When it comes to printing labels, speed is key. If you need to print a large number of them quickly, you need a printer that can handle the job. The Afinia L701 and the Epson CW-C6500 are two popular 8-inch  color label printers for printing large color labels and barcodes. But one is faster than the other. Spoiler alert: the Afinia L701 is multitudes faster than the Epson CW-C6500.

What the Manufacturers Say

If you look at the manufacturers' specs, you'll see speed ratings that, at first glance, look fairly comparable: about 8 ips (inches per second) on the L701 and up to 5 ips on the C6500. That said, you need to look at the fine print.

For the Afinia L701, the 8 ips print speed is for a 1600x800 dpi label of any width; the L701 can also print a 1600x1600 label of any width at 6 ips, which is its highest quality setting. For the  Epson CW-C6500, the 5 ips print speed is for a 300x600 dpi 3.5-inch label. As you can see, the print quality is much worse and the Epson's "draft" speed is slower than the Afinia's highest quality setting.

What Real-World Testing Says

We wanted to compare apples to apples as well as use the best print settings that most businesses would default to when printing their own product or consumer-facing labels. So, we printed identical 8-inch wide labels using both printers' highest print settings. Note that the Epson takes longer to print wide labels because its printhead must move back and forth across the entire expanse of the label. The Afinia L701 uses a stationary page-wide printhead, so label width doesn't negatively impact print speed.

Our real-world test results are astounding! The Afinia L701 prints 6 inches per second at its best resolution, which is 1600x1600dpi, while the Epson CW-C6500, at 1200dpi, prints the same 8-inch label at a sluggish 0.20 inches per second. In 60 seconds, the L701 can print 360 inches (30 feet) versus just 12 inches on the Epson CW-C6500. That's a 30 to 1 difference!

What it Means to You

The Afinia L701 is not only faster than the Epson CW-C6500, but it also prints at a higher quality. That's because the L701 uses Memjet technology with a stationary, page-wide printhead while the Epson CW-C6500 uses a much slower, moving printhead.

The Afinia L701's speed means that you can get your labels printed and on your products faster, so you can get them to market sooner.

If you're looking for a printer that can handle large printing jobs quickly, the Afinia L701 is the clear winner. With a print speed of up to 8 inches per second, it's multitudes faster than the Epson CW-C6500. In addition, it has better print quality and more vivid, photorealistic colors thanks to Memjet technology and dye-based inks.

See for Yourself

Check out the video below to see the Afinia L701 and Epson CW-C6500 in action. You can see how much faster the Afinia L701 is, even when printing at its highest quality setting.

If you're interested in seeing the print quality differences for yourself, we offer free label samples using your design file and both printers. Seeing is believing. Order your free label samples today.