What does a commercial kitchen labelling system cost to run, month to month?
Most labelling suppliers will tell you a headline price. Fewer will tell you what the month actually looks like once labels, replacements and everything else are counted.
Here's the full picture for Labl.it, and a list of the questions you should ask any other supplier before committing to their system.
The subscription
£34 per month on a rolling monthly plan, or £28 per month on the annual plan. Both exclude VAT. That works out at around 92p a day on the annual rate.
Pricing is per device, not per site. A kitchen running two devices pays for two. A 50-site group pays the same per-device rate as a single restaurant, with bulk and enterprise rates available through our Enterprise Account Executive.
What that covers:
The device itself, with no separate hardware purchase
Warranty cover for as long as your subscription is active
Next-working-day replacement under our 24-hour hot-swap
Software updates and new features, added monthly
UK-based support, 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, with live chat outside those hours
Unlimited products in your back office
Labels
Labels are the one genuine consumable, and they're charged separately.
£1.95 per roll excluding VAT for single height labels - 40mm, 180 labels per roll, suitable for prep and shorter ingredient lists. Double height rolls (80mm, 90 labels) are available for longer PPDS declarations at the same price.
Delivery is free, and labels are reordered directly from the device or the back office using the payment method already on your account. No purchase orders, no minimum quantities to hit.
Thermal printing means there's no ink, no cartridges and no second consumable to budget for. It’s also worth noting that our labels are cheaper per label than the leading industry equivalent*, and that’s before you factor in bulk discounts and freebies we occasionally chuck in.
What your monthly total actually looks like
Take your label volume and add it to the subscription.
A single-site kitchen printing around 1,200 labels a month gets through roughly seven single-height rolls, so labels come to about £13.65. Add the £28 annual-plan subscription and you're at around £42 a month excluding VAT for one device.
Your own figure will differ with prep volume and whether you use double-height labels for PPDS, but the structure is the same: one fixed subscription per device, plus labels at the rate you use them.
What isn't included
We want to be transparent about this, since a running-cost article that only lists inclusions isn't much use to anybody.
Accidental damage: Warranty cover applies while you're subscribed, but repairs for accidental damage and loss fall outside of it and are chargeable. We only charge what it costs us to repair the device, we don’t charge for labour or delivery/ return costs, and you never have to be without a device because we send you one the next working day regardless of how yours was damaged.
VAT: All prices above exclude it, but almost all of our customers turnover more than the VAT threshold anyway, so this cost is negligible.
Additional devices: A second device is a second subscription.
Questions to ask any other supplier
Running costs are where labelling quotes differ most, and the differences don't always appear in the headline figure.
Is pricing per device or per site, and what happens when you add one?
Is the hardware included, or purchased separately up front?
What's the cost per label, and are you tied to the supplier's own rolls?
Does the printer need ink or any second consumable?
What does a replacement device cost when one fails, and how long does it take?
Are software updates included, or charged as an upgrade?
What's the minimum contract term, and what does cancelling involve?
That last one matters more than it looks.
Cancelling
Labl.it has no mandatory long-term contract. Cancellation takes effect at your renewal date: the end of your current month on a monthly plan, or the end of the paid year on an annual plan. We don’t want to keep you locked into a system that isn’t working for you financially.
The annual plan is £6 a month cheaper per device because you're committing for twelve months. The monthly plan costs more for the flexibility of leaving sooner.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a commercial kitchen labelling system cost per month?
Labl.it is £34 per month on a rolling monthly plan or £28 on the annual plan, both excluding VAT and priced per device. Labels are charged separately at £1.95 per roll.
Is the device included in the price?
Yes. There's no upfront hardware cost and no separate purchase, the device comes as part of the subscription.
How much do labels cost?
£1.95 per roll excluding VAT for 180 single-height labels, with free delivery. Double-height rolls are available for longer ingredient declarations, also £1.95 per roll.
Do I pay per site or per device?
Per device. A site running two devices pays two subscriptions. Bulk and enterprise pricing is arranged through our Enterprise Account Executive.
Are there any hidden costs?
Labels and VAT sit outside the subscription, and repairs for accidental damage or loss are chargeable. Everything else, infinite warranty**, replacements, updates, support, is included.
Am I locked into a contract?
No. Cancellation applies from your renewal date, meaning the end of the current month on a monthly plan or the end of the paid year on an annual plan.
Does it need ink?
No. Thermal printing means labels are the only consumable.
See the real figure for your kitchen
The only number that matters is yours, and it depends on how much you actually print.
Try Labl.it free for 14 days, with five label rolls included, and see what a normal week costs you. If it isn't right, return it in the prepaid box at no cost.
*Nisbets 500x Labels £6.99, Labl.it 500x Labels £5.41
**Warranty excludes accidental damage repairs and loss. Infinite warranty requires active Labl.it subscription
