I have recently acquired 2 Hillpow thermal printers, It works as a ESC/POS without any issue. However, I want use one of it as general purpose label printer, anyone knows of a label printer software that can drive it?
I donāt think there is any free label software available but probably a quick google search would confirm that.
Since it supports ESC/POS you could print labels directly from SambaPOS
I have a Hillpow and itās just a typical generic Chinese printer.
Yeah and they donāt make label printers.
There are some special thermal receipt printers (Epson have some) that can also print on labels, but itās not a standard feature.
@WingoLED if you have the 58mm one and you are going by what is said here http://www.hillpow.com/2016/11/28/58mm-usb-thermal-receipt-printer/ that is misleading, they just copied and pasted some keywords on there to likely get more traffic. Even it says the printer has bluetooth, but clearly it hasnāt and is just a basic cheap thermal receipt printer.
I got the 80mm ones. Looks like I have to a buy separate brother QL to do general labeling then, but I hate so many different printers taking up all the precise USB ports of a lab top and space on my desk. 
My main question is not whether it can print on labels for which it does - I placed label rolls in the printer and it does work to a certain degree. My main concern is that it seems like it is ONLY an ESC/POS printer and cannot be used with label printing software such as the p-Touch from Brother. With p-Touch, I can copy and paste a graphics then add couple words on it and print. When I need to print a simple text say ā25 feetā, I can just type ā25 Feetā in the software and print again. So the more precise question is there any label printing software that knows how to drive a ESC/POS printer to print graphics and such.
āPicture of a Banana Splitā
Banana Bubble Tea with Ice Cream
$2.99
1 Sugar 2 Milk
So you only use this printer only as a POS printer I assume and have you tried other modes(does it even have other modes, LOL)?
No i have only used as a pos printer. It only has basic generic drivers. I doubt it would ever print labels with other software.
Itās a very generic Chinese printer that has generic drivers.
You can print image in escpos ā¦ Either with BMP tag or using printer NVRam and XCT codeā¦
Your issue with labels if not continuous label roll will be registration from one label to the next as most roll printers use whatever length is needed but roll labels need to know the spacing etc.
Many brother label rolls have registration marks on back so printer knows when the labels start and stopā¦
You say about multiple printers taking up desk space but what else is the solution? Your not going to keep swapping the roll from receipt to label are you? So you need two printersā¦ No?
1 Like
Yes and no to your question.
I basically only test the POS functions when I am at home developing the V5 templates at this point while I frequently print labels for whatever reasons such as ā25 ft Cat6ā, āThis is Sugar not Saltā, āThis box goes to NYā hehe. Therefore, I rather switch media once a while.
However, when I am at the restaurant or my workshop, of course I am using separate printer for separate jobs. The Hillpows along with other printers will finally be deployed in the restaurant .
What makes it a label printer though?
Thermal printers are based on similar techā¦ As mark said these types of Chinese printers are often poorly described and if deploying multiple just be sure you not paying more for just a rebranded model you can get unbranded for less.
I usually just use basic Chinese printers and usually just look at the āstyleā and price.
By style I mean the design as youāll find that they look similar they posibly come from the exact same factory and have same drivers disc etc and your just paying more for a sticker with a name on itā¦
Here is the one I have.
I had always wondered if you could just put labels into a thermal receipt printerā¦ I always thought the thickness might be an issue, or the labels might get jammed, but as JTR says they use the same tech as typical label printers.
One thing is if your labels currently have registration marks or āblack marksā on the back, pretty much every thermal printer I have used has support for aligning paper to black marks, even the very cheap ones. There will usually be a method to calibrate the printer to use black marks, just check the manual or online.
I use glue stick and regular paper because Iām cheap lol, I rarely have to label,
4 Likes
The Hillpow P2 I have is the same as the one kendash has, even though I pay $4 more 
I put generic labels that I mod for use in Brother QL - Brother QL seal the labels into a rack with punch holes on the rack, not the roll, to ID what labels are supposed to be there.
The print side of the Brother QL Labels are inside while most if not ALL POS thermal receipt roll are on the outside. So far, I do not have any paper(label) jam with the Hillpow P2. Note, my labels are continuous ones, not pre cut, so it would present an issue peeling inside the printer. Finally, both the Hillpow and the Brother are auto cut so no need for the pre cut ones.
I also own a Zebra in my factory, it uses its own Zebra language and thus not compatible to most of what I am using at home and the proposed restaurant. It looks like it may have used the black marking on the backings are registration marks.
Finally, I also own several Postek, the thermal transfer one comes with a label printing software(hmm, may be I should try this software, maybe it has a ESC/POS mode too). This one has sensors to tell the beginning location of the pre cut labels(it does not need the registration marks on the roll). Other Posteks are most likely just ESC/POS printers compatible to the Epson POS printer.
Interestingly, if you go shopping Brother QLs from Amazon, the ads show you they print on the top but ALL QLs I have print on the bottom sideā¦ 
2 Likes
Iām sure I remember seeing someone using a zebra printer in the forum,ā¦ They were using what looked like coordinate style for layout.