MUNBYN Label Printer Review: A value printer for high-volume shipping
The MUNBYN was put to the test during the busiest shipping week of the year. See how it handled the pressure.
I spent the week of Black Friday with Stitchery X-Press, a local cross stitch shop that ships a couple hundred packages each day - more during the busy holiday season. Overall, it isn't too difficult to figure out how to use the MUNBYN, though there are some hiccups to get used to.
The MUNBYN comes with a power cable, USB cable, a thumb drive with the printer driver on it, some 4-inch x 6-inch shipping labels, and instructions for connecting and using the printer. Here is everything you need to know before buying a MUNBYN label printer for yourself.
MUNBYN Thermal Label Printer
Bottom line: The MUNBYN is a good value label printer that will get the job done. It works for printing several different types of labels, but it does have some issues that may cost you in the long run.
The Good
- Compact
- Automatically reads label size
- Setup is super easy
The Bad
- Too lightweight
- Dull tear blade
- Not good for international labels
MUNBYN Thermal Label Printer What's good
Right off the bat, the workers at Stitchery X-Press liked how easy it was to hook up and use the MUNBYN label printer. Even I, who knew very little about shipping and lable printers before this review, figure it out pretty quickly. It was connected to both Mac and Windows machines and used with a variety of shipping programs including Ship Station, Google Docs, eBay, and Amazon. This printer automatically calibrated for the type and size of the label being fed through it, so it was easy to switch between a standard 4-inch x 6-inch label, a mini 2.3- inch x 4-inch label, and a 1.7 -inch x 3.5-inch return address label.
The MUNBYN comes with a decent stack of folding labels to get you started, but it also handles rolled labels, too. And it works for printing labels that aren't necessarily for shipping. For example, this printer was used to create product labels for shelves and bins, and name tags for upcoming events.
| Category | MUNBYN Label Printer |
|---|---|
| Print speed | 55 mm/s |
| Print resolution | 203 dpi |
| Max. print width | 104 mm |
| Weight | 1.4 kg |
| Dimensions (LxWxH) | 120x180x135 mm |
Another perk of the MUNBYN label printer is its compact size. It only weighs three pounds (1.4 kg) and is small enough to slip into a suitcase or purse. The team at Stitchery X-Press travel a lot to trade shows and stitching events and ship from these places, so a compact printer like the MUNBYN is perfect for this purpose. Simply connect it to your laptop using the included USB cable and you're good to start printing.
When printing labels, the MUNBYN is pretty fast, though it does have four different speeds with the lowest being quite slow. When printing domestic shipping labels the MUNBYN handled it like a champ. It printed dark and clear, especially the barcode. The post office didn't have issues accepting packages with abels printed with the MUNBYN.
The MUNBYN will print 700 labels before needing a break.
The MUNBYN is a thermal printer. This means you don't need to worry about toner or cartridges. Instead, it uses a wax-based color sheet that, when heated, transfers color to the label. It doesn't take as much time to dry, which cuts down on smears. This printer has a built-in overheat protection system that forces the printer to rest for five minutes in between large print batches. But it will print up to 700 labels continually before needing a break.
MUNBYN Thermal Label Printer The not so pretty
Despite its good points, the MUNBYN does cause some headaches and a fair amount of shipping delay compared to other label printers. The first big issue was discovered was while printing international labels. While the text was bold and clear, the barcode wasn't defined enough and tended to run together. This resulted in a label that would be rejected by the post office, and possibly result in additional shipping and convenience charges. This was fixed by adjusting the printer speed to its absolute lowest setting. But this also resulted in louder and longer printing.
Another drawback is that the MUNBYN has lipped guides inside to help feed the labels through and keep them straight during the printing process. We found that if labels weren't fed through straight that sometimes these lips would catch on the labels and peel them off before the MUNBYN had a chance to print on them. Usually, this was corrected by adjusting the roll or folded sheets of labels that were waiting to be fed through. We feel this could be avoided altogether with an attached feeding tray, but the MUNBYN doesn't include one.
The MUNBYN is loud as it prints, especially at lower speeds. One worker described it as listening to a garbage disposal with an annoying grinding sound. While it is obviously loud, it isn't loud enough to completely drown out conversations.
Finally, it is very difficult to tear off printed labels. The MUNBYN has a sharp, teeth-like blade, much like the ones found on aluminum foil boxes, but it isn't sharp enough to cut through quickly or cleanly. This may be in part because the printer is so lightweight that it wiggles and moves slightly as you tear the labels.
MUNBYN Thermal Label Printer Compared to other printers
Stitchery X-Press already had three other thermal label printers in its warehouse - a DYMO, a Rollo, and a Zebra. These are well-known and very popular among shipping companies.
For the shipping team, the Rollo is the favorite. It is smaller than the MUNBYN, but it is also heavier. And while the MUNBYN and Rollo are both compact and travel easy, the Rollo wins out because it prints quieter and cuts the labels better. However, each time labels are fed through a Rollo printer, you must manually tell it to recalibrate for the size being used. The MUNBYN does this automatically. There isn't a difference in printer quality between the two when printing domestic shipping labels, but the Rollo is better for international shipping labels. The MUNBYN is cheaper, but usually by only $20 or so.
The MUNBYN easily beat out the DYMO and the Zebra printers. The Zebra printer does a good job printing but is very difficult to hook up to any desktop or laptop computer, and installing the drivers isn't very intuitive. It is also larger than the MUNBYN, so it's not a good printer to travel with.
The DYMO is very big and bulky, so it, too, doesn't travel well. Also, it requires a specific type of label for it to work. The MUNBYN, however, will work with just about any kind of shipping label made by most manufacturers. The DYMO also prints slower than the MUNBYN even at its highest speed.
MUNBYN Thermal Label Printer Should you buy one?
For the price, the MUNBYN performs well enough. It will take some time to set the printing speed so that international shipping labels print clear enough to be accepted by the post office. Slowing down the printing speed does cost you valuable time, and it needs to be readjusted when you're ready to print dometic labels. Also, it isn't easy to tear labels off after printing is completed. The MUNBYN will automatically calibrate and recognize the size of the label you feed through it, and its compact size makes it a good choice for traveling. But if you can swing the extra $20, the Rollo label printer is the better option, especially if you ship internationally.
The MUNBYN gets the job done - eventually. If you need to print domestic shipping labels the MUNBYN works just fine. If you ship a lot internationally, however, you do need to decrease the printing speeds significantly in order to get a clear bar code.
MUNBYN Thermal Label Printer
Bottom line: For domestic shipping labels, the MUNBYN is great. But if you need to ship a lot of items overseas, this isn't the best choice for printing international labels.
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