When it comes to 8-inch color label printers, the Afinia L701 and the Epson CW-C6500 are two of the best on the market, but the Afinia L701 has the edge in terms of print quality, lowest total cost of ownership, and print speed. Today, we're going to take a closer look at their speed differences.

Why is the Afinia L701 Faster than the Epson CW-C6500?

When printing any label, including an 8-inch-wide label, the Afinia L701 prints at either 8 ips or 6 ips. The Epson printer actually gets slower as the label width increases because the printhead moves back and forth and takes multiple passes to print, especially at its highest resolution of 1200 x 1200 dpi.

The Afinia L701's secret speed weapon is its stationary Memjet printhead. Rather than mechanically moving the printhead back and forth across the label sheet as the C6500 does, the L701's page-wide printhead stays stationary, releasing the ink as the label sheet moves through it. End result? The Afinia L701 color inkjet label printer prints at 8 inches per second at 1600 x 800 dpi or 1600 x 1600 dpi at 6 inches per second compared to just 3.4 inches per second for the Epson CW-C6500at 300 x 600 dpi. The Epson CW-C6500 print speed drops drastically when you print 1200x1200 dpi to 0.2 inches per second.

That's not all. The Memjet printhead in the Afinia L701 only prints at 1600 dpi compared to 300 dpi to 1200 dpi on the Epson C6500, so you're getting noticeably sharper images and text from the Afinia. Finally, because it prints so much faster, the Afinia L701 allows you to print higher volumes without sacrificing print quality, meaning you can get your labels out the door faster.

Why Print Speed Matters

When you're looking for a color label printer, you most likely want to be able to print photographic quality images and colors. Therefore, 1200 dpi print resolution is a must, followed by printing speed, which together are the most important factors to consider. After all, if you can't keep up with your production demands, what's the point?

In many cases, faster print speeds come at the cost of print quality. In order to reach advertised print speeds, many printers need to be run in draft mode, which isn't practical for production purposes. With the Afinia L701, you can print at 1600 dpi at speeds of 6 or 8 inches per second. That means no more sacrificing print quality in order to keep up with your deadlines.

The ability to print more labels per minute translates into better productivity and lower costs for your business. The speed difference means you can print thousands more labels per hour with the Afinia L701, which can make a big difference when you're running a high-volume operation.

Print Speed is Only One Part of the Equation

While print speed is an important factor to consider when choosing a color label printer, it's not the only one. The L701 beats the Epson CW-C6500 on several fronts including speed, print quality, and ink costs.

See the Speed Difference in Action

To learn more about the Afinia L701 and how it can benefit your business, contact us today. We'll be happy to answer any questions you have and help you find the perfect printer for your needs.

free label sample to test the labels and get a free ink cost analysis. Send your design files and we will print samples on both printers. That way, you can see the difference between the dye inks and the pigment inks as well as the quality difference between 1600 dpi and 1200dpi. Even more importantly, watch the video below to see the speed difference between the two printers. Normally, you cannot judge print speed until after purchasing a printer. Avoid unpleasant surprises by watching the video below where we show both printers printing an 8” x 8” label at their highest resolution setting. You’ll see the Afinia L701 printing at 6 ips versus the Epson C6500 at just 0.20 ips.