Customer Reviews

Dymo LabelWriter Twin Turbo (69115)

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I got this labeler for use in a small office, primarily for file folder and address labels. Text quality - at a mere 300 dpi - is hardly gorgeous, but adequate for labeling needs. Labels are smear-proof, and I have never had a problem with printed labels darkening from exposure to hot mailing equipment, copy machines, or the like.

The Twin Turbo is essentially two 400 Turbo units in one chassis. By including two printers in one unit, DYMO has more than doubled the utility of the printer for me. This unit replaces an older LabelWriter which saw little use due to the hassle of changing out (and thereby wasting) label rolls. The TT allows you to pick from the left or right printer roll from either the application or the print dialogue box, and it remembers which side you specified for a particular label size.

Although a true full-speed USB 2.0 device, the TT is plenty fast connected to a USB 1.1 interface. The cable is included. (Why can't all printers do that?!)

The Macintosh OS X (only - sorry, no Classic!) software is ported directly from the Windows version. Not surprisingly, it is therefore a little bit kludgy and inelegant, but usable with only a very modest learning curve. Users of prior versions of the Dymo software may, like me, miss some options like full justification, and find other commands, options, and preferences have gotten buried in obscure corners of the application. The included clip art library is lame, and setting up a good looking label takes some trial and error. Nevertheless, once you have configured your standard labels you'll never again have to hassle with sheet labels, and shooting out a single label or 100 at a time is almost one-click easy.

The drivers work flawlessly, and the installer automatically launches the Add a Printer utility. The Mac software appears to be PPC only right now; I advise checking the Dymo website if you want or need a Universal Binary version for an Intel-based Mac. By default, the application installs at root level and requires an administrator password to install.

The majority of the support documentation is included as a PDF launchable from within the DYMO Label application. Again, the manual is Windows-centric, but usable for the Mac version.

The biggest drawback is the unit lacks an On/Off switch, and does not automatically go into a sleep state like most modern printers. What this means for the user is the unit's two rather annoyingly bright blue LED ready lights are constantly lit. I find this distracting and had to place the machine out of my line of sight. At least the unit does play nicely with Mac 'deep sleep' mode on a G4 PowerMac. The power cord comes in two sections totaling a good 10' (with a smallish adapter brick in the middle) so at least you can place the unit practically anywhere.

Finally, I advise shopping around. I was able to find this unit for under $150 shipped, and that easily beat the cost of buying two of the DYMO (non-Turbo) 400s.

Pros:
* Included USB cable and long power cord
* Macintosh Driver works well
* Decent value for money, dual printers add utility

Cons:
* Lacks on/off switch
* Somewhat marginal print quality
* Application interface lacks polish, no Universal Binary support (yet)

I was skeptical about buying the Twin Turbo. We had to create about 1500 new file labels on a project. We also wanted to have 2 types of label formats available without having to change the label spool each time. Enter the Twin Turbo.
This is a great product. Fast, Clean and Sharp.

NOTE: 1 tip. Make sure that when you load the labels that you keep the spool of labels tight with no slack. Feed the labels into the printer very tightly. This will eliminate errors and line erros.

GREAT PRODUCT!!

Have had the unit for a few weeks and have not found any flaws or experienced any problems. Setup and Installation was painless; integration with Microsoft Office applications automatic and trouble-free.

First, the printer itself is a thermal printer which means no ink or toner is ever needed. Printing can only be done in black but the Dymo product brochure lists options for custom-printed full-color labels including custom sizes.

The unit operates instantly and quietly (makes the same amount of noise as any other thermal printer I have ever used). The printer occupies about half the desk space as a small inkjet printer and is relatively attractive. Two blue LED lights are quite bright and may be slightly distracting.

The unit does NOT have a power on/off switch either on the machine itself or on the power transformer. The printer does come with it's own power transformer AND a USB cable. The connection ports for both are located on the underside and the base has molded cable outlets so the unit sits properly flat on a table or desk. Due to the lack of a power on/off switch and the bright blue LED lights, I keep my unit unplugged when not in use and makes me glad that my primary power strip/surge protector is mounted on the wall at desk level for easy access to the plug.

I have had no troubles with printing performance, label loading and feeding or with changing labels.

DYMO includes an information sheet/order form that lists 40 different label options that are compatible with all of their LabelWriter products. The smallest labels are half inch by half inch and the largest shipping labels are 3inches by 4 inches.
So far I have used up one roll of the big shipping labels and have tested out the internet postage labels and some of the smaller sizes. Labels for sticking directly to CD/DVD disks are available but I have not tested these yet. Labels for VHS tapes and audio cassette tapes are also available as well as small return address and file folder labels. The device can even print directly onto non-adhesive name badges.

