Compact shipping label printers, otherwise known as thermal printers, are essential for small to medium business owners. The latest RW401AP model from Munbyn enters the market as a Wifi option with an external label holster, for easy switching of various shapes and sizes. The printer works flawlessly with the Munbyn app which includes several templates and designs that you can utilize and start to transform the way you do shipping. Overall this fairly basic printer performs well and does so relatively quickly.
- Printer Output: Monochrome
- Printer Type: Thermal
- Connectivity Technology: USB, WiFi Direct, AirPrint
- Duplex Printing: No
The Munbyn RW401AP is a fast, versatile thermal printer and is great for small business owners looking to ship items to customers. Furthermore, the app and ability to customize small stickers can really add a bit of flare to your overall branding and shipping process.
- Clear prints with 300 DPI resolution
- AirPrint works flawlessly with a Mac setup
- Munbyn’s app adds a lot of versatility to this model, with a variety of pre-designed sticker templates
- Prints fast
- For shipping labels only you may want a more traditional solution
- Voice commands seem a bit pointless
What’s in the box & initial setup
- Power Cable
- Power Adapter
- USB Cable
- USB Flash Drive
- TC Adapter
- 10x Test Labels
- Manual
The setup was very straightforward, you power the printer, connect it via USB to the PC (not required), download the app, and connect to wifi. Once connected the device will remember the wifi settings and connect itself the majority of the time. A paper holding tray is not required for shipping labels but is a requirement for smaller labels on a reel. Once everything is in the right place you need to open the top panel of the printer and feed in the start of your labels. The printer will then align the paper properly and can be calibrated if needed. Once done, you are ready to print or perform a test print.
You can connect the printer to wifi and print whatever you like via the Munbyn app but if connected to a network via your device you should be able to access the printer like any other device too.
Design
Traditional thermal printers like this tend to be very boring in design, with a greater emphasis on function. Munbyn has gone beyond with the RW401AP, with it not only available in different colorways (pink and blue) but also coming with interesting features such as voice activation. I’ll be honest, I had no real need for voice commands when printing but being able to reset and turn off without moving has its advantages.
One of the main selling points behind this printer is its compact, sleek chassis. The printer is 8.66 x 6.3 x 4.53 inches and weighs around 1.5 KG. It will fit on most desks but there is some extra room required for your labels and the holster. While most traditional label printers will print from an internal roll, this needs feeding from the back.
As mentioned the model we have here is the Airprint/ Wifi unit. There is also a wifi-only version you can pay extra for if more suited to your needs. The Munbyn can connect wirelessly to 10 devices and during my testing I never noticed any delay or connection interruptions.
Printing results & speed
We have a 300 DPI print quality on the Munbyn, which is about what you would expect from a thermal printer. The focus is more on the clarity of the prints and their speed. Comparing this against the Dymo 4XL, the clarity is more or less the same when printing a shipping label in PDF format. I found the clarity decreases in other file formats slightly but overall results were perfectly fine. Munbyn also states labels have been tested to work with Royal Mail, DPD, Evri, Yodel, and more.
You can print on a variety of shapes and sizes with this model able to hand media widths of 1.57″ ~ 4.3″ (40mm ~ 110mm). Everything from your classic 4×6 labels to smaller circular labels prints fine. When changing between sizes you need to manually adjust the slider inside the printer and make sure everything is aligned before re-calibrating. I found this to be the best way to ensure great results with minimal wastage.
On the product listing Munbyn states this can print up to 4800 labels per hour, something I’m not willing to completely test. When printing a single 4×6 shipping label in PDF format it took around 10 seconds. This dropped on average when printing 5 copies with a total print time of 25 seconds. This is fast and when properly setup can work just as well as your classic thermal printers.
Software & App
I mostly used the app while testing out the RW401AP and found it would be a great addition to any small business owner’s branding. Small stickers thanking the customer for purchase are the main example to go with here but there are multiple templates to choose from. Everything from birthdays to events like Valentine’s Day has been thought of. You can, however, just upload your own designs or logo and add a bit of flavor to that rather boring cardboard box, letter, or anything else that wants a sticker.
Screenshot of a mobile phone displaying a dpd shipping label printed by Munbyn RW401AP, with a barcode and tracking number, intended for preview and review.
Mobile screen display of a greeting card app with categorized tabs for various occasions like birthday and holiday cards, and a user interface with saved favorites and options to review each card.
Screenshot of the Munbyn RW401AP mobile app interface showcasing quick function options, a print history button, and recommended label printer templates including ‘thank you’ designs.
Munbyn also provides free label converter software, which will enable you to instantly convert an 8×11 label to a 4×6.
Specifications
| Color | Blue, Pink |
| Connectivity Technology | AirPrint/WI-FI/USB |
| Resolution | 300 DPI |
| Print media | Thermal Labels |
| Printer Output | Monochrome |
| Printer Technology | Direct Thermal Printing |
| Special Features | Portable & Wireless & Desktop |
| Wireless Communication Technology | WI-FI |
| Item Dimensions | 8.66 x 6.3 x 4.53 inches |
| Operating System | Chrome/Mac/Windows |
| Media Width | 1.57″ ~ 4.3″ (40mm ~ 110mm) |
Is the Munbyn RealWriter 401 worth it?
MUNBYN RW401AP Label Printer
Printer Output
Monochrome
Printer Type
Thermal
Connectivity Technology
USB, WiFi Direct, AirPrint
Duplex Printing
No
If you are starting up a small business and want an easy way to print labels, the Munbyn RealWriter 401 is worth it. Not only can you print your shipping labels fast but you can use the app to create a more personalized touch on your shipments.
