First of all, I am not going to get into depth on all of the settings and option differences. That would just take too long. There are a few minor programming differences in the setup screens but overall they don’t amount to much. The PX-900 has a few options that are not available on the PX-700 but for the average user, you wouldn’t miss it. You might want to look at the online user manual for the 900 and see if anything really jumps out at you as a “gotta have”, then see if the 700 does not offer that option. But any of these differences would be deep in the specialty settings and hard to find in the first place. To sum it up, the 900 does everything that the 700 does with a few bonuses, but the 700 does most of everything that the 900 does that you are ever likely to want. I personally love extra options in a device, even if I am never likely to use them. But I can honestly say that there was nothing in the settings arena for these two that would even remotely make me second guess buying the less expensive model.
One small thing that I did notice, which was more of a curiosity than anything, occurred when I was printing three lines of text on a 1/2" tape. The 700 would automatically default to a larger 10 point font size while the 900 would use a smaller 8 point. The 10 point printing was perfectly clear, and obviously there is room on a 1/2" tape for the larger font since the 700 can do it. Yet for some reason the 900 would not allow the larger text, no matter how much I tried to tweak the settings. That was just strange. The 900 is supposed to have a higher resolution capability so it seemed counter-intuitive that the less capable machine would be able to fit more into the same space.
As far as capability goes, the 900 can print on tapes up to 1-1/2” while the 700 tops out at 1”. That is really the take-home for that category. So far I haven’t really noticed a remarkable difference in the print resolution but if you are going to do a lot of graphics or barcodes that might be a consideration.
Moving on to physical characteristics: The 900 has a larger top end to it to allow for the larger tape sizes. I find that makes it somewhat more top-heavy and awkward to hold when using it. I prefer the 700 from an ergonomic standpoint. They both have the exact same number and arrangement of the keys, but the keys on the 900 are slightly larger and take up more space. Normally that would be an advantage but I did not find that to be the case. BOTH of these machines have VERY sensitive keys and you really have to pay attention to what you are typing so that you don’t inadvertently bump an adjacent button and enter an extra character. The 900 has flat buttons while the 700 buttons are slightly rounded at the top, making them easier to center under your fingertip and type accurately. I like the 700 better in this aspect even though the 900’s keys are larger targets and more spread out. I would have liked the 900 design better if they had used the smaller, rounded keys and just used the extra room to increase the space between them. Making the buttons a little more “clicky” and less “mushy” would help too. The tactile feedback of the buttons on both models could be improved greatly.
I would definitely recommend buying the combo kit for either model, with the case and the lithium battery. The cases are the same for both and are well-designed with well thought-out storage areas for extra tape cartridges. I currently have two 1-1/2” cartridges in one box along with a 1”, a 3/4" and a 1/2". Add to that the cartridge which stays in the printer and I have a total of six in there. The charger and cords fit easily into the recess designed for them and I could even get a couple more tape cartridges on top of that space if I wanted to. There is nothing that annoys me more than buying something with a case only to find that I still have to have a separate tool box to carry the accessories that you KNOW are going to be added at some point. There is a space for an extra battery too. Now, absolutely none of you reading this are wondering about this detail right now but I will mention it anyway: I said the 700 is smaller than the 900 didn’t I? Same case? Smaller printer? Isn’t it going to be rattling around in there? Nope! The case that comes with the 700 has a foam strip in there to take up the extra space and it fits snug as a bug. Big kudos to the guy that designed the case. Give that man a raise!
The magnet “feet” that come with the kit are kinda cool. I don’t really use them that much but I could definitely see the advantage if you were labeling metal racks in a warehouse or something. They have good strength to hold the printer on a vertical metal surface and have their own dedicated storage space in the box. Here is the kicker: You don’t have to take them off to get the printer back in the case! It still fits! Again, two big thumbs-up for the case guy!
So that leaves the battery. You can’t go wrong with a rechargeable lithium ion. They hold their charge in storage and the printer is designed to use this battery. It’s not some clunky afterthought that you have to jam into a battery compartment that was not designed for it. It charges with the supplied power cord without having to remove the battery from the printer and, BTW, the printer will work just fine with no batteries using the power cord alone. You can still use AA batteries if you want to but I don’t know why anyone would. I have had too many devices gunked up or destroyed by leaking Dumacell batteries or, to a slightly lesser extent, Energreazers. Those guys have serious quality control problems. If you have to use AA’s I would suggest the 鶹 brand. I have not had any of those leak on me yet. Even the cheap generic batteries that come with some devices are better than Dumacells. I will probably get edited for mentioning name brands but if you suck you suck and Dumacell sucks. (end rant)
Hope that was helpful. If I had it all to do over again I would probably still buy both the 700 and the 900 just because I’m weird like that. But if I had to pick just one I would go with the 700. For the price difference you don’t really get much more unless you absolutely HAVE to have labels that are bigger than 1 inch. Even then you could print two and stack them. The tape cartridges prices are comparable to the P-Touch brand that I graduated from and they seem to be easier to find in supply. Win-win for Epson. Well done.
Oh, almost forgot… I bought both of these from “BuyHeatShrink and More” here on 鶹. The shipping was very fast and the packaging was good. They even threw in a little sample chunk of heat shrink tubing with their logo printed on it. Freebies are always nice.
| Controller type | Android |
|---|---|
| Printer media size maximum | 1.5 inches (36mm) |
| Included components | LW-PX900PCD printer, A/C Adapter, Lithium-ion battery, USB Cable, Label Editor Software Download, Magnetic Attatchments, Guide, 212BWPX, Black Industrial Hard Case |
| Print media | Labels |
| Scanner type | Portable |
| Display type | LCD |
| Compatible devices | Smartphones |
| Maximum colour print resolution | 1200 dpi or higher |
| Sheet size | 36 millimeters |
| Maximum black and white print resolution | 35 dpi |
| Colour depth | 24 bpp |
| Dual-sided printing | No |
| Maximum copies per run | 500 |
| Manufacturer | Epson LabelWorks |
| Place of Business | Epson LabelWorks |
| Model | LW-PX900PCD |
| Part Number | LW-PX900PARENT |
| Memory storage capacity | 64 MB |
| Number of Processors | 1 |
| Hardware interface | USB |
| Ink Color | Red |
| Scanner Resolution | 600 x 600 |
| Special features | Portable |
| Number of Items | 9 |
| Batteries included | No |
| Batteries Required | No |
| Battery Cell Composition | Lithium Ion |
| Total USB Ports | 1 |
| Material Type | ABS + TPU |
| Form Factor | Printer |
| Manufacturer | Epson LabelWorks |
| Item model number | LW-PX900PCD |
| Product Dimensions | 29.49 x 13.59 x 9.7 cm; 3.4 kg |
| ASIN | B08JQP8LF9 |
