Brother PT-P900W & PT-P950NW Unboxing & Overview

Simon
Brother PT-P900W & PT-P950NW Unboxing & Overview

What's in the box:

  • Label Printer
  • Power adaptor
  • Mains power cable
  • USB cable
  • User manual
  • 36mm x 8m black on white laminated tape

Features:

  • Automatic cutter with part-cut
  • USB connectivity to a computer
  • Wi-Fi connectivity to computers and mobile devices
  • Wired network connection for computers and mobile devices (PT-P950NW only)
  • Print resolution up to 360 x 720 DPI
  • Print speed up to 80mm per second
  • Optional battery pack add-on
  • Optional Bluetooth module add-on
  • Optional screen and keypad add-on
  • Label design and print software free download for Windows, Mac, Android & iOS

Print speed vs. quality

The P900 series has the best of both worlds with a high resolution printhead and high speed printing. There's also options for faster speed and even higher print quality, but each with their own side effect. Let's look at the images below. We can see 3 samples lined up, and close-ups of the letter "e" in the Brother logo for each of the 3 modes. "Standard" is the default mode. The labels are 31mm x 12mm. The letter "e" is 4.5mm tall.

Without repeating the image captions, we can clearly see that the high speed option has a drastic effect on the print quality, while the high quality mode is considerably slower. Depending on your requirement, it's likely that standard mode is the winning choice for most scenarios with a high resolution of 360 x 360 DPI and a good print speed of 60mm per second.

Software

I won't go into detail of the Brother P-Touch Editor as it's the same as always, but I do think it's worth mentioning again as I feel it's very underrated. It is the only label software included at no extra cost that has database connectivity. All features includes:
  • Database connectivity.
  • Image and logo import.
  • Date and time with offset.
  • Built-in symbols.
  • Access to all computer fonts and styles.
  • Cross-platform compatibility (Windows, Mac, Android, iOS).
  • Free updates forever.

Add-on Modules

  • Battery base (PABB002) and battery (PABT4000LI).
  • Bluetooth module (PABI002) for PT-P950NW only.
  • Touch panel display (PATDU003) for PT-P950NW only.
I haven't had a chance to use any of the add-on modules, but as this is a Wi-Fi printer, the battery module sounds like it would be very good addition for portability around offices, warehouses and workshops. The battery base is fitted to the underside of the printer, with a compartment to quickly and easily insert the battery, or even swap it over with another one if it's low on power. For better connectivity to mobile devices while on the move, there's the Bluetooth module which attaches to the back. You will need the PT-P950W for this module. If you're printing labels that have the same design each time, there's always the touch panel display. Once you've transferred your label templates to the printer, you can select and print them using the touch panel. (I believe you can also edit information in the label such as numbers and letters, but information is rather sparse. As soon as I find out more, I'll update this post.) This will only work with the PT-P950W.
For more information or an alternative to your requirement, please call us on 01202 681311 or email sales@labelzone.co.uk

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