Epson's 8-inch colour label printer, the Epson ColorWorks CW-C6500, is powered by Epson Serial Inkjet Precision Core TFP technology, making it an excellent choice upgrade to black and white thermal label printers. However, it's not the only game in town. The Afinia L701 color label printer uses Memjet technology and offers some advantages over the CW-C6500, including:

1600 dpi print resolution (versus 1200 dpi for the CW-C6500)

Faster print speed of 6 or 8 ips versus just 0.20 ips on the Epson (Yes, the Epson is very slow)

Larger ink cartridges (L701 @200ml), (C6500 @ 70ml) which translate to fewer interventions and the ability to run larger print jobs without running out of ink.

When you look at the print speeds of these two printers, it's clear that the Afinia L701 is in a different class altogether. That 5.8 extra inches per second difference means the Afinia L701 can print hundreds more full colour labels per hour and thousands more labels per day, than the Epson ColorWorks CW-C6500.

How Memjet Technology Works

The Afinia L701 color label printer uses Memjet technology, which is a type of inkjet printing known for its blazing-fast print speeds. The L701 uses a stationary, page-wide Memjet printhead that releases ink drops in a "waterfall" as the label material moves through it. In a single pass, the printhead can lay down millions of drops of ink, making it possible to achieve outstanding print quality at 1600 dpi resolution in a very short time.

Though Epson has developed stationary printheads, sadly, the Epson CW-C6500 does not use this technology. Instead, it is powered by Epson's Serial Inkjet PrecisionCore TFP technology, which consists of a printhead that moves back and forth across the page as most inkjet-based printers have been doing since their invention. While Epson's Serial PrecisionCore TFP technology is good for home-based businesses, the Afinia L701's Memjet printhead offers clear advantages in both speed and quality for businesses that are managing production lines and need color labels printed quickly.

What's Next?

See the video below and see what the speed difference means in a real production environment for a business printing 8-inch-wide labels.

To say we're impressed by the Afinia L701 would be an understatement. This printer is simply in a class by itself when it comes to speed, print quality, and total cost of ownership. Check back soon to see additional speed tests and in the meantime, request free printed label samples so you can see put the print quality to the test for yourself!