Brother QL-570 Professional Label Printer

In contrast to other reviewers I am using this for labelling products, safety reminder labels etc (i.e. not shipping labels). This printer is perfect for this task. I am using Brother DK-2212 Continuous Length Film Label Roll (2-3/7″ Wide) with this printer, the film rolls are much more durable than paper rolls for labels that may be exposed to more demanding conditions (i.e. the general public).
The printer prints pretty fast and auto cuts the labels by default.
The P-touch software that comes with the printer is easy to use and is fairly straightforward. You can insert symbols (like arrows), graphics files (e.g. JPEGs), and even barcodes on labels. Although the printer method is thermal and the labels print black on white I have found that photos print acceptably in grayscale (although I find they look better when the resolution is set to 300dpi rather than the 600dpi).
I do wish the film labels were cheaper but it is still worth it as saves me from having to manually laminate, apply glue & stick as I was doing with inkjet printed labels. Definitely Recommended.

I bought the Brother QL-500 for half a benjamin three years back and it’s been a workhorse for my online business. It prints labels quickly and reliably, and was very easy to set up and use, going from a Vista 32 bit machine to a Windows 7 64 bit machine without a hitch. I downloaded the drivers directly from brother’s website, and I recommend everyone to do the same. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about the QL-500, it has earned it’s keep many times over.

I recently grabbed the QL-570 during the black friday/cyber monday sales (I grabbed two in fact; at thirty each why not? One for use, one for backup). I was already impressed with the specs from reading online. It improved on the QL-500 in most ways; better print quality, faster, smaller and more compact (but without sacrificing build quality), detachable power cord (the QL-500’s power cord was attached; I like detachable cords as they’re easy to replace in the event the original is damaged) and an auto cutter. I know the QL-550 had an auto cutter, but at the time I was in the market for a label printer it was twice what I paid for the QL-500 and the only advantage was the auto cutter. A big deal not mentioned a lot is the cutter life. On the QL-500, the cutter life is 5000 continuous labels (the kind I use for shipping labels). For the sake of comparison this is around 14 labels a day for one year. I’ve never done that many (my max was maybe 100 labels a month, or 3-4 a day) and my QL-500 is still cutting pretty smooth. On the QL-570 the cutter life is 150,000 continuous labels, or 411 labels a day for one year. I doubt I’ll ever hit that mark. I think the cutter will outlast the printer! One small disadvantage though, is that the cutter on the QL-570 isn’t replacable like the one on the QL-500. But by the time you factor in the cost of replacement blades, after buying replacements 3 or 4 times you’ve spent enough to buy a QL-570 and don’t get nearly as many cuts (for 4 sets of 2 replacement blades plus the one that comes with the QL-500 and you’d be at 45,000 cuts), so really, there’s no reason to buy the QL-500 over the QL-570, especially with the price of the QL-570 constantly falling under half a benjamin.

Other small advantages over the QL-500 include a multi-color status light (the original was the single green led) and a 25′ sample roll of continuous paper tape (the QL-500 only included the sample roll of address labels) along with the sample roll of address labels.

As with the QL-500, setup was a cinch. I made sure to first go to brother’s website and grab the correct drivers for my operating system (Windows 7 64 bit) and the latest version of P-Touch Editor. Again, I was up and printing my labels within minutes of opening up the box. I really can’t understand why so many others have so much trouble, and then blame Brother and rate the QL-570 poorly because of their own incompetence.

The QL-570 prints quickly and reliably, and the print quality is spot on. I don’t bother using the label catcher tray since the completed labels tend to “jump” a little when cut. I just catch the labels with my hand as they come out. Or let them land on the shelf where the label printer is stationed. Changing rolls is quick and simple, as it should be. The labels themselves can be expensive, but I usually stock up when they’re on sale. There are also aftermarket alternatives.

I paid less for the QL-570 than what I did for my QL-500 and couldn’t be happier. It’s an excellent label printer, especially if you sell things online.

I picked this up on sale for just $40, and it’s a fantastic little printer. The label rolls are relatively affordable compared to other solutions, and you have much more control and flexibility compared to a traditional standalone label printer. The built in automatic cutter is incredibly convenient.

I use this with my Mac and while the software looks a bit dated, all the functionality to create templated or custom labels in a variety of formats. A higher end model that supports wireless connectivity (and AirPrint for Macs and iOS devices) is also available.

bought it on sale, and it works like a charm. the integrated software is user friendly preset with different label, BUT kind of tricky if you want to create your very personal label. However, once the label is designed, click on print and it will auto cut every label. (HUGE time saver!)
In the package, you will find 2 roll of label, small one and bigger one. It will give you a great idea how the machine can perform before purchasing other rolls.
the only downside might be the size, you cannot put it on the desk everyday if you don’t use it often, because it takes some space.

bought it for family usage, and all document as well as kids books all have perfect label now. Highly recommended.