Free ribbon calculator
Barcode ribbon calculator: how many labels does one roll print?
Labels per roll = roll length in mm ÷ (label height + gap), rounded down. A 300 m roll with a 50 mm label and a 3 mm gap prints about 5,660 labels (300,000 ÷ 53). The ribbon should be at least as wide as the label, usually a few millimetres wider. Results are approximate.
Enter your label and roll sizes
The figures update as you type. Measure the label height along the direction it feeds through the printer, and the width across it.
Labels per roll
5,660
300,000 mm ÷ (50 + 3) mm = 5,660.37, rounded down.
Rolls needed per month
9
50,000 ÷ 5,660 = 8.83, rounded up to whole rolls.
Ribbon width to order
At least 100 mm
Usually a few mm wider than the label, and never wider than your printer's maximum ribbon width.
Codewell slits custom widths from 25 to 160 mm.
Results are approximate. Printers can advance ribbon a little differently, and any ribbon-saving mode changes the count. Treat the figures as a planning estimate.
Worked example: 50 mm label, 3 mm gap, 300 m roll
A label 100 mm wide and 50 mm high (along the feed), with a 3 mm gap, printed on a 300 m ribbon roll, at 50,000 labels a month.
- Label pitch: 50 mm height + 3 mm gap = 53 mm of ribbon for each label.
- Roll length in mm: 300 m × 1,000 = 300,000 mm.
- Labels per roll: 300,000 ÷ 53 = 5,660.37, rounded down to 5,660. A part label does not count.
- Rolls per month: 50,000 ÷ 5,660 = 8.83, rounded up to 9 rolls.
- Ribbon width: a 100 mm wide label takes a ribbon at least 100 mm wide, usually a few millimetres wider, and never wider than your printer's maximum.
Which roll lengths you can use depends on the printer. Many desktop models take shorter rolls and industrial models take longer ones, so check the ribbon size chart before you choose a length.
Ribbon calculator: common questions
How many labels does one ribbon roll print?+
Divide the roll length in millimetres by the label height plus the gap, then round down. A 300 m roll is 300,000 mm, so a 50 mm label with a 3 mm gap (53 mm in all) gives about 5,660 labels. The calculator above does the sum for your sizes, and the answer is approximate.
What ribbon width do I need for my label?+
The ribbon should be at least as wide as the label, and usually a few millimetres wider, never narrower. For a 100 mm wide label that means at least 100 mm. Do not go wider than your printer's maximum ribbon width. Codewell slits custom widths from 25 to 160 mm.
Does the gap between labels count?+
Yes. In normal printing the ribbon travels with the label backing, so each label uses its height plus the gap that follows it. Leaving the gap out overstates the count: in the worked example, ignoring the 3 mm gap would give 6,000 labels instead of 5,660. Measure the gap on your own label roll.
Why does my real count differ from the calculator?+
The calculator is arithmetic on the sizes you enter. Real counts differ when the printer advances the ribbon a little differently, when a ribbon-saving mode is switched on, or when the height or gap you entered is slightly off. An error of a millimetre or two on a 53 mm pitch moves the count by roughly 100 to 200 labels on a 300 m roll. For a firm figure, count the labels from a finished roll.
Next steps
Want these rolls cut to your size?
Send us your label size, printer and monthly quantity. We slit custom widths from 25 to 160 mm and lengths from 50 to 600 m, with no minimum order on standard sizes, same-day dispatch on standard sizes and free delivery in India. A sample roll is free.