Epson LabelWorks LW-PX750PCD Kit

Epson’s LabelWorks LW-PX750PCD Kit ($299.99) is an entry-level professional-grade labeling system designed for use in small offices, around warehouses, and for data and electrical wiring jobs. Something of a step down from the Brady BMP21-Plus Printer Kit reviewed here earlier this year, the LW-PX750PCD lets you design labels on your desktop PC or laptop (but, unfortunately, not from most mobile devices). Also, like the BMP21-Plus, you can design and print your labels from a built-in keyboard and display. Taken against some competitors, the LW-PX750PCD is somewhat expensive to use on an ongoing basis, but it’s highly versatile from a media-availability point of view, and reasonably priced, making it an excellent alternative to some of the more costly industrial labeling solutions.

Old-School Design

Before jumping into a description of the printer itself, I should point out that this labeler comes in two flavors: a cheaper version dubbed the LW-PX750, and the LW-PX750PCD Kit reviewed here. The primary difference between them is what comes in the box.

The former includes the printer, an AC adapter, one blank media cartridge, the user manual, and a lifetime warranty. The latter (the one Epson sent to me) comes with everything listed above, as well as a USB cable, Epson’s Label Editor Software, and a semi-rigid carrying case, shown in the image below. The difference in list price between them is $80, making the LW-PX750PCD the better value if you need the software and the protection for toting the printer and its bits around a site.

Now, as for the machine itself. Over the past few years, Brady, Brother, Canon, Epson, HP, and a few other major players in the label-printing hardware business have all brought forth a round or two of machines that, at first or second glance, look nothing like printers at all. Designed to work primarily from your smartphone or tablet, these innocuous-looking devices (including, for instance, our Editors’ Choice pick Brother P-touch Cube Plus and the company’s somewhat higher-end QL-820NWB) have no keyboards, displays, or much else in the way of exterior features that would identify them as printers. (Except, perhaps, the slot from which your printed labels emerge.)

The LW-PX750PCD, on the other hand, with its full QWERTY keyboard, large four-line-by-16-character display, and extensive controls, looks more like the conventional label maker of a few years ago. Unlike with those often-standalone machines, though, you can design labels on your PC with the included Label Editor software and print them via USB. (I'll get into the Label Editor program momentarily.)

Where the controls differ from consumer-grade label makers, though, is that you get some intricate higher-end options, such as a set of specialty print-mode buttons, and application-specific hot keys that simplify bar-code printing, asset management, and industrial labeling applications.

You can import and store images on the printer itself, as well as add logos or custom images to labels. Also, the PEELGuard corner trimmer (an element in the upper-right corner, shown below) extends label life by rounding sharp corners that would often otherwise peel and curl. That matters for labels that might end up in high-traffic locations or exposed to elements, or in situations where the label falling off might be a major problem (such as in a data cabinet).

The machine itself measures 3.1 by 7.1 by 9.3 inches (HWD) and weighs about a pound and a half. That’s close to the same size and weight as the QL-820NWB and Brady BMP21-Plus and several inches smaller and at least a half-pound slighter than the Brady BMP41 Label Printer, an industrial-strength label system designed for heavy-duty, massive labeling jobs. As with most label makers nowadays, especially the smaller ones, the label media comes encased in cassettes that you simply pop in and out of the machine. In this case, that's via the covered hatch in the upper-left corner of the machine, as shown below.

While the label material’s actual widths are 0.23-, 0.35-, 0.47-, 0.54-, 0.7-, and 0.94-inch, the maximum printing width, due to this machine's ability to print minuscule 1mm margins, is 0.79 inch, and you can print extended labels many feet long. Media types include clear polyester tape, iron-on tape, reflective tape, ribbon tape, and strong adhesive tape. They come in a wide range of colors, such as black on white, black on sky blue, black on metallic silver, gray on pink, and gray on blue.

We’ll look at media pricing, or cost per label, a little later. As for power, the LW-PX750PCD runs off an included AC power adapter, and, as mentioned, you can create your labels in the Epson Label Editor software that comes with the kit and print them via USB.

