Label Printer FAQs

1. What are the main differences between the five label printers? 

Label Width:

- LX500 will print on a label from 19mm up to 108mm wide
- LX600 will print on a label from 13mm to 127mm wide
- LX610 will print on a label from 13mm to 104mm - die-cutting and 13mm to 127mm - pre-die cut
- LX910/LX3000 will print on a label from 13mm up to 210mm wide; minimum liner width is 38mm and can be up to 213mm wide 

Label Length:

- LX500 will print a label from 19mm up to 610mm long
- LX600/LX610 will print on a label from 13mm up to 305mm long
- LX910/LX3000 will print a label from 13mm up to 610mm long 

Ink Cartridges:

- LX500 utilises a single Cyan/Magenta/Yellow (CMY) ink cartridge that combines colours to make a process black.
- LX600/LX610/LX910 use a single, ultra-high capacity CMY ink cartridge for dye for vibrant prime labels, and one for pigment that possesses UV- and water-resistant qualities.
- LX3000 has separate CMY ink tanks in both dye and pigment inks. You also save money on ink since only the tank that runs out of ink needs to be replaced. 

Label Rolls:

- LX500 - has 51mm core with label roll Outside Diameter (OD) of 127mm.
- LX600/LX610/LX910/LX3000 have a 76mm core with an OD of 152mm.

Speed: (Expected throughput for an 8 hour work day.)

LX500 – 500 to 1000 102mm x 76mm prints per day
LX600/LX610 – Up to 3000 102mm x 76mm prints per day
LX910 – 3000 to 5000 102mm x 76mm prints per day
LX3000 - 5000 to 7500 102mm x 76mm prints per day

2. What is the average cost per label?

It depends upon the amount of coverage and the colours used in your design. If you’d like to know your specific cost per label, please send a high resolution .jpg of your actual design to sales@primera-ap.com, and we’ll run a test through the printer’s software to give you a very close approximate cost. We can also provide this general information:

- LX500: at 50% coverage on a 102mm x 76mm label at default print resolution, cost per label can range from A$0.10 to A$0.15.
- LX600/LX610/LX910: at 50% coverage on a 102mm x 76mm label at default print resolution, cost per label can range from A$0.05 to A$0.10.
- LX3000: at 50% coverage on a 102mm x 76mm label at default print resolution, cost per label can range from A$0.01 to A$0.05. 

3. How many labels can you print per ink cartridge or set of ink carts?

It depends upon the amount of coverage and the colours used in your design. If you’d like to know how many labels can be printed with your design, please send a high resolution .jpg of your actual label to sales@primera-ap.com, specify the printer you would like us to test, and we’ll run a test through the printer’s software to give you a very close approximate number of labels per design. We can also provide this general information: 

- LX500: at 50% coverage on a 102mm x 76mm label at default print resolution, you’ll get about 600 to 800 labels per ink cartridge
- LX600/LX610/LX910: at 50% coverage on a 102mm x 76mm label at default print resolution, you’ll get about 1300 to 1800 labels per ink cartridge..
- LX3000: at 50% coverage on a 102mm x 76mm label at default print resolution, you’ll get about 7000 to 8500 labels per set of ink tanks. 

4. Which printers offer a built-in label cutter?

LX500 has a guillotine-style cutter built-in, while the LX600, LX610, LX910 and LX3000 offer a built-in “pizza-wheel” style label cutter. LX610 also has a built-in die-cutting knife blade for cutting labels into custom shapes and sizes. 

5. What operating systems do these printers support?

- LX500: Windows 8/10/11 or MacOS 10.13 – MacOS 14 (Sonoma)
- LX600: Windows 8/10/11 or MacOS 10.13 – MacOS 14 (Sonoma)
- LX610: Windows 8/10/11 or MacOS 10.13 – MacOS 14 (Sonoma)
- LX910: Windows 8/10/11 or MacOS 10.13 – MacOS 14 (Sonoma)
- LX3000: Windows 8/10/11 or MacOS 10.13 – MacOS 14 (Sonoma) 

6. What is the highest resolution each printer is capable of printing?

Native print resolution is 1200 dpi. All can print up to a maximum of 1200 x 4800 dpi, although 1200 x 1200 and 1200 x 2400 settings are usually preferred since they print faster. 

7. Do the printers come with software to design my labels?

Yes, except for the LX610, all printers come with a basic design program for Windows called BarTender UltraLite. LX610 does not include this software, but you can download Bartender for free on their website. It allows you to import graphics, logos, etc. and add things like bar codes. You can also design your labels in a full-featured design program, save them as high-resolution .jpg, .tiff, .bmp, .png or .pdf files and use our software to arrange them onto your label stock and print. Or, you can print directly out of your own graphic design software such Adobe® Illustrator® as long as that software allows you to change the page sizes to the sizes of your labels.

For Mac, we don’t include software since most Mac users prefer to print directly from programs such as Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop. If you are not a designer, an easy to use software package we recommend for Mac is Label LIVE software. You can download a free trial on our website.  

The LX610 comes with Primera’s PTCreate Standard software for Windows. PTCreate Standard allows you to import images and cut a variety of label shapes. PTCreate Pro is available for an additional purchase and works with both Mac and PC. PTCreate Pro allows printing and cutting of contour shapes.

8. Does the printers do bar codes?

Yes, for Windows users they come with BarTender UltraLite software, which includes just about every type of bar code used in business and industry worldwide, including 2D bar codes. LX610 does not include this software, but you can download Bartender for free on their website.

9. Are the labels waterproof?

We hesitate to use the word “waterproof,” but several of our synthetic label substrates, when printed onto by LX600, LX610, LX910 and LX3000 with pigment ink, are highly water-resistant. 

We do not recommend LX500 for labels that will be exposed to water. The black on LX500 is made by mixing cyan, magenta and yellow. That much ink saturation can smear when it gets wet no matter which label stock you use.

It is important to match the right substrate for your particular application. This is especially true for water-resistance. Before ordering a large quantity of blank labels you should try out some printed labels on your products in the environment in which they’ll be used.

10. How long will my images last?

All inks, whether dye or pigment, will begin to fade over time.

Dye ink generally is recommended for indoor use on products that will be consumed in less than a year. If exposed daily to direct sunlight or bright indoor lights, dye inks can start to fade in a number of months. Dye inks deliver the best range of bright, vibrant colours so they are usually preferred over pigment ink for products that go onto food, wine and other consumable products.

Pigment ink has superior UV resistance. Primera’s pigment inks have been tested outdoors for more than a year with little noticeable fading. Pigment ink is usually selected if many years indoor or up to two years outdoor life is required with little fading. Labels printed with pigment ink will be slightly less vibrant, so are usually selected for more industrial-types of projects such as GHS labels, tags, photo ID badges, bin labels and much more.

11. Are your ink cartridges refillable?

No, they are not. They are designed and manufactured for one-time-only use.

12. Are any of your printers wireless?

LX3000 does not have built-in wireless but can be made into a wireless printer with a low-cost to Ethernet to Wireless adapter. We can provide a list of currently-supported 3rd-party adapters.

13. Who can I contact for more information?

For Sales/Customer service related queries please do not hesitate to contact us at sales@primera-ap.com or for Technical related queries support@primera-ap.com. You can also contact us on +61 3 9798 1133.