Pitney Bowes PitneyShip Cube Review: The Best of Both Shipping Worlds?
From the shipping and mailing experts at Pitney Bowes, this unique shipping label printer aims to be the best of both worlds by including a scale on top. Did they pull it off?
Suppose you’re a small business, reseller, a stay-at-home parent with an Etsy shop that’s popping off, or just trying to ship packages the most efficient way possible. In that case, there are two things you’ll always need: a scale to determine the weight of said logistical cuboids and a printer to produce shipping labels. In this review, we’re looking at the new PitneyShip Cube. From the shipping and mailing experts at Pitney Bowes, this unique shipping label printer aims to be the best of both worlds by including a scale on top of the printer.
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A unique take on the shipping label printer, the PitneyShip Cube features a built-in 15lb scale on its top surface, 300 DPI output, and can print up to 40 crisp, clear labels per minute, making it a one-stop shop for small businesses sending mail or shipping goods.
- Built-in scale (up to 15 lbs.)
- Use any thermal label stock to print shipping labels.
- Print postage from the same software and label stock (with compatible label roll).
- The footprint is similar to other printers that hold their labels.
- Discounts up to 89% with PitneyShip software
- Print speed is fast (2.35 seconds)
- Wi-Fi connectivity
- Scale is only compatible with PitneyShip software.
- PitneyShip software has limited integration capabilities (only Amazon, eBay, and Shopify)
- Warranty is only 90 days (up to 1 year for extra $)
Unboxing Experience and Setup
The first thing I noticed when the PitneyShip Cube arrived was its bulk. The entire shipping package clocked in at just over 11 lbs., making it the beefiest of the shipping label printers I’ve had the opportunity to review so far. The packaging is well put together and would hold up well in an aggressive shipping situation.
Opening the box, I was greeted immediately with the getting started instructions and some safety information. The power supply and cable and a two-meter white USB cable were underneath.
Getting into the package to extract the printer was easy, too. Lifting out the top cardboard mold holding the printer revealed an off-white-and-grey cube. PB is nothing if not accurate in naming this device.
The hardware is where the bulk resides, and that’s comforting. The lid opens easily, but not so much that it feels flimsy. Pitney Bowes has also included foam spacers for the scale to ensure it doesn’t get damaged during shipping or depressed unnecessarily. I didn’t notice these immediately, but when I did, I appreciated having them there.
Looking at the unit by itself, you’d be mistaken for thinking it even has a scale. The weight-measuring surface up top blends in nicely, and you’ll likely be forgiven for thinking the goal was to have a neat two-tone design.
The provided roll of labels rests inside the printer. They’re not pre-loaded, so you’ll have to pull them out, un-tape them, and slot them in. Loading the labels is incredibly easy, in my opinion, since the PitneyShip Cube cuts complete labels.
It might not sound like a big deal, but if you’ve ever had to load labels into a thermal label printer that looks for marks to identify the separations, you’ll appreciate the more streamlined load-and-go process.
Following the setup instructions, I established a PitneyShip account and got the printer associated with it. You’ll need to download drivers for your computer if that’s how you choose to use it. I set up the Cube on macOS, and as of writing, no drivers were pre-installed on my machine.
Pitney Bowes tells me that’s something they’d like to fix, but it’s up to the major OS manufacturers (Microsoft and Apple) to include their drivers in future releases.
Software setup takes only a few minutes. For PitneyShip to communicate with the printer–you’ll need to run the Pitney Bowes DeviceHub software on your computer. The software is also a requirement for using the scale with PitneyShip.
Printing, Weighing, and the PitneyShip Software
Print speeds are quick at 2.35 seconds per label, from cut to cut. Removing the cutting from the measurement, we see a true-to-spec print speed of 1.5 seconds for a 4×6″ label (or four inches per second). I suspect the rated print speed is based on the latter measurement.
I ran several batches of 25 labels through the printer (outside of PitneyShip, for the most control over the test). Each label turned out practically the same speed as before and after. My measurements aren’t scientific (a stopwatch with a lap counter), but I’ll be damned if some intervals didn’t land identically.
None of the labels in the test batches came out any different than their siblings. Each was clear and easy to read, with no apparent faults or inconsistencies. The claim of printing at 300 DPI compared to other printers with similar price tags is nice, but I’m not sure I could tell enough of a difference to say that’s a must-have feature.
Test Measurements
Wired Print Tests
Wireless Printing Tests
Shipping Label (Test Print): 13.5 seconds
Shipping Label (Live Label): 13.3 seconds
Testing Notes
- The Cube was connected to a 5GHz wireless network.
- Print speed measurements were done on a mix of macOS and Windows hardware.
- The printer displayed as a Bixolon printer when configured to connect over Wi-Fi, compared to being represented as a Pitney Bowes printer when connected over USB. Bixolon is the company that manufactures the PitneyShip Cube and is also responsible for the networking hardware inside the device. I’m told Pitney Bowes is working to address that with the manufacturer.
Postage Printing
Replacement Label Rolls
The included roll of labels is Pitney Bowes item number SL-CB164. The roll has special UV treatment to be used as label stock for printing postage, a United States Postal Service requirement. At $30 for 328 labels (the roll’s 164 feet divided by 6 inches), you’ll be paying about $0.09 for each label, a roughly equivalent unit price to U-Line’s 150 and 300-label rolls.
Pitney Bowes has long been known for their postage solutions. In the days before the Internet’s proliferation and mailing and shipping were everyday Internet-based activity, postage meters were the core of the company’s DNA, producing the first USPS-approved postage scale in September 1920, nearly 103 years ago. Mailing stuff is quite literally how they got started.
