Designing and maintaining a product label can be a daunting task. Label design should be professional and attractive while delivering all the information required for purchase.
To create an effective label, factors such as readability, typographic pairing, alignment, and colour grading must be considered. With so much to think about, the label-designing process can be expensive, time-consuming, and frustrating.
Therefore, businesses and individual users often seek label printing software to simplify and automate the label design process. But with more than 25 label printing software on the market, it can be hard to decide which label design and print software are the best.
To help you decide, we’ve compiled a list of the five best label printing software programs for 2023. Each of these programs offers a unique set of key features and benefits, so be sure to read through all of them before making your final decision.
Here is a quick overview of the five best label printing software programs for 2023.
Aside from selecting label design and printing software, business owners must also know how to choose a suitable thermal printer. Our thermal printer buyers guide will teach you everything you need to know about finding the best thermal printer for your business.
Please note we have used USD as the pricing guide as most of these companies base their pricing on USD which is updated frequently to local currency.
BarTender is our top choice for the best label printing program.
BarTender is a desktop-based application owned by Seagull Scientific. BarTender also offers a mobile application that can be used to print labels directly from your mobile computer or smartphone. However, the app is currently available only for Android devices.
Even though BarTender is intended for professional designers, its intuitive design tools and helpful setup wizards make label design easy, even for beginners.
The software is equipped with BarTender’s Intelligent Templates, a library of pre-designed label templates that can be easily customized for any application. BarTender’s unique workflow increases team productivity and helps project managers control label quality and compliance.
BarTender also offers many options for data entry and integration. Data can be entered manually or imported from back-end systems and data sources like ERP, financial, data warehouse WMS, HR, TMS, and weighing scales.
Additionally, it can source label data from over 20 databases, including SQL, Excel Online, and QuickBooks Online. BarTender contains features that automates commerce operations and help with inventory management and operational processes.
BarTender enables users to generate anything from basic serial numbers to complex custom serialization sequences. It can even encode RFID inlays, smart cards, and magnetic strips as efficiently as it creates barcodes.
With support for RFID, printing to thermal printers (thermal transfer and direct thermal printers), and the ability to connect to more than 6,800 printer models, BarTender is undoubtedly the most versatile label design software in the market.
BarTender offers a 30-day free trial, allowing you to test all the software’s features before you buy it.
The software can generate both 1D and 2D barcodes. It includes the following barcode symbologies.
BarTender has the following system requirements.
Minimum Requirements | Recommended Requirements | |
|---|---|---|
RAM | 4 GB (32-bit),
8 GB (64-bit)
| 4 GB (32-bit),
8 GB (64-bit)
|
Available Disk Space
| 20 GB
| 20 GB, SSD
|
Operating System
| Windows: 11,10;
Windows Server: 2022, 2019, 2016
| Windows: 11,10;
Windows Server: 2022, 2019, 2016
|
Microsoft .NET Framework
| Microsoft .NET Framework Version 4.7.2 or newer.
| Latest Microsoft .NET Framework version.
|
Display
| 1024 x 768
| 1920 x 1080
|
Seagull Scientific offers four different editions of BarTender: Starter, Professional, Automation, and Enterprise. The edition you need depends on the complexity of your printing operations and business needs. For a full comparison between different BarTender editions, please visit our BarTender software home page.
Triton is proud to offer BarTender software as part of its label printing solutions. We offer all four BarTender editions, namely, Starter Edition, Professional Edition, Automation Edition and Enterprise Edition, at very competitive prices.
Not only do we have competitively priced BarTender software, but we also provide a wide range of label hardware and print consumables that you need to get started with your label printing needs.
We provide a range of thermal printers from top manufacturers such as Honeywell, Zebra and TSC. We also offer a variety of barcode scanners, including mobile terminals, general barcode scanners, rugged barcode scanners and fixed scanners & sensors.
If you have any product or pricing queries or need help deciding which one is right for you – just hit us up via the live chat widget below. Our friendly team of experts will be more than happy to help you.
LabelJoy is an advanced barcode labeling and printing software. It is a desktop application that needs to be downloaded and installed on your computer. The software is available for Windows only.
LabelJoy is intended for professional designers, yet it is also simple enough for beginners to use. Labeljoy’s interface is based on the “What You See Is What You Get” principle. This principle means that what you design on the screen is exactly what you’ll get when you print the label.
The software offers a library of free label templates that can be customized to fit your needs. It has 4,500 categorized clipart, different fonts, textures, and other graphic design effects. You can also upload your images and logos and use them in designing professional labels.
Additionally, LabelJoy can link texts, barcodes, and images to external data sources like Excel, Access, Outlook, Sendblaster, CSV, txt, wk1-2-3, SQL Server, MySql, and Oracle.
LabelJoy supports both 1D and 2D barcode symbologies.
It can print the following 1D barcodes.
It can print the following 2D barcodes.
LabelJoy requires the following system specifications.
Minimum Requirements | Recommended Requirements | |
|---|---|---|
CPU | 1 GHz Processor
| 3 GHz Processor
|
RAM | 128 MB
| 2 GB
|
Available Disk Space
| 50 MB
| 100 MB
|
Operating System
| Windows: 11,10,8.1,8;
Windows Server:2019, 2016
| Windows: 11,10,8.1,8;
Windows Server:2019, 2016
|
Display | 1024 x 768
| 1280 x 1024
|
LabelJoy offers its software in three different pricing plans: Single License, Multi License, and Subscription Model.