So far I do not have any complaints with the software. The main label software integrates with Microsoft Office applications so I can print labels without having to open the Dymo software separately. For USA addresses, there is software to correct addresses and automatically add the USPS bar code to your labels. The software cannot correct non-USA addresses. My only complaint is that I want the city name to be all capital letters but that does not seem to be allowed thru the address fixer software.

I used to hand-write as many as 60 shipping labels per week, so my primary reason for purchasing this machine is to print shipping labels. I also plan to use it for internet postage soon. My third reason is to print retail price labels and the fourth is to print labels for CD/DVD disk, audio cassette tapes, and VHS Tapes. The wide assortment of stock labels makes doing all these tasks possible even tho it means keeping an inventory of several different types of labels and switching rolls of labels quite often. Now I no longer need to print labels on entire sheets of labels , tho I do expect to continue to do that using my ink jet printer when I have large jobs to do. Also, since I can print individual price tag-sized labels I no longer need to buy a hand-held retail price gun, so that is a good savings for me since price guns cost a lot of money when bought new.

I purchased Dymo LabelWriter Twin Turbo from Amazon.com for much less than the standard list price. I have also found a reputable online vendor who sells almost all of the label varieties for prices below what you pay direct from DYMO or from retail Office Supply stores. I also purchased a one year extended warranty from the NEW Corporation thru Amazon (same outfit that does service plans for many retailers like ToysRUs, Office Depot). The price of the service plan was US $18 so if I have trouble I can get them correctly quickly and without extra cost to me.

One last thing, Dymo does not seem to offer any small hand-held input devices, so this unit must always be connected to a PC.
I did not test this to see if it works over a network as a shared device and did not see any information about that in the printer documentation.

There may be other brands of labels that will work with this DYMO machine but I have not tried them. The DYMO machines seem to utilize a small slot in the label backing paper for proper alignment of the next label, so be sure that any other brand of thermal labels you try has a similar slot (like IBM punch card hole).

I like my LabelWriter Twin Turbo and have no regrets about buying it. If I had extra cash to throw around, I would purchase a second unit so I wouldn't have to switch between labels so often. I use my unit daily for many tasks and I always smile when using it.

I have purchased a Brother QL-550 over a year ago. I wasn't happy with it, so now I have purchased Dymo TwinTurbo. I use it to print address labels from Outlook and other types of directly from Excel or Word. Here is my take. The software is great but make sure you download the latest software from Dymo website and don't use the software that comes in the Box. Here are the major differences between the Brother Product and Dymo. Both have the capability to print postage (I don't use it for postage). The Dymo has over 40 different label types brother has about 20. You can find generic Dymo label for cheaper. I haven't found brother generic labels and labels are expensive especially when you use it allot. The Brother labels come with a disposable plastic Label spool therefore it's quicker to load the labels into the printer. Also the printer knows what type of labels is loaded in the printer and passes that information to the software. The Dymo LabelWriter has a reusable label spool you have to put the roll of label onto the spool and then load the printer (small learning curve) and the software doesn't know what types of labels are loaded. The QL-550 also has an auto cutter but that isn't a necessity since the Dymo has a cutting blade and you just need to pull and it would cut the label for you. I find the Dymo software user friendly and like it better than Brothers software. The Add-In for Word, Excel and Outlook allows you to print directly from their respective program; Brother Add-In opens the Brother Label program to do it. Also Dymo Add-In lets you correct mailing address. I have called tech support they answered my call quickly. Dymo Setup in a Secure/Network setting is better and easier. In short I think the Dymo is a better buy I suggest getting the Twin and or Duo so you won't need to change labels that often. I find even the Brother it not very convenient to switch the label often since you would have to load and feed the labels.

I really wanted a label printer. I was about to spend hundreds of dollars on one of the many "industrial grade" retail receipt printers when I stumbled across a dual printer for under $200.00. I ordered it on Oct 22nd from PC Universe in Florida - It arrived 2 weeks later (another frustrating story - the delay may be Hurricane Wilma related). The printer set-up went "okay," but when it was suggested in a pop-up window that I should REGISTER the product there was an error: "electronic connection problems." This occurred each day for 4-5 days as I fired up the computer. Immediately, I'd check my DSL - all was fine.

