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Label makers are the most efficient, fastest and best value way to organise your home or business. With the right label printing machine, you can make large quantities of labels without having to mess around with costly inks and toners. However, although thermal and embossing label makers are known for saving you the cost of cartridges, some can still be very expensive to refill. Thermal direct tape rolls or embossing tapes for some of the biggest name brands – such as Brother or Epson – can be extremely costly; worst of all, these machines will usually refuse to accept anything but these expensive proprietary rolls. So, how can you know which machines won’t break the bank when it comes to refilling? We’ve looked across the market to find you the best label makers with cheap refills that don’t compromise on quality. With our recommendations, you can find the perfect printer for your home, business or personal needs.
Product Comparison Table: Best Label Maker with Cheap Refills
| Title | Price | Rating (Amazon) | Best in class | Buy | |
 | NIIMBOT D11 Portable Wireless Label Printer | $ | 4.5 stars | Best Portable | Amazon |
 | Zerodis Handheld Embossing Label Maker | $ | 5 stars | Best embossing | Amazon |
 | SUPVAN LP5120M Label Maker Machine | $$ | 4.5 stars | Best Laminated | Amazon |
 | MarkDomain P3100D-BK Label Maker | $ | 4.5 stars | Best Customisation | Amazon |
 | DYMO LetraTag 100H Handheld Label Maker | $$ | 4.5 stars | Best Overall | Amazon |
NIIMBOT D11 Portable Wireless Label Printer
The NIIMBOT D11 Portable Wireless Label Printer comes in a range of different colours: green, pink, black and white. It has a solid resolution of 203 dpi, which means text comes out clear even at the diminutive 5-15mm label width size. As for print speed, it can achieve a maximum of 60mm/s and a minimum of 30, enough to print 4 labels per second at top speed. Through the accompanying NIIMBOT APP, you can design labels using a huge range of fonts, symbols and icons, and command the printer to work directly from your smartphone or tablet. This app is compatible with both Android and iOS. Lastly, the machine is fully rechargeable, with a battery that lasts for up to 2 months on standby, or 5 hours of continuous use – from just 2.5 hours plugged-in charging time. It supports any label roll fo compatible size.
Pros
- Convenient printing from free app
- Wide range of customisation options
- Long lasting rechargeable battery
- Fast printing speed
Cons
- Can’t connect to laptops or PCs
Verdict
The NIIMBOT D11 Portable Wireless Label Printer is the most portable of all the machines on this list, working entirely in tandem with a device most of us already carry around all day – our smartphone. The printable area of the tape may be relatively small, but if you just want a little machine to keep on-hand for small jobs, the NIIMBOT is the perfect option. Supporting generic rolls means you can reduce the cost of refills significantly.
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Zerodis Handheld Embossing Label Maker
The Zerodis Handheld Embossing Label Maker is entirely portable, and – being the older embossing type of label maker – needs no battery or power supply, ink, or charging to work. One roll of compatible 9mm tape is included on purchase, however you can also purchase any size, colour or finish of third-party size compatible tape and use it without issues. The handles and dials are ergonomic and easy to turn. There is an inbuilt cutting function which can be accessed easily by just pressing the dedicated key, however this does not always produce a clean cut, so you may need to trim it off afterwards to keep things looking neat.
Pros
- Compatible with any embossing tape
- Ergonomic and portable
- No batteries, inks, connections or chargers
Cons
- Auto-cutter can be messy
Verdict
In general, embossing label printers are cheaper to buy and run than thermal label printers. At the cost of less sophisticated technology, you can have a machine that will only cost you a few dollars for several refill tapes. The Zerodis Handheld Embossing Label Maker is a perfect example of the embossing type. Although it may not be right for very large quantities, this machine should be more than enough to handle office and home tasks on a budget.
