Niimbot B21 is a smart, stylish label printer that has quickly become an essential tool in my home—right alongside my trusty Brother P-touch. I’ve owned a Brother P-touch label printer for about 7–8 years now, and I can confidently say it’s one of the most reliable home gadgets I’ve ever had. It’s survived multiple drops during decluttering sessions and still works—though the charging cable gave out, so now I rely on batteries to operate it.
When my daughter started Primary 1 this year, I began labelling all her new files and textbooks with the Brother printer. Everything was going smoothly until I got to her Mandarin textbooks and workbooks… That’s when I realized my Brother P-touch printer couldn’t print Chinese characters.
I thought about handwriting her name—but let’s be honest, the mom in me needed it to match everything else perfectly.
Then I remembered my best friend was gifted this label printer that could print Chinese characters—and it didn’t take much to convince me to get one for myself. The price was reasonable, and it looked incredibly straightforward and user-friendly. I looked up the brand and found that Niimbot is a well-established tech brand based in China, known for its wide range of smart label printers designed for both personal and commercial use. With millions of users worldwide and a strong presence across major online marketplaces, Niimbot has built a reputation for creating affordable, user-friendly devices.
I’m not exactly gadget-savvy. Unless something has a simple on/off button, I usually need to flip through the instruction manuals a few times (unlike my spouse, who somehow just “figures things out”). But with the Niimbot, I only skimmed the manual—just to learn how to load the rolls—and was able to get started almost immediately.
This post isn’t meant to be a “Niimbot B21 vs Brother P-touch” post—though I’ll drop some comparisons along the way. It’s really about why I love the Niimbot B21, because good things are meant to be shared.
Brother P-touch PT-D210 (right)
Table of Contents
1) The Niimbot B21: Small, Stylish, Smart
The Niimbot B21 is a sleek, compact, and aesthetically pleasing label printer designed for anyone who wants a hassle-free yet highly customizable labelling experience.
One of its standout features is wireless Bluetooth connectivity, allowing you to print directly from your smartphone using the Niimbot app—no computer or complicated setup required. The app itself is intuitive and beginner-friendly, making label creation a breeze.
What really sets the Niimbot B21 apart is its support for multiple fonts, icons, symbols, and languages. If your phone can type it, Niimbot can print it—which was one of the biggest reasons I decided to add it to my labelling tools, alongside my trusty Brother. Whether you’re organizing your pantry, labelling gifts, or creating tags in different languages, this label printer truly delivers.
Highlights:
- Bluetooth-enabled, app-controlled
- Supports multiple languages (yes, even Mandarin!)
- Customizable labels: fonts, icons, images, templates
- Sleek, minimalist design
2) Setup in Minutes: Why This Tech-Rookie Mom Loves It
Setting up the Niimbot B21 was surprisingly quick and painless. All I had to do was:
- Download the Niimbot app
- Pair the device via Bluetooth
- Load the tape roll (Niimbot auto-detects the tape type/size)
- Start designing my labels within minutes
The app interface is clean and user-friendly, featuring intuitive drag-and-drop tools, templates, and a library of fonts and icons. It’s honestly so much more modern and efficient than traditional label makers. That said, I still turn to my Brother P-touch for quick, no-frills labelling when I need something super plain/basic.
Watch how fast it is for me to get started with the Niimbot B21:
3) Print Quality and Label Customization: It’s Like Label Art
The level of customization through the Niimbot app is impressive—it’s essentially a blank canvas. You can mix and match fonts, symbols, and layout styles with ease. You can also insert your own images/graphics (I recommend finding high quality vector clip-arts with a white/transparent background).
Niimbot also offers a wide range of label tapes in different sizes, shapes, colors, and backgrounds. My favorite staples are the white rectangular and transparent ones, but they even make specialized labels for things like jewelry or glasses—perfect for small business owners.
The Brother P-touch, on the other hand, only offers one standard label shape in various widths and colors. One of my gripes with it is the tape wastage—there’s always too much blank space at the beginning and end of each printed label. It’s hard to compare the long-term cost since the Niimbot charges by label count and the Brother by tape length.
Each Niimbot tape has its own specifications listed under “label paper details.” Most of mine are waterproof, abrasion-resistant, and sticky enough (yet allows you to peel off and reposition) for my usage. For what it’s worth, the Brother P-touch labels peel off cleanly too.
Both devices use thermal printing, so no ink is required—just pop in the tape and print. Print quality is sharp and clean. I also appreciate that Niimbot allows you to adjust print density, which helps darken the print if needed. Both the Niimbot B21 and Brother P-touch may struggle slightly with printing more complex images or icons—especially when scaled down too small—but overall, I’d say they’re quite comparable in terms of clarity.
Highlights:
- Mix fonts, icons, and layouts
- Import images (great for logos or clip art)
- Waterproof and durable tapes in wide range of shapes/sizes/backgrounds
- Thermal printing (no ink needed), good print quality
Watch how I use Niimbot B21 with different tape rolls here:
4) Why Moms (and Small Biz Owners) Will Love It
The Niimbot B21 has genuinely become a household staple for me. If you’re a mom like me, you’re always labelling something. Also, because it’s app-based, I can foresee new templates and features rolling out over time—as long as Niimbot continues to update the software.
Compared to smaller models like the Niimbot D11, the B21 stands out with its ability to print larger labels, its more refined design (with a vintage touch), and its balance between functionality and ease of use. If you’re not using it commercially but still want flexibility, the B21 is a well-rounded, versatile option.
My Favorite Feature + Special Feature (Batch Printing!)
One thing I really love about it is the ability to save your designed labels under ‘My Templates’ for quick access and edits to frequently used labels—so you don’t have to recreate the entire label or worry about inconsistencies with previous prints. It’s ideal for moms who need to label everything from school supplies to pantry jars, as well as small business owners who want customizable product tags.
I love this cool function I discovered – batch printing – which may be super handy for small business owners (or for printing gift pack labels to 25 different kiddos). All you need to do is have your list of product info ready in an excel sheet and upload it into the Niimbot app:
In summary, the Niimbot B21 is especially helpful for:
- Moms labelling school gear, bottles, books, household items etc
- Small businesses creating product tags
- Batch printing (perfect for events or packaging)
- Consistent templates for repeated use
Some of my applications:
Final Thoughts: Niimbot vs Brother—Why I Use Both
My Brother P-touch is still incredibly fuss-free, and after so many years, I continue using it when I need a simple framed label and don’t want to fiddle with settings—like for basic organization. It also serves as a complementary tool to my Niimbot B21, as you’ve seen above.
But the Niimbot B21 has really earned its place in my household—it just fits into my lifestyle needs and keeps up with all the little things I need to organize. It’s practical, adaptable, and honestly, kind of a game-changer. The Brother P-touch label printer has definitely stood the test of time, and I’m confident that the Niimbot B21 will too.
Ready to label in style? Get your Niimbot B21 today and see the difference for yourself.
