iDprt SP310 Review
The iDprt SP310 ($109.99 MSRP) is a small label printer designed for office use, such as printing address labels, file folder labels, price tags, and barcodes. It can only print in black, and its software is more complicated than that of our current top selection for cheap paper label printers, the Brother QL-800. But you can find it for cheaper elsewhere; for instance, Amazon has it for $89.99 right now when a $20 coupon is clipped. In addition, it has certain extra capabilities that make it more versatile than its monochrome black-and-white rivals.
iDprt SP310 Specification
| Type | Printer Only |
| Color or Monochrome | Monochrome |
| Connection Type | USB |
| Maximum Standard Paper Size | 3.35 inch wide |
| Number of Ink Colors | 1 |
| Rated Speed at Default Settings (Mono) | 4 inches per second |
| Printer Input Capacity | 3.5 inch roll internally |
| Number of Ink Cartridges/Tanks | 1 |
Pros
- Labels may be printed up to 3.35 inches wide
- Compatible with most brands of label sheets.
- Appropriately sharp printing
- Compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux
- It enables the creation and cloud storage of labels.
Cons
- Problematic Windows Driver Selection
- User’s Guide to Hell
- The label-making options in the app might be confusing as well.
Ready to go?
- You must turn off the electricity by turning the switch to the “off” position.
- Join the power cord’s end to the AC adapter.
- Plug in the AC power adapter.
- Just plug the other end of the wire into the wall.
- Join your computer and printer together using the USB cord.
Where should labels go when loading the box?
Unlike boxy devices like the Rollo Wireless Printer X1040, which solely employ external rolls and fanfold stacks, the SP310’s elegant, rounded design is typical for printers with room to attach a label roll within. The SP310 allows you to use either fanfold labels or an externally attached roll of a wider diameter since it features both a front input slot and a rear input slot for the former. The maximum label width is another major distinction between the two printers. The X1040 is currently our favorite printer for producing shipping labels up to 4 by 6 inches in size. The SP310 can output onto labels with widths between 1.0 and 3.35.0 inches.
Selecting a Driver (Software)
In our iDprt SP420 review, I mentioned that setting up the program was confusing for a number of reasons. The primary one included picking between incompatible Windows drivers. This time around, setting up was a breeze because I didn’t bother with the included DVD and instead followed the user manual’s instructions to get the files from iDprt’s website. The fact that I was previously aware of the available drivers and knew to go with the Seagull version certainly didn’t hurt, either. (It’s compatible with the included Seagull BarTender label maker, the only one.) However, credit is due for the developments made by the manufacturer after we assessed the SP420. As long as you know to skip over the second driver’s installation and proceed directly to the Seagull driver, you shouldn’t have any issues. Keep in mind that drivers for macOS and Linux may be found on the iDprt website as well.
Design
The SP310 also comes with the user-friendly BarTender UltraLite label application, which I reviewed in detail in my evaluation of the SP420, but with a more suitable default font. So, I was able to print a legible label without having to adjust any settings. A copy of iDprt’s Label Designer software is included with the printer. This program may be installed on your computer to provide you with a place to make and save your own documents. In addition, there is a cloud-based program called Label Designer, and the two are compatible with one another, so you can make labels in either and save them in the cloud, on your computer, or in both places. The cloud-based version is not mentioned anywhere in the instructions for getting started. What led me to discover this? I noticed a Label Designer option on iDprt’s homepage and thought maybe that’s where I could get some help with the downloadable PC software, so I clicked on it.
The iDprt SP310 Put to the Test: Snappy Labels
The printer can produce output at a pace of 4 inches per second (or 102 mm/s), according to iDprt. Using the Seagull driver, I printed BarTender-made 1-by-2.25-inch (HW) labels at a rate of 1.6 seconds per label and 22.1 seconds per batch of 50 labels, or 2.7 inches per second (ips). I timed the Rolo X1040 over a wireless connection and found it to be 3.4 ips for 50 labels, whereas the SP420 took 5.5 ips through a USB connection. The quality of the printed labels is satisfactory, as is to be expected at a resolution of 203 dpi. All writing, including barcodes and fine line drawings, was a legible dark black.
The differentiating factors lie within the unseen.
The iDprt SP310 provides acceptable print speeds and supports printing on label paper from a wide range of manufacturers. The cloud app and the back slot are two of the less obvious features that help make it such a desirable option. We still recommend the Brother QL-800 as the best paper-label printer on the market since it is one of the few models that can print in both red and black on a single label. However, if you require bigger labels than its maximum of 2.3 inches, you’ll need to go elsewhere. For similar reasons, you can’t use an SP310 to print shipping labels larger than 4 by 6 inches. Instead, we recommend the iDprt SP420 or, for a wider screen, the Rollo X1040, which is also our Editors’ Choice. The iDprt SP310 is a good option if you don’t need to print labels wider than 3.35 inches and especially if you want to take advantage of the back feed slot and cloud functions.