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SUPVAN LP5120M Label Maker Machine
With the SUPVAN LP5120M Label Maker Machine, you can quickly and easily create durable, long-lasting labels. The laminate finish on SUPVAN’s own label tapes makes them waterproof, suitable for indoor and outdoor use, oilproof, scratch resistant, corrosion resistant, UV resistant, and adhesive enough to stay stuck for 5-10 years! The QWERTY keyboard and LCD interface allows you to access over 1350 symbols and 17 system languages, as well as edit text, symbols, barcodes and borders over 2-lines of print. SUPVAN label tapes are available in 6.0, 9.0 and 12.0mm widths. It can even handle flag and wrap labels for electrical work. Lastly, the machine is powered by either an AC adapter of 6AAA batteries, none of which are included in-box.
Pros
- Inbuilt QWERTY keyboard, symbols and languages
- Portable and battery powered
- Durable laminated labels
Cons
- Can’t input Mandarin characters
- Doesn’t include power supply
Verdict
Although it may have limitations, the SUPVAN LP5120M Label Maker Machine is our top choice for a label printer that handles laminated tapes. If you’re planning to use your label maker for DIY or trade work, then this machine will be more than enough to handle your requirements. Be aware that the machine prefers to use SUPVAN’s own-brand labels, although these are still very cheap.
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MarkDomain P3100D-BK Label Maker
The MarkDomain P3100D-BK Label Maker comes in both white and black, and is ideal for organising your home or office. The most remarkable feature of this machine is its range of customisation options: with the Phomemo app, you can access over 500 icons, 36 fonts, and 24 frames, as well as a range or pre-designed templates if you’re overwhelmed by choice. The Phomemo app also acts as your interface with the printer, meaning you can print directly from your tablet or smartphone via Bluetooth. The machine supports generic thermal direct tapes (in any finish, including laminate), however these must be the transparent shell “JM” type and no more than 12mm wide. One black-on-white JM-231 label tape is included in the box. As for power supply, it uses either 6AAA batteries or an AC adapter.
Pros
- Widest range of customisation options
- Bluetooth connection, supports smartphones
- Prints on a wide range of label widths
Cons
- Power supply not included
- Only supports “JM” type labels
- Can’t connect with laptops or PCs
Verdict
The MarkDomain P3100D-BK Label Maker has the largest range of label design options on this list, allowing you to quickly and easily create unique labels for any purpose. The major downside of this machine is that it uses transparent cassette-style JM tapes. Although these are slightly more expensive than regular thermal direct rolls, not having to use a certain branded option allows you to keep costs down by shopping around.
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DYMO LetraTag 100H Handheld Label Maker
The DYMO LetraTag line is made by one of the most trusted brands in the industry, who have been specialising in great quality label makers and printers for decades. With the LetraTag 100H Handheld Label Maker, you can print two lines of text in 5 font sizes, 195 symbols, 7 print styles, 8 box styles and 3 language options. You can even add date stamps, and store up to 9 designs into the device’s memory bank to reprint later. All this is accessible via an intuitive keyboard and 13-character LCD screen, which lets you see what your finished label will look like before you hit print. Unfortunately, this machine requires distinctively-shaped DYMO LetraTag branded label cartridges, although these are available in a wide range of colours, materials and finishes: plastic, iron-on, metallic, magnetic and laminate to name just a few! Finally, the unit is powered by 4AA batteries, and features an automatic off function to save charge.
Pros
- Large range of customisation options
- Memory bank stores designs for later
- Power-saving automatic off function
- Handles tapes in a variety of colours, materials and finishes
Cons
- Only supports DYMO branded tapes
- Doesn’t come with batteries
Verdict
It may seem like buying a big-name brand label maker might be a fast track to throwing money away on expensive tapes and rolls, yet with the DYMO LetraTag 100H Handheld Label Maker, this is definitely not the case. DYMO LetraTag rolls make up for restricting your choice by providing an excellent level of quality. If you’re really smart, you can also buy convenient dupes that act the same at a much lower cost. This is our top recommendation for the best label maker with cheap refills in 2022.
