It’s a great idea to have a printer in your home or office. You can print labels, pictures, and other miscellaneous items. We have a great solution if you’re looking for a compact way to produce your custom labels, photos, and other projects. The Brother VC-500W has been designed to be an affordable and useful option for the consumer that’s looking to get their business label or individual projects done on their own.
Brother’s newest addition to the label and photo printer family, the VC-500W, is one of the most versatile printers available on the market today. This machine comes loaded with unique features that make it an ideal choice for anyone looking to digitize their home or office operations. This review takes a closer look at the Brother VC-500W from a cost vs. performance perspective and explains why it’s the best solution for professional-looking labels without the hefty price tag.
The famous Brother label & photo printers provide a useful combination of power and versatility in a small and compact form factor. This economical, simple to use label and photo printer is perfect for the home office or small business user. It’s important to note that this machine won’t take up much space on or next to your desk. Let’s jump into the detailed Brother VC-500W review.
Brother VC-500W Label & Photo Printer Review
The Brother VC-500W label maker makes it easy to print customized labels, tags, signs, etc., efficiently. You can update shipping labels in seconds, create name badges and ID cards in minutes, or add a personal touch to a gift basket by printing beautiful photographs. The Brother VC-500W is a versatile label maker that you can use for everything from postage to everyday labeling. It’s compact and lightweight yet powerful enough to print high-quality labels. Create bigger text sizes, bold fonts, or fun shapes with the software editor and get the perfect design for your needs. The VC-500W uses ZINK Zero Ink technology, so you never have to change a cartridge or deal with messy refill cartridges right out of the box; simply print your labels directly onto special ZINK paper.
Sturdy & Compact Design: Our Score 9.5 Out of 10
The compact design of this model and the sturdy construction make it an excellent addition to any room. The product is functionally as well as aesthetically pleasing. Because this printer has a monochromatic design, you can easily blend it into your room.
High-quality Output: Our Score 8.0 Out of 10
For school projects or small businesses, the VC-500W is an excellent choice since it produces bright, accurate colors with minimal graininess. This device can help you with various tasks, whether you wish to print labels or stickers. We can assure you that you will be pleased with the bright and vibrant print results.
However, comparing the VC-500W to a photo-grade inkjet is not a good idea. Although the photos are acceptable, you might not be satisfied with this printer if the quality is your top priority.
Print Without Ink Cartridges: Our Score 9.0 Out of 10
A unique feature of the VC-500W is its ZINK technology for handling all your printing needs. With this ZINK model, you’ll never need to buy ink cartridges or ribbons to get beautiful prints. Paper rolls with color embedded in them let you print continuously. You’ll love the VC-500W if you want a mess-free mini printer.
What is the procedure? This is possible due to ZINK paper, which contains all the colors needed for photo printing. The software sends a message to the device when you want to print. According to your instructions, the printer converts white labels into colorful prints.
A slot in the front of the machine will be used to output the printed stickers, labels, or photos. To cut the label, slide the slider or use the built-in cutter. You can activate the cutter with your fingers. Furthermore, this printer can print up to 2 inches wide.
Average Print Speed: Our Score 8.5 Out of 10
According to Brother, this printer prints 0.3 inches per second in standard mode but only half an inch per second in vivid mode. Using Standard mode, the device prints 0.5” by 3.5” mono address labels in 3.5 seconds.
In fact, you’ll get 12 cut labels per minute if you take the cutting process into account. Is this fast enough? Even though it isn’t the fastest device, it produces good printing results with an average speed.
The VC-500W seems like a good choice if you are using your printer for creative projects despite faster print speeds with monochrome prints. Especially if high-quality prints are not a concern, you may need to switch to Standard mode.
Mac & Windows Compatible: Our Score 9.0 Out of 10
A huge advantage of the VC-500W is that it isn’t only compatible with smartphones but also with desktop computers. It is possible to design and create labels on Windows and iOS computers by using P-Touch Editor.
Software & Connectivity: Our Score 8.0 Out of 10
Mobile devices can easily print directly from the VC-500W with the help of a wireless network. With Wi-Fi and Wireless Direct, you can use this device to connect to a network and share content on it from your tablet or smartphone.
A bonus is that this printer utilizes AirPrint technology for wireless printing. Once you have designed photos, labels, or stickers on your iPhone or iPad, you can directly print them using an app that supports AirPrint.
As for apps and software, the Brother iPrint&Scan app is included as well as the label editing application. You can edit your labels with countless elements, including backgrounds, fonts, art, frames, etc., with this free app.
Further, the VC-500W is compatible with the P-touch Editor, which lets you print labels with a variety of professional designs directly from a Mac or Windows computer. It offers a number of conveniences, including the ability to manage organizational, business, and office tasks.
What We Like
- Constructed with a compact and sturdy design
- Excellent quality of output
- The printer does not require ink cartridges
- Creates color labels in a variety of sizes
- Four label width options
- The print speed is reasonable
What We Don’t Like
- There is no battery
Note: The Brother VC-500W is a versatile, compact color label and photo printer that creates professional quality results. It features a new and improved print head and produces vibrant, long-lasting labels and photos. This new printer from Brother is perfect for home users and office environments alike.
Final Words
While label printers have been around for quite some time now, the Brother VC-500W label printer is a unique product that is able to print off high quality labels and photos, making it a strong contender in the label printing market.
If you are in the market for a label printer that can print color labels, Brother’s VC-500W label printer is excellent. It has an attractive price, comes with an auto-cutter, and can print on continuous length label rolls. Photo printing is possible, too, and can look quite good. The VC-500W label printer would be an excellent addition to any workspace or small office environment.