to support a bustling workplace, this is it. It prints fast and the labels last. What’s more is if you have certain labels that you’re printing often, you can preload these onto the machine for printing with a single button press. This can come in especially handy when you’re using it mobily. This way, you can work your way barcoding a whole warehouse without even typing anything in if you need to.

Features and Benefits:
  • Industrial-grade label maker.
  • High-resolution printing for sharp barcodes.
  • Compatible with laminated and non-laminated labels.
  • Supports multiple connectivity options including USB, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi.
Pros:
  • High-quality barcode printing.
  • Durable labels.
  • Versatile connectivity.
  • Fast printing (60mm per second).
  • Labels can be pre-loaded for quick printing.
Cons:
  • High price.
  • Printing settings may need fine tuning.
  • Big and heavy.

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Buy now from $856.19

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6. Brother PT-P710BT - Best Handheld Option

The Brother PT-P710BT or P-Touch Cube fits in one hand and pairs to your smart device. It’s perfect for a small business that has your milling around adding labels, or if you’re working on the go. But besides being compact, it packs a surprising amount of features. It’s one of the few integrated labellers that can do colour tape, and it has a range of styles and fonts for you to get creative with. If you’re looking for an upgraded version of the Brother PT-H105, our ‘best for home use’, this is it.

That said, it does have the issue of being stuck between a home labeller and a professional one. It prints a little too slowly for a fast-paced environment, and can’t print large enough for a postage sticker. So, it’s better for more relaxed organisational work– things like labelling files, creative use, and anything around the house.

Features and Benefits:
  • Bluetooth connectivity for mobile devices.
  • Compact and portable design.
  • Rechargeable battery for convenience.
  • Easy-to-use mobile app for label creation.
Pros:
  • Portable and lightweight.
  • Easy to use with a mobile app.
  • Rechargeable battery.
  • Coloured tape printing.
Cons:
  • Smaller label size (up to 24mm).
  • Slow printing (20mm a second).

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Buy now from $141.90

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Picking the Right Label Printer

If you’re not aware of what a labeller can do, or what features you might need for the jobs you have planned you’ll have a tricky time picking one. So consider whether you want to be using paper or plastic labels, how big you need them, and how many you’ll be printing. And if you’ll be printing barcodes or package labels, you’ll want to have wifi or bluetooth capabilities so you can send along the details easily.

Conclusion

So a label maker isn’t just a label maker, it’s a postage printer, a barcode brander, or a schoolbook stamper. Like a hammer, it’s a tool that can be used for a great many jobs, so you’ll want to pick the one that suits the work best. Hopefully, this range of Brother’s best label printers has helped you find the right machine for you, but if it hasn’t you might consider a few more machines. If you’re an artist or in advertising, a printer capable of printing stickers may be the option you’ve been looking for, so check out the articles we’ve suggested below.

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