The Single License plan has three options: Basic, Full, and Server.
Click here for an in-depth comparison between Single License plans.
Multi-License Package includes.
The Subscription Model renews every 12 months. It costs US$59 for the Basic version, US$79 for the Full version, and US$199 for the Server version.
Loftware NiceLabel is a desktop label printing software. It has a Microsoft Word-like interface which makes it easy to use. Unfortunately, it is available only for Windows.
With NiceLabel, you can design labels with barcodes, RFID tags, and variable data. In addition to built-in printing features, this label program includes document management and web-printing functions for the entire label creation process. These features are beneficial for printing businesses and e-commerce businesses.
Loftware NiceLabel is equipped with new and updated printer drivers. This makes the software compatible with all major brands of printers, including Zebra, Honeywell, Datamax, and TSC.
Loftware NiceLabel can create both 1D and 2D barcode symbologies.
It supports the following 1D barcodes.
It supports the following 2D barcodes.
Loftware NiceLabel has the following system requirements.
Minimum Requirements | Recommended Requirements | |
|---|---|---|
CPU | Intel or compatible x86 family processor.
| Intel or compatible x86 family quad-core processor.
|
RAM
| 4 GB
| 8 GB
|
Available Disk Space
| 5 GB
| 20 GB, SSD
|
Operating System
| Windows: 11,10,8.1;
Windows Server: 2022, 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
| Windows: 11,10,8.1;
Windows Server: 2022, 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
|
Microsoft .NET Framework
| Microsoft .NET Framework Version 4.7.2 or newer.
| Latest Microsoft .NET Framework version.
|
Display | 1366 × 768
| 1920 x 1080
|
The software is available in three pricing plans: Designer Express, Designer Pro, and PowerForms Suite. These are one-time purchase plans with no subscription fees.
Designer Express plan costs US$355.
Designer Pro plan costs US$595.
PowerForms Suite costs US$1495.
Apart from the paid plans, Loftware NiceLabel offers a free trial of their software. The free trial is valid for 30 days and includes all the features of the paid plans.
Maestro Label Designer is another web-based online label designing software. It was created by OnlineLabels.com, a US-based printing company specializing in designing and printing labels.
Maestro Label Designer comes pre-loaded with various features that make label designing easy. It offers a wide selection of templates, clip art, stickers, shapes, and fonts.
Maestro Label Designer has a free suite of integrated generator tools. With these tools, you can create custom barcode labels, tapered labels, QR codes, nutrition labels, and GHS labels.
Maestro Label Designer also offers a service called “Let Us Print.” With this service, OnlineLabels.com will optimize and print your custom label designs. You can select the type of paper, finish, and quantity you need.
The software can generate the following barcodes.
Maestro Label Designer does not show pricing on their website. However, they are two ways to use the software.
The first option is Free Trial mode. In this mode, you will have watermarks printed on all of your designs.
The second option is called Free with Purchase. To use this mode, you must make a label purchase of US$9.95 or more from OnlineLabels.com. When you do this, you will receive a unique activation code that will unlock the software.
Canva is a web-based online design platform. Canvas requires a web browser and an active Internet connection. It also has mobile apps for both Android and iOS devices.
Canva is a toolbox for all your design needs. It is beloved by designers for its simple drag-and-drop interface. With a library of ready-made templates, shapes, images, stickers, and fonts, you can quickly create professional-looking labels – even if you’ve never designed anything.
However, keep in mind that Canva does not have a barcode generator or editor tool.
Canva offers a free plan and two paid subscription plans (called Canva Pro & Canva for Teams). It also has a 30-day free trial for Pro & Teams.
The free plan offers 250,000+ templates, 100+ design types, and 5 GB of cloud storage. The free plan is ideal for small businesses and growing businesses.
Canva Pro offers 610,000+ premium templates, brand kits, 1TB of cloud storage, and premium features like background remover and magic resize. It costs US$9.99 per user per month if billed annually and US$12.95 per user per month if billed monthly.
Canva for Teams offers all of the features of Canva Pro. It costs US$12.49 for the first five users per month if billed annually and US$14.99 for the first five users per month if billed monthly.
There you have it, 5 of the best label printing software available today. All of these software have their unique features and benefits that make them stand out from the rest.
There are many factors to consider when choosing the right label printing software for your business needs. But by considering factors such as features, ease of use, and price, you can narrow down your options to find the best label printing program for your specific needs.
We highly recommend using BarTender label printing software for your business needs. It is the most comprehensive label design software available and can be tailored to fit any business size or need. With so many features, support for 100+ barcode symbologies, and the ability to connect to 6000+ printer models, BarTender is sure to meet all your label printing needs.
We hope this list has helped you narrow your choices and find the best label printing software for your business needs.
Happy printing!
Auckland
Christchurch
Phone 09 579 2057
Live Chat – Widget below
Auckland
Christchurch
Phone 09 579 2057
Live Chat – Widget below
