How Betckey Replacement Labels Compare to Brother and Dymo Branded Labels - Betckey Labels

Introduction

Thanks to all our supporters, Betckey has become one of the leading suppliers providing replacement labels compatible with Brother and Dymo printers. This year, we are continuing to grow even beyond our expectations. Many new and existing customers still ask us what the differences are between Betckey replacement labels and Brother or Dymo branded labels. In this blog, we will discuss how Betckey replacement labels perform compared to branded labels in terms of thickness, price, adhesive quality, and customer friendliness.

Betckey Disadvantages - The Thickness

 

First of all, we admit that Betckey labels are 15% thinner than Brother and Dymo branded labels in general. Check out the comparison chart below. The general thickness, including both the back paper and label (facestock + adhesive), of Betckey, Brother, and Dymo labels are 0.125mm, 0.148mm, and 0.155mm, respectively. Betckey labels are 15% thinner than branded labels.

For the backing paper, the data for the three brands are 0.050mm, 0.058mm, and 0.057mm, which don't show much difference. But the label part data are 0.075mm, 0.090mm, and 0.098mm, mainly caused by the facestock (excluding adhesive).

With the 15% thinner disadvantage, Betckey labels are less competitive in terms of scratch resistance and durability compared to branded labels. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean Betckey’s technology is worse because making labels thinner is harder than making them thicker. Thinner labels are more likely to break during the waste-discharge process during manufacture.

But why does Betckey intend to use a more complicated procedure to produce thinner labels? The answer is cost-effectiveness.

Betckey Advantages 1: Cost- effective

 

Price

Of course, Betckey is able to produce labels exactly like branded labels at a higher cost. But considering cost-effectiveness, our founder denies it. The first reason is very simple: price. If Betckey increases the label thickness by 15% in general, then the merchandise size and weight will increase with the same ratio, causing costs to rise by at least the same ratio for production, packaging, shipping, and storage. And these increased costs will ultimately be borne by the consumer.

The phrase "at least" indicates that the final cost and price may be higher than 15%. Package fulfillment companies charge shipping rates based on product size tiers instead of exact weight or size. In other words, even a 1-inch or 1-pound increase will push the product shipping rate to the next product size tier, resulting in a higher shipping rate with more than a 15% increase.

What's more, check out the prices on the chart. Branded labels are several times more expensive than Betckey replacement labels, instead of just 15%

Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility

For labels, once they reach a certain thickness or durability, the thicker they become, the lower the return. This phenomenon is known as the Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility. In terms of investment, it implies that as consumption increases, the additional utility gained from each extra unit decreases. In simpler terms, once a certain level is reached, more effort yields less gain. Consider the analogy of eating ice cream: after consuming a certain amount, each additional scoop brings less happiness. This principle applies to manufacturing as well.

In label production, a thickness of 0.125mm is already durable enough to withstand normal wear and tear during package handling and shipping. Labels may sustain damage in very rare situations, such as intentional scratching with a knife. While it's possible to increase durability by 15% by paying at least 15% more, this enhancement may still not withstand intentional scratches like those from a knife. Do customers really want to pay a 15% higher price for each roll if it still can't handle rare and extreme cases?

Betckey Advantages 2: Perforation

 

Another advantage of Betckey labels is their perforation, distinguishing them from Dymo branded labels. Brother printers feature an "auto-cut" function, eliminating the need for perforation to separate labels. However, Dymo labels lack this feature.

Unlike Dymo branded labels, which do not have perforation on all their label sizes, Betckey replacement labels include perforation on all sizes to assist users in easily separating labels when needed."

Betckey Advantages 3: Real No Glue Design

 The third advantage of Betckey replacement labels is the "No-glue Design" on the last label in a roll to avoid printer jams. Unlike all other brands, including Brother and Dymo branded labels, which use hot-melt adhesive to stick the last label in the roll, Betckey uses rotary force to make the last label "adhere" to the roll without hot-melt adhesive.

When using hot-melt adhesive, the adhesive may still be active when users print the last label, leaving residue that can cause the printer to jam. However, rotary force presents a different scenario. There is no residue on the core, so printers will not jam.

Betckey Advantages 4: Compatible with both US and International Versions

 

The last advantage of Betckey replacement labels is compatibility. Many of you know that there are two printer versions for Brother and Dymo branded labels: North American and International. Brother branded labels don’t have much difference between them, but Dymo labels do. For the North American version, Dymo labels only need index holes on the back paper to be identified by Dymo North American version printers. But for International version labels, there are both index holes and black sensor marks on the back paper because Dymo International version printers use two sensors to identify labels.

However, Betckey includes both index holes and black sensor marks in both market inventories so users are able to use labels compatible with their printer, whether North American version or International version. Do North American users or International users own printers that are not their market version? Yes!

Due to the exclusivity of Dymo's new generation 550 series and 5XL series that require RFID chips, all third-party labels and even Dymo's elder batch labels are not compatible with the new printers. So, many users shop for pre-owned 450 series and 4XL series printers online. And it is very common to receive a printer that is not their market version.

Unlike Dymo branded labels, Betckey replacement labels are compatible with both North American version and International version printers.

Draw- The Adhesive

 

One difference between Betckey replacement labels and branded labels is adhesive. One of the most significant features for evaluating adhesive is temperature range. We all know that storage temperature and operating temperature are totally different, but I couldn’t find reliable resources regarding the operating temperature of the two branded labels, so we can only compare storage temperatures.

The Betckey replacement labels have a storage temperature range of -80°C to 80°C, which is identical to Brother branded labels. Dymo branded labels have a storage temperature range of -65°F to 200°F, which equals -62°C to 93.3°C. In other words, both Betckey replacement labels adhesive and Brother branded labels adhesive have better low-temperature reliability, yet Dymo branded labels’ adhesive is better in extreme heat.

Conclusion

Compared to Brother and Dymo branded labels, Betckey replacement labels have advantages in cost-effectiveness, perforation, “No-glue” design, and compatibility. However, there is a drawback in storage temperature. The disadvantage of Betckey replacement labels is that they are 15% thinner than branded labels. But there is a trade-off for more thickness. Are customers really willing to pay a 15% higher price for more durability that they hardly use?

If so, then it’s time for Betckey to build a new high-end brand that provides exact or even better quality than branded labels.