You can design your own labels and store them on your computer or choose from a variety of premade templates. A special toolbar lets you add frames, symbols, barcodes, and images for a wide range of customization.

Thanks to the printer's keyboard, wide variety of functions, dedicated access keys, and carry handle, you can easily create labels away from the office. The four-line-by-16-character graphic display mentioned above lets you see what your labels will look like before you print them, saving you time and money on printing unnecessary proofs. 

You can choose from a large collection of symbols and, with the ability to save 100 or so templates in the internal memory, you'll always have the right designs with you when you need them. And, as mentioned, margins can be scaled down to 1mm, meaning that you get more labels per tape. To help get you started, the machine comes with one 30-foot black-on-white polyester label roll.

Testing the LabelWorks: Feet per Minute

Depending on the types of labels you're printing, different methods would need to be used to measure print speed. If, for example, you're printing labels for a mass mailout, you would typically rate the printer by the number of labels it prints per minute. Epson rates the LW-PX750PCD at 30mm per second, or about 5.9 feet per minute. That’s just under the Brady BMP41’s 6.5 feet per minute. Of the other machines discussed here, the Brady model is the closest competitor.

Keep in mind, though, that a lot of variables are involved, such as whether you’re using die-cut labels, where cutting is not required, or continuous label media that the machine cuts after each label. To achieve the above numbers, for example, I allowed each machine to cut each label automatically. In any case, the LW-PX750PCD’s print speed is comparable to other machines with similar price points. 

Better-Than-Passable Print Quality

Epson rates the LW-PX750PCD's print resolution at 180 dots per inch (dpi), which is about half that of the Brother QL-820NWB and Brady's BMP41. While that’s not exactly typesetter-quality, these are functional, rather than aesthetic, labels. All the labels I printed looked fine, with no jagged edges or any other perceptible flaws.

I wasn’t able to test many of the various media materials, however, though I suspect that, just as it has with its numerous high-quality premium inkjet paper stocks, Epson has developed highly compatible paper and other materials that perform optimally with this label printer. With that said, I’ve no complaints about the LW-PX750PCD’s print quality in my samples on the provided stock.

Buying Labels for the LW-PX750PCD

Epson’s collection of more than 50 kinds of label-media cartridges range across label tapes from a quarter-inch wide to an inch wide, and up to 30 feet long. And, as mentioned, they come in a bunch of colors or color combinations (examples: black on fuchsia pink, or gold on black, or gold on clear). As with every other machine that uses different sizes and types of media, the per-label cost varies widely. 

Let's take the standard 1-inch wide by 3.5-inch long white paper labels typically used for mailing labels. These will, when you buy a 30-foot roll from Epson for $15.99, cost you about 4.6 cents per label. That’s about 2.1 cents more than Brother’s QL-820NWB for labels of a similar size and material. Were you to print the same labels on Brother’s consumer-grade P-touch Cube Plus, on the other hand, they could cost you four or five times more than with the LW-PX750PCD. 

Printing 0.5-by-3.5-inch on Epson’s black-on-white iron-on cloth label material, however, will cost you as much as five times (or more!) as printing the same-size labels on the paper media mentioned above. But then, of course, you would probably never need to print nearly as many iron-on labels as you would for an average mail-merge job.

Stick With Me Here

The Epson LabelWorks LW-PX750PCD Kit is sort of a cross between a lower-end consumer-grade label printer and a higher-end professional-grade machine. It supports a wider range of applications than do labelers designed for small and home-based office use, such as the Editors’ Choice Brother P-touch Cube Plus, but not nearly the volume and versatility of industrial-strength machines like Brady’s BMP21 and BMP41.

The Epson label design software is fairly robust and easy-to-use, and a wide range of media renders this little label printer handy for several different types of labeling applications. At about $300, as a professional industrial-grade solution it’s competitively priced, though some of the label materials are, on a per-label basis, a little costly. Otherwise, Epson’s entry-level LW-PX750PCD Kit provides small offices, factories, warehouses, datacom and electrical wiring and termination facilities a competent and practical professional labeling solution.