Quick answer: Labels are generated in KORONA's back office, and you have two ways to get them onto paper: send them to a label printer, or produce a PDF and print it from another computer. That second option matters more than it sounds — it means you are not locked to a printer sitting next to the till, and it makes the compatibility question much easier.
For a shop labelling stock at a counter or back office, the NBBP-9250D (4-inch desktop, 203dpi, USB / LAN / Wi-Fi, standard Windows drivers) is the practical choice. Settle your label size before you order a box of rolls — that is where the money gets wasted.
Where labels come from
Unlike receipts, labels are a back-office job in KORONA. You set up the label layout, select which products need labels, and print — either directly to a label printer, or as a PDF you print elsewhere. KORONA's material describes printing pricing and shelving labels from the back office, with the PDF route available if you would rather print from another computer.
Two practical consequences:
- The label printer does not have to be at the till. Labelling happens when stock arrives, not during a sale. A back-office or stockroom printer is often the better placement.
- The PDF route makes compatibility a non-question. If the labels come out as a PDF, any printer with a working driver will print them. That is the safe path when you are unsure.
Do you need one at all?
Worth checking before spending anything:
| Situation | Label printer needed? |
|---|---|
| You sell packaged goods that already carry UPC/EAN barcodes | No. Scan the manufacturer's barcode. |
| You need shelf-edge price labels | Yes — this is the common case for KORONA's retail users |
| You sell loose, unpackaged or repacked goods | Yes — each item needs its own scannable code |
| You run promotions with changing prices | Yes — and this is what makes it a recurring job rather than a one-off |
| Food business needing prep or expiry labels | Yes, often a regulatory requirement |
Shelf labels are the honest answer for most convenience, liquor and grocery operations running KORONA. It is not glamorous, and it is the difference between a shelf that matches the till and one that does not — which is a customer dispute waiting to happen.
Direct thermal or thermal transfer?
| Direct thermal | Thermal transfer | |
|---|---|---|
| Consumables | Label only | Label + ribbon |
| Print life | Months; fades with heat, light and friction | Years |
| Right for | Shelf and price labels, fast-moving stock, promotions | Asset tags, warehouse, anything in sun or heat |
For shelf labels that get replaced when prices change, direct thermal is the right economics — no ribbon to buy or store. Use thermal transfer where a label has to stay legible for a year or sits in a sunlit window.
One practical note for US retailers: a shelf label in a south-facing storefront will fade faster than the same label in the back of the shop. If your window display carries priced items, that is a case for thermal transfer even when the rest of the store is direct thermal.
Getting the label size right the first time
This is where most of the frustration — and most of the wasted money — lives. Three things have to agree: the physical label you buy, the size configured on the printer, and the layout KORONA generates. When they disagree you get content shifted off the label, clipped edges, or a blank label fed between each print.
The step to not skip:
Print one label. Scan it with the scanner you actually use at the till. Then order a box.
A barcode can print beautifully and scan unreliably — usually because it has been squeezed narrower than the scanner's minimum bar width. Our scanners resolve to 4mil, which reads a tightly printed 203dpi label, but if you are printing small shelf tags, tell us the dimensions and we will confirm the combination rather than let you find out on label three thousand.
Related: our KORONA barcode scanner guide covers the scanning side, including why 2D matters more than people expect in US retail.
NETBYE models
| Model | Type | Print width | Resolution | Speed | Interfaces | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NBBP-9250D | 4″ desktop | 25–100mm | 203dpi | 160mm/s | USB / LAN / BT / Wi-Fi | Batch labelling at counter or back office |
| NBBP-P581 | Portable | 48mm | 203 / 300dpi | 50–90mm/s | USB-C / Bluetooth | Re-pricing on the shop floor |
Both accept TSPL and ESC/POS commands. The NBBP-9250D installs with standard Windows drivers covering Win7 through Win11 and macOS, which is what the PDF route needs. Browse the barcode label printer range or the desktop models.
Ordering advice for KORONA: specify USB for the simplest driver path, and tell us your label dimensions so we can confirm the roll before you order. The portable P581 is a companion to a desktop unit — useful for re-pricing a few shelves, not for printing a batch of 500.
Frequently asked questions
Which label printer works with KORONA POS?
If you use the PDF route, any printer with a working driver — the operating system handles it. For sending labels directly to a printer, confirm the specific configuration with KORONA; their hardware material references Zebra label printers among the options they supply.
Can I print labels from a different computer than the till?
Yes — KORONA can produce the labels as a PDF for printing elsewhere. Since labelling is a back-office batch job rather than a per-sale action, this is often the better arrangement.
Can the receipt printer print product labels?
No. A receipt printer uses continuous non-adhesive paper with no gap sensor, so it cannot tell where one label ends and the next begins.
My labels print off-centre or a blank label feeds each time.
The configured label size does not match the physical roll. Fix in that order: roll dimensions first, then the printer configuration, then the KORONA layout.
The barcode prints but will not scan.
Usually the bars have been squeezed below the scanner's minimum width. Print at a larger size, or use a scanner with finer resolution. Test with the scanner you actually use, not a phone app.
Direct thermal or thermal transfer for shelf labels?
Direct thermal for labels that change with prices and promotions. Thermal transfer if they sit in sunlight or need to last a year.
A note on this guide. The printer side above — direct thermal versus transfer, print widths, label sizing, scan reliability — is what we know from the products we supply. The KORONA-specific parts, including back-office label generation and the PDF option, are drawn from KORONA's published support material; we have not tested our label printers against a direct KORONA print configuration, so if that is your intended route, ask us for a sample and validate it before ordering a batch. Menus change between releases, so confirm current details with KORONA. If something here did not match your installation, tell us and we will correct this page. We would rather publish something accurate than something impressive.
Get pricing
NETBYE supplies distributors, system integrators and retailers worldwide. Our label printers are built by our partner factories in Shenzhen and sold under our own model range — we handle specification, quality control and support, so you deal with one supplier rather than several factories. Direct wholesale pricing, low MOQ on first orders, and OEM/ODM covering branding, packaging and firmware defaults.
Tell us your label dimensions, what quantity, which country and how long labels need to stay legible, and you will get an accurate quote in one reply — including which of direct thermal or thermal transfer actually suits your case. Request a quote.
Related guides
These guides form a set. If you are specifying a complete till, the other hardware for KORONA POS is covered here:
- Receipt printer for KORONA POS
- Barcode scanner for KORONA POS
- Cash drawer for KORONA POS
- POS terminal for KORONA POS
And if you are comparing across POS software, the same hardware for other systems: