Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

TL;DR (to long; didn't read) 1. Networked, but not wireless. 2. Dymo website doesn't list labels that work in this printer. 3. Says you must use their USB cable. Is it not generic? 4. Giant, power-hungry power supply 5. Software must be downloaded. Not listed on website as described in printed instructions. 6. Not prompted to register as printed instructions described. 7. Manual not available through Help menu as printed instructions described. 8. Seems to be finicky about network cables. 9. Address book no longer available in software. 10. "Recents" list no longer available in software. 11. Feature to import addresses from Google didn't work. 12. In Windows taskbar, tab is labeled as "Untitled". 13. Super-bright, obnoxious light on front that never goes off. 14. Seems like Dymo isn't putting much work into their newer models. 15. And they've decide to orphan their older models [UPDATE] In addition to all the things I mentioned below, another feature missing from the new software is the "Recents" list from the old version. The Recents list showed a number of your recently printed labels, which could be recalled with a click if you needed to reprint or modify them. It stayed there even if you stopped and restarted the software. Very handy, now gone. In the Windows taskbar, the tab for the Dymo Connect software is labelled (!) as "Untitled". It really looks like the developers saw that their older "Dymo Label Software" wouldn't work with Windows 10 (it didn't) and threw something together so they would have software to drive their newer printers. But they left out anything difficult to save time and never went back to add what was missing, like the title on the taskbar And they haven't bothered to do a decent update to their website. Too make matters worse, they're going to orphan a lot of perfectly good printers because they're two lazy to add the drivers into the new software. All in all, this doesn't really bode well for the future of Dymo. ---- I decided to give my workhorse Dymo 330 Turbo to my mother and get myself a new one. A network connected Dymo 550 seemed like the right choice. I got it last month, but I'm just now getting ready for a trip to mom's, and so just setting up the new 550. First disappointment: In an age when the lights over my desk and all through the house, and the soap dispenser by my sink, are all wireless, it just didn't occur to me that a network printer would require an actual wired connection to the network. If your router is downstairs and your office is up (say, spare bedroom), and your house isn't wired with network cables and you use wireless throughout, like so many, you're going to be doing a lot of running up and down stairs to get labels. Really guys. I mean, my outdoor thermometer is wireless and it cost something like $15.99, not $143. I went to the Dymo website to look for labels, and all the labels that I looked at say they are for the Laserwriter 440 and such, but they don't say that they're for the 550. I'm pretty sure that the others will work, but it you're going to sell a new product, take a few minutes to update the supply listings on your website to match. And while we're talking about this being a new product, pretty much the top of their line, the USB cable that comes with it is USB-A to USB-B, not USB-C to USB-C. And the manual says, "Use only a DYMO USB cable with part number 1997364, available from Customer Support if you do not already have one." Does that mean that it's not a standard USB cable? Or are they blatantly trying to get people to buy their cable even though we all have a bunch of the old USB-A/USB-B cables stuffed in drawers (that came with our wireless printers)? The power brick that comes with the printer is twice the size (physical size) of the 65w one that's powering my laptop. And the AC draw for the power supply is 1.5 amps max, so somewhere around 165w max. My Epson Workforce only draws 19w when it's scanning and printing a full page. Even allowing for the little thermal printing element, it seems excessive. The setup instructions say to go to the website and download the "Dymo Connect for Desktop" software. I didn't see any listing for that software on the site. I did figure out that their software was under the "Explore Resources and Guides" link, and was labeled in the 2nd subtitle as "DCD Windows." Again, really guys. You don't pay by the letter on the internet. Splurge a little. Spell it out (or abbreviate it in the instructions you send with the printer). Save your poor customer a few minutes getting to bed. The instructions said I'd be prompted to register after I downloaded and started the software. Didn't happen. They also said I'd find the 550 Series printer user guide under the help menu. What was there was the 440 Series guide. Back to the website to download the right printer manual. Once installed, I then powered up the printer (as instructed). It didn't appear when the software searched for it. Eventually figured out that the printer didn't like the Cat 5 cable I'd used. I used that one because I figured it was a "known good" cable, as I took it off of my Epson printer that it's been hooked to years. New cable and now the 550 appears. Went looking to see how to bring over the address book I had in the Dymo software I used with the trusty Labelwriter 330. Didn't see anything that helped, so back to the website, where I found in the FAQ that the new software can't use the Dymo address book. Bummer. But they say it can import contacts from Google or Excel. I gave it permission to access my Google contacts, which Google confirmed with an email. But nope, no contacts imported. I tried several times, to no avail. I'll be cutting and pasting a lot. The printer has a super bright white LED on the front. I haven't used the printer in over 2 hours and it's still on, shining out to all the ships at sea. I guess I'm happy that it isn't in the spare bedroom. And while I was on the website looking for help importing contacts, I saw a link to a compatibility chart for printers and software. I checked it out and found that Dymo has decided that my trusty 330 does not deserve a longer life, even though it's still going strong. It won't be supported in Windows 11. Knowing that I'll have to trash a perfectly good printer, if I can't find a work-around, is probably why I'm being so picky about their setup process. But that's also what happens when installing a printer after midnight and the greatest obstacle is the printer company itself. Maybe I'll warm to it. But not until after I've found a different brand of label printer to replace the 330 at my mom's house.