I have a serious problem with this product... The right roll on the Turbo would start spewing out labels (expensive heat sensitive labels) at random times. For the first 4 days I was able to "catch" this, slam OPEN the cover and rip the virgin labels on the spool side so as to save the roll from being completely used up. The labels that were ejected were printed with a Self-Test pattern of lines making the labels completely useless. I went to the Dymo Support Website and there was NO document about this no matter how I searched their database. Looking at the install book, I noted that the customer service is a long distance call (however - is there any more long distance? - guess that's not a serious issue) and they have limited hours - never at night when you are frustrated! Today it happened again and I am very annoyed to have to set up the printer on a daily basis to save my labels from harm. Anyway I called Tech Support today and a man (American - not an off-shore service - I think) said that DYMO is having issues with the Internet Registration (I wondered out loud: "Should a multi-day problem be on their website?" like a DSL ISP will post issues? - at least they talked to me without me being in their database - that would have been a Catch-22!). I may never become a registered buyer at this rate.

I explained the major issue with the right spool wanting to waste an entire roll of labels. He instructed me to grasp the front panel and "pop" it off. I did this. He said that the decorative cover may be pressing on the form-feed button causing the problem. He assured me that if I re-install the cover now that the problem would be solved - it was not. It's raining in Los Angeles today and I am in the office all day. It started up again. I lost another dozen labels. Then I decided to remove the cover and leave it off. I resigned myself to a label printer without a cover (not very attractive) and then minutes ago it just happened again! I've had it! I didn't want to type this up on the web - but I remember Dymo from when I was a kid in the early 1960's - they've had a while to get their act together. If not the product - at least their Tech Support section of their website. I still cannot believe that the Tech Guy who fielded my call said this is a common problem and the website doesn't "own up" to this. I'd gladly take a firmware update to disable "Self Test!" As it is, I suppose this unit is going to have to go back. If I were to keep it I'd essentially have a single Dymo Printer ($89 - $99 anywhere) as the Left Roll has never exhibited this random, frustrating, wasteful behavior. Guess I have more days of frustration. PROs - the tech did promise to send me a replacement roll of labels without fuss on his part when I asked.

I was thinking about buying this but checked out the retail cost of the stamp labels. It works out to about 13.5 cents per stamp on top of the cost of the stamp. Is it really worth that much money to be able to print out a stamp?

I had the single roll model and just recently upgraded to this version. I ONLY use this printer for postage. When I have air mail packages I weigh them in my postage software (Dymo Stamps does not do this) and then print.

When I need priority mail stamps I print them in a free software that comes with the printer.

I print maybe 50 stamps a week and i've only had the printer jam once. This was when I had accidently forgot to secure the roll correctly!

10-26-2008 UPDATE:

This thing has been working non-stop since 2006. Almost zero problems. Had a label jam a few times, but that's about it. I just wish this had a power saving mode, but it doesn't.

3-2-2010 UPDATE:

This thing has been used in my office since 2006 and is still going strong. Zero major problems. The only problems i've had with it is when using generic labels. You often get them online from certain companies when you THINK you are getting the real thing. I've learned my lesson from that though. Generic labels don't seem to work as well. I know some people may find that hard to believe. Perhaps Dymo has a way to prevent people using generic labels? Who knows.

A great product here. The dual printers allow for less down time when switching between label types - a great asset when frequently jumping between two label types. This machine is fast, quiet, and (so far) reliable. I replaced a Turbo 330 with this - the 330 was fast, but loud and very temperamental. This is a giant leap over the previous generation.

I would have preferred an RJ45 jack on this machine, but life is all about trade offs.....

Dymo is the first company I found that offered a way to print pendaflex tab inserts. I had been using a Sharpie pen for 20 years to organize my files. The Dymo is so easy to use and the tabs look SO PROFESSIONAL it dramatically streamlined the organization of my home office and made tax prep so much easier -- I could easily file & retrieve everything. It was a pleasure to open my file drawer -- so neat & organized. It was so easy to make files that I didn't mind at all -- so I filed everything. I started with the Labelwriter 330 alternating tab inserts and shipping labels. Then I bought a 2nd one for my office at work (to organize my files and print professional shipping labels instead of hand writing them). However, it was a little inconvenient to switch rolls -- from tab inserts to labels -- so when the LabelWriter Twin Turbo came out, I bought it for my home office and took the other 2 to work. Then I discovered that the TwinTurbo can print stamps. What a huge time saver. The software is excellent. I set up an account in a few minutes. The website and software for the stamps was well designed & intuitive. The result: I feel organized and efficient at home and at work. The only negative would be the cost of the labels. I recall they are about $12 a roll -- but there are several web sites where you can find them for less -- like LabelCity. I have found rolls on sale at office supply places like like Office Max and Staples also. I rate this machine as INDISPENSIBLE for anyone who values being organized and professional.

I have used a Dymo 330 turbo for many years and always loved it.
Then I heard about the Twin Turbo with it's ability to print postage and decided it was time to upgrade. It was well worth the price. I can now not only print labels, but also print postage, all without changing labels rolls. And since Dymo is sponsoring a postage with no additional fees system, it makes it that much nicer. I would highly recommend this product!