When it comes to  8-inch color label printers, there are several options on the market in Canada. If you're looking for a color printer to replace a thermal black-and-white industrial printer, the Afinia L701 and Epson CW-C6500 are two great choices. They both look amazing on paper, but there are two major real-world differences between the two that you should be aware of before making a purchase: print quality and performance.

Print Quality Differences

First, most Canadian businesses looking to upgrade to color will want to consider print quality before anything else. After all, you're going to be using this printer to produce product and consumer-facing labels, and if the labels don't look good then it's not going to matter how fast the printer is.

In terms of print quality, the Afinia L701 definitely has an edge over the Epson CW-C6500. The images and colors produced by the L701 are simply more vibrant and true-to-life than those from the CW-C6500 due to the dye-based inks in the L701 and a higher dpi print resolution.

Performance Differences

The second major difference between these two printers is performance. The Afinia L701 is much faster than the Epson CW-C6500. We're talking thousands of feet per hour on the Afinia L701 versus just 60 feet per hour on the Epson CW-C6500! Here's how the speed difference breaks down when the two labels print the same 8-inch-wide label at the following print settings:

What About Draft Mode?

It's true, printers are much faster when using draft mode, but print quality suffers. While you may periodically use draft mode for testing purposes, businesses in Canada will likely want to print in high quality mode the majority of the time.

In short, the Afinia L701 with its higher print resolution, dye-based inks, and faster print speed is the better choice for businesses with high production volume printing needs. If you're looking for the highest quality labels possible, the L701 is also the better choice.

On the other hand, if you don't print a lot of labels and are looking for a low-cost color label printer for a home-based business in Canada, then the Epson CW-C6500 might be a better fit.

Afinia L701:

• Vibrant, true-to-life colors
• Dye-based inks
• 1600 dpi print resolution
• Fast print speed

Epson CW-C6500:

• More muted colors
• Pigment inks
• 1200 dpi
• Very slow print speed

Check Out the Real-World Differences for Yourself!

Watch the video below to see how much faster the Afinia L701 is than the Epson CW-C6500 when printing in high-quality mode. The difference is pretty amazing.

If you're still not sure which printer is right for your business, we recommend seeing the real-world differences for yourself. Order a free sample pack of labels from both printers and see which one you like better. We think you'll be impressed with the Afinia L701.