One of the best purchases I have ever made in regards to supplies for my online business was a Dymo LabelWriter 450.  For years and years I had your basic laser printer and used it for printing all my shipping labels and later my Amazon FBA labels.  A few years ago I broke down and bought a Dymo and I am still loving it several years later.  Let me tell you what I love about this little printer and some tips for making yours work better for you.

Maybe one of the best things about this printer is that you don’t have to worry about ink or toner.  I use my Dymo every single day and have not done I single thing to maintain it.  Because the printer is thermal and does not use ink you do not have to worry about any smudging or smearing.  In the past, when using my laser printer, I would get a package “return to sender” and this would give me a chance to see the condition of both the label and the box after going through the shipping process.  I was amazed how much my labels both fade and smudge to the point of being difficult to read!  The Dymo doesn’t have this problem, the labels can even get wet without losing their readability.  The Dymo is also very small, especially when compared to a laser printer.  It has a tiny footprint so it can easily fit even the most cramped work space.

Using your Dymo on eBay

I love using this printer for my eBay shipping labels.  As mentioned above you don’t have to worry about the readability of the label as it gets your buyer.  The labels also look more professional and tend to stick to boxes better than the more traditional half sheet labels used by laser printers.

The labels you want to use on eBay are called Internet Postage Labels (#99019).  Please make sure you buy these labels!  When I first bought this printer I bought the 4×6 labels which are called “shipping and postage labels“, these do NOT fit a Dymo 450! (face palm) To use these larger labels you will need a Dymo 4XL which is considerably more expensive.  After that flub, I bought the “large shipping labels” which do fit the machine but are still wrong!  Don’t make my mistakes, be sure to buy labels #99019.

To use these labels on eBay you will need to make a few changes.  First on the label printing screen there is a link towards the top that reads “Printer and label receipt preferences”.  After following that link you will see a drop down menu.  Select “Dymo LabelWriter 400 Turno 2.4×7.5”.  After making that selection you can purchase your label.  When the print screen comes up (I use Google Chrome) select your Dymo printer.  Click more settings and for the paper size select 30383 PC Postage 3-part.  From their just click print and you are all set.

Using your Dymo on Amazon

I love using this printer on Amazon.  I do NOT do any merchant fulfilled so I will strictly be talking about using this printer for FBA labels.  In the past you would be stuck entering an entire shipment then at the end printer out sheets of 30 labels at a time and going back to label all the items.  The laser printer labels smudge just like the shipping labels and it also takes much more time.  The Dymo labels won’t smudge and you can print the FBA labels as you list each item.  This saves a TON of time!  You have 2 choices when it comes to the FBA labels.  You can buy 30334 or 30334-R.  The difference is the R stands for removable.  Now technically you are supposed to use removable labels for Amazon FBA but depending on the item I found that I didn’t trust these labels to stick well enough.  I personally use the regular 30334 labels.

Below is a video showing the settings you will need to use these FBA labels.

Tips for using your Dymo Printer

• If you switch between 2 or more types of labels, when you have printed your last label cut the label halfway up instead of using the cutter on the printer.  If you use the cutter then the next time you insert these labels you will end up wasting a label.  The printer relies on the oval cut along the side to position itself, when you use the cutter you are cutting off that oval.
• Similar to the first tip, if you use more than 1 type of label buy an additional spindle for each type that you use.  These labels come on a roll and they rest on a spindle.  Every time you change labels you also have to take apart the spindle and reassemble it.  Its not a huge deal but it does take time and having an additional spindle eliminates that problem.
• Always peel the last label before printing more labels.  Every time you initiate a new print the machine runs backwards about a quarter of an inch.  I have had the last printed label get stuck in the machine which is a real pain to un-jam. (These does not apply when you print say 20 of a single label all at once.  But if you printed 20 different labels 1 at a time their is a chance it will jam.  Only 5-10% of the time but its a pain none the less.)