Label printer vs. price gun: which does your store need?

Do you need a label printer, a price gun, or both? A price gun is faster for stamping simple price stickers on individual items. A label printer is better for barcodes, shelf tags, and labels with more text. Most small stores that price items by hand start with a price gun and add a label printer once they need barcodes or cleaner shelf labels.

Both tools do one job: get the right price where the customer can see it. The difference is how much information you need on the label.

What does a price gun do best?

A price gun, also called a labeler, prints short lines of numbers and letters onto small sticky labels. You set the price with a dial or buttons, squeeze the trigger, and the label goes on the item.

It's fast. A stocker can price a case of cans in a minute or two.

It needs no power, no computer, and no setup.

It's cheap to run. Labels come on rolls, and ink comes from a small roller.

It's best for items without a barcode, like loose goods, house-packed items, or older inventory. It's also useful for quick markdowns.

The downside is that it only prints a few characters. No barcode, no item name, no long description.

If price guns suit your store, browse the label guns category on NRS Marketplace for guns and labels.

What does a label printer do best?

A label printer prints full labels from a computer, phone, or your POS. It can print barcodes, item names, prices, dates, and more.

Most small label printers use direct thermal printing, where heat darkens special paper. No ink or ribbon. Wikipedia's page on thermal printing explains how it works.

A label printer is best for barcode labels on items that don't have one, like deli packs, bakery items, or house brands.

It's good for shelf labels with the item name, size, and price, which look more professional than handwritten tags.

It's useful for dated labels, like prep dates in a deli or back room.

The downside is setup. You need a device to design and print labels, and the printer needs power and sometimes software.

How do you decide which one you need?

Ask a few questions.

Do most of your items already have barcodes that scan at the register? If yes, you mostly need price labels, and a price gun or shelf tags may be enough.

Do you sell items without barcodes? If you sell many, a label printer lets you add barcodes so they scan like everything else.

How do you show prices: on items, on shelves, or both? Shelf labels from a printer look cleaner. Item stickers from a gun are faster.

How often do prices change? If you change prices often, shelf labels mean one label per product, not one per item.

Here's a hypothetical. A corner store with 2,000 barcoded items and 50 loose or house-packed items. It might price the barcoded items with shelf labels from a label printer and use a price gun for the 50 odd items. Both tools earn their place.

What else should you think about?

Supplies. Price guns need the right size labels for your model. Label printers need the right size and type of label roll. Buy the right fit, not just the cheapest option.

Storage. Heat and sunlight fade thermal labels over time. Keep spare rolls in a cool, dry spot.

Training. Show every stocker how to set the price gun correctly. A mis-set gun can put the wrong price on a whole case before anyone notices.

Consistency. Put price stickers in the same spot on every item. Customers and cashiers get used to looking there.

Check your POS too. If you use NRS POS, ask whether it can print barcode or shelf labels. Learn more about the system at NRS POS. For label rolls, the paper rolls category lists the roll types available.