Seagull Scientific have released an app for Android and Apple phones and tablets. I was going to have a play with this as soon as it was released, but I thought I'd let the dust settle just in case there were any bugs or unfinished features in the app (wishful thinking as there hasn't been any updates in nearly a year). I'd say it would be a wise choice to wait for the next version (BarTender 2017?) as today you will stumble into a plethora of teething problems.

Setting up

Firstly, a lot of the setting up is done through the "Web Print Portal" web page on the host machine which can be accessed locally through http://localhost/BarTender/. Once you can access it from another machine (by allowing the IIS option in Windows Firewall), you can continue setting it up, change other settings, and print

Caution: metaphors ahead.

BarTender vs LabelDirect

To compare these two brands of software is like comparing the M14 sports car made by the small British car manufacturer, Noble, to a BMW M5. They both the do same job but in a slightly different way. Both cars will get you from A-B but one will be more comfortable, have more gadgets, have more of a presence on the road and perform slightly better, while the other is cheaper and British. The software side-by-side has very much the same sort of aura about it. One is full of many advanced features, is easier to use, has a nicer user interface, while the other is more of an entry level product. Now allow me to elaborate on what I'm trying to say here.

Basic

LabelDirect Basic is possibly the most user friendly labelling application on the market. This edition of LabelDirect has many features such as text, a modest range of shapes, images and 15 types of barcodes. It also has the ability for a user prompt at the time of print so data can be changed without physically altering anything in the label design itself. In addition to the fixed fonts available in the printer this software can introduce into your label any of the fully scalable fonts provided by Windows, making artistic layouts possible with the same ease as more businesslike layouts like the one shown below, which can be useful in the retail environment.

Professional

The professional edition includes all

Ultralite

The Ultralite edition ships with every current LabelStation and is included in the price of the printer. The software will allow you to produce intricate labels at ease and works much like office-style software with all the familiar keyboard commands such as Ctrl+C for copy and Ctrl+V for paste on all objects. In addition to a selection of Printer fonts and all the usual Windows fonts, Ultralite can produce barcodes in more than 90 different types. During installation you will receive a selection of new fonts for icon and symbology insertion. The many symbols include, but are not limited to, electrical, safety and packaging. With these symbols being in font format, they are vectorised and therefore can be resized without the risk of quality loss. If you choose a networked printer, you'll be happy to know that this software can be installed on as many computers as required

"What is the Dymo software like? How easy is it to produce a label? What can and can't it do?"These are the types of questions you're probably asking when thinking of buying your first Dymo printer. Hopefully this post will be able to answer your needs.

Installation

Firstly this is a review of the software on a Windows computer. The software on Mac may differ slightly but I have yet to try it. Installation was quite quick and painless. Connecting a printer directly through USB installed with no problem at all. I'm using a LabelWriter 450 Duo so I get to try printing on both die cut address labels and continuous D1 tape. In the software itself you can add a networked printer. The networked printer would be a normal one through a Dymo Print Server. Unusually just launching this install wizard it ends up crashing itself straight away and then it

If you're printing labels on a daily basis in your office, warehouse, shop or even at home, then there is a chance you're using a Dymo product to do this.

Dymo is very well recognised globally for their printers and labels from industrial handhelds to office desktops. Dymo started in California in 1985 as an embossing company. In 2005 they acquired Newell Rubbermaid, a Fortune 100 company. Ever since then their product range has expanded to include card scanning solutions and shipping/mailing scales to name a couple. Dymo have been looking to make everyones lives easier and their first step to doing this has been making a web app so choosing the correct printer and labels can be done in a breeze. Watch the video above and visit the website to help make your choice.

Visit

The Brother P-Touch E550WVP comes in a hard carry case, giving it a high quality professional look. The case comes tightly closed with robust plastic clips that click together.

Inside the case is a the usual instruction manual in a plastic bag along with the software CD, quick start guide and transparent ruler/guide located inside a little pocket. The power adaptor, USB cable, battery and TZ tapes are each in their own little cut-outs inside the case so there’s no chance of misplacing or losing something while packing up after a job