Most of us have run across an occasional need to label something. While handheld label printers can be handy for printing small, infrequent labels, a PC connected label printer is much easier to use, as you are able to use your keyboard, mouse and monitor, to design and view your label creations for printing. These PC connected label printers are also faster, usually produce higher quality text and graphics, are capable of printing barcodes, and can print much larger labels. This kind of printer allows the ability to print address and shipping labels, a variety of media labels, as well as several other specialty labels, including prepaid postage labels. While I love the portability of a handheld label printer, I definitely could not live without the versatility of a PC connected thermal label printer.

The Dymo LabelWriter 400 Turbo thermal label printer is really an amazing product. It is capable of printing an extremely wide assortment of labels, up to 2-1/4" in width, and high resolution text and graphics at an amazing speed. Another nice feature is the ability to print your own prepaid postage labels, right from your home or office. Other than a postage scale, the Dymo LabelWriter 400 Turbo kit comes with everything you need, to begin printing address and postage labels right away. The kit includes the following:

* Dymo LabelWriter 400 Turbo Thermal Printer
* Power Supply
* USB Connecting Cable
* Software CD (includes all needed software and complete User Guide)
* Quick Start Guide
* Address Labels (1 roll)
* DYMO Stamps Postage Labels (1 starter roll)
* Warranty and Registration Paperwork

Installation of the printer is a breeze. Once you have placed the printer on a flat surface, and connected the power supply, you simply insert the software CD-ROM into your PC, which must be running Windows 2000, XP, Vista, or Mac OS X (10.2.8 or later), and follow the simple on-screen directions. When prompted, plug the included USB cable from your computer to the thermal printer. Windows will detect the printer, and the printer drivers, which were installed from the CD-ROM, will automatically associate with the printer and allow Windows to communicate with it. The included Dymo LabelWriter software will allow you to select the type of labels you wish to customize and print, and the user interface is easy to understand and use. If you decided to install the included DYMO Stamps software, you will be prompted to setup a postage account with Endicia, an online postage service for buying and printing postage for USPS shipping. After setting up your account with Endicia, and adding a credit card number for your postage purchases, you will need to buy postage to add to your account. You can choose any dollar amount you wish to keep in your postage bank. Once your postage has been purchased, you can begin using the DYMO Stamps software to print your own postage labels. The software is useful for just about any class of postage, for envelopes and small packages, but as of the writing of this review, Priority Mail and Express Mail postage will need to be purchased and printed directly from the USPS website. The DYMO Stamps labels are used just like ordinary postage stamps, and can be printed with roughly any postage amount you need for your envelope or package. For regular First Class stamps you can print just one, or a batch of stamps to keep on hand for later use. Of course a postage scale really comes in handy, so you can weigh your envelopes and packages, to ensure you are printing the exact amount of postage on your labels that is needed for each shipment.

The print quality of the Dymo LabelWriter 400 Turbo is very crisp and easy to read, and it prints at lightning fast speed; up to 55 labels per minute. Some of the features and specifications of this thermal printer are as follows:

- Near silent, direct thermal printing means you never need ink or toner.
- Prints labels up to 2-1/4" wide.
- Print Speed = Up to 55 labels per minute
- 300 dpi print resolution produces crisp text, graphics, and barcodes.
- Connects to computer via USB cable (included)
- Compatible with both Windows PC and Macintosh platforms.
- Prints Code 39, Code 128, Codabar, UPS, A/E, EAN 8/13/125, ITF-14 and Interleaved 2 of 5 barcodes.
- Measurements: 4.25"-W x 7"-D x 5.25"-H
- Weight: 1 lbs.
- Includes add-ins for instant printing from Microsoft Word, Outlook, QuickBooks, ACT!, Goldmine, Palm Desktop (version 4 or later), WordPerfect, and more.
- Includes DYMO Address Fixer, which automatically checks addresses against the US Postal Service database, fixes errors and adds the 9-digital, ZIP+4 code to ensure faster mail delivery.
- Covered by a limited 2-year warranty, from the date of purchase.

This printer is compatible with an extremely wide variety of Dymo labels, all the way up to 2-1/4" in width. You can chose from a plethora of address labels, shipping labels, file folder labels, document management labels, media labels, name badges, receipt paper, as well as holiday and other specialty labels. Of course, as mentioned earlier, this printer can also print the special DYMO Stamps postage labels.

I have used the Dymo LabelWriter 400 Turbo thermal printer for several months now, and I honestly cannot find one thing wrong with this device. It is compact, easy to install, easy to use, and it prints any labels that I need very quickly and quietly. The included software is also very easy to install and use, and the DYMO Stamps software, although still not offering Priority and Express Mail capabilities, has been a pleasure to use and has saved me numerous trips to the local post office. I honestly cannot justify a rating of anything lower than a perfect 5 stars for this product. For anyone that is looking for a PC attached label printer, capable of printing an amazing variety of labels, and is also interested in purchasing and printing postage directly from their home or office PC, the Dymo LabelWriter 400 Turbo thermal label printer is an excellent product that I highly recommend.

For those that desire or need to print from two different rolls of labels, please consider the Dymo LabelWriter Twin Turbo. It is just as fast, just as quiet, and also includes the ability to print postage from a Windows or Macintosh PC. The only difference between the 400 Turbo and Twin Turbo models is the ability to store and print from two rolls of labels instead of a single roll. Please feel free to read my review of the DYMO LabelWriter Twin Turbo Label Printer. I use one for printing shipping and postage labels, while I use the 400 Turbo for printing my media labels. The Dymo LabelWriter Twin Turbo is another 5 star product that I highly recommend.