Pitney Bowes has dealt in shipping and mailing for quite a while and has a few years of experience to lean on when entering a new market. Their mailing-things-and-postage-scales DNA is present in the PitneyShip Cube.
Using the PitneyShip software, you’ll be able to print postage and shipping labels. As a bonus, the included 4″ wide roll stock includes the UV surface material USPS requires, removing the need to change the paper when printing stamps. All the test and live postage I printed came out fine and had no issues running through the Postal Service.
WiFi Printing
The PitneyShip Cube supports printing labels wirelessly over your network. To enable Wi-Fi, you must set up the PitneyShip Cube using a mobile device and the PitneyShip app. There doesn’t appear to be a way to set up Wi-Fi connectivity without the app.
Setup only takes a few minutes and involves configuring the printer to use your Wi-Fi network. From there, if you have a computer you’re trying to print to wirelessly, you can add the Cube as you would any other wireless printer.
While testing the Wi-Fi capabilities, I took notes about things I saw, ran into, or felt were important but didn’t find an excellent spot to slot them in. I’ve included them in the speed tests above.
Built-In Scale
Weighing an item on the PitneyShip Cube scale and pulling it into the PitneyShip software is easy, and the scale is accurate. Place the package on the scale, click the “Get Weight” button, and wait a few seconds.
The feedback is unfortunately not immediate, though quicker than I expected. The delay is an unfortunate consequence of how the device is tied into the PitneyShip software (by way of the Device Hub running on your computer). I imagine that if PitneyShip were running natively on the computer, the measurement would be quicker.
When using the PitneyShip IOS app, the scale feedback is a little bit quicker, about the same rate increase as I saw during the printing tests.
Thinking about how other brands could tackle integrated scales, I’m not sure one could do it any other way, short of having a full-fledged app installed on a computer or mobile device, which, then, we’re not far away from how Pitney Bowes has opted to do things.
The PitneyShip Software
While this review isn’t explicitly about the software component of the PitneyShip Cube (it isn’t explicitly required, after all), it’s still worth looking at because you’ll be wielding it if you want to use the scale or print postage. I imagine you’ll try the software after setting up the printer.
The PitneyShip Cube comes with a complimentary month of PitneyShip Ecommerce Multi-Carrier, the software version that grants you access to create shipping labels for UPS and FedEx in addition to USPS. After that, Ecommerce Multi-Carrier costs $16.99 per month. No credit card is required to start the free month, which is a plus.
If you opt not to continue with the paid software after the first month is up, the alternative is PitneyShip Ecommerce Starter at no cost. You’ll operate without access to UPS and FedEx as carrier options and with a 5% surcharge on generated labels. It’s free… kind of. If you’re not shipping high-volume, 5% may not mean much.
For example, a $12 USPS shipment would attract an additional $0.60 surcharge. That’ll still be substantially cheaper than the post office but less than alternative services like Pirate Ship that don’t charge a separate fee. The surcharge from 29 of those $12 shipments would equal a month of the paid service.
Both plans can integrate PitneyShip with Amazon, eBay, and Shopify. A $16.99/month price tag isn’t an outlandish amount of money given other solutions on the market. ShipStation starts at $10 for only 50 shipments. EasyShip’s free plan only allows 50 monthly shipments; their least expensive plan is $29.
However, those platforms also provide deeper catalogs of integrations with major e-commerce and logistics tools. The premium plan is also $2 more than its non-Ecommerce-focused Multi-Carrier option.
PitneyShip Plan Comparison and Alternatives
PitneyShip
(free)
Price (month)
$0.00 + 5% per label
Shipment LimitsNo
CarriersUSPS
Delivery AssuranceYes
Integrations3
at Pitney BowesPitneyShip
E-Commerce
Price (month)
$16.99
Shipment LimitsNo
CarriersUSPS, UPS, FedEx
Delivery AssuranceYes
Integrations3
at Pitney Bowes
ShipStation
Starter
Price (month)
$9.99
Shipment LimitsYes, 50
CarriersUSPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL
Delivery AssuranceNo
Integrations100s
at ShipStation
EasyShip
Plus
Price (month)
$29
Shipment LimitsYes, 50
CarriersUSPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL
Delivery AssuranceNo
Integrations100s
at EasyShipDelivery Assurance is an added feature I don’t usually see on other platforms. If your shipment is late–even if it eventually arrives–you may be eligible to get your postage reimbursed. The only requirements are that the shipment has to arrive after the guaranteed delivery date (if you dropped it off or had it picked up on time), and the claim is submitted no more than 14 days after delivery.
Delivery Assurance is different than filing an insurance claim, though, too. You’ll want to go through the carrier for reimbursement if your shipment is damaged.
Stamp pricing is the same “metered rate” that USPS sets for both plans. That’s $0.60 for the first ounce of a regular letter, discounted $0.03 from the retail $0.63 rate. Additional ounce and large envelope rates are the same as retail.
The PitneyShip UI is on par with my experiences with other platforms, and the interface makes enough sense to find your way around without needing additional help or documentation. The mobile app works well, too, and could be a good solution if you’re not in front of your computer and need to print a shipping label or postage.
PitneyShip Cube Comparison & Alternatives
|
Best with Built In Scale
|
Best WiFi Pick
|
Best on a Budget
|
Fastest Inside Roll
|
|
$269
|
$279
|
|
|
|
DPI:
300
|
DPI:
203
|
DPI:
203
|
DPI:
203
|
|
Connectivity:
USB, WiFi
|
Connectivity:
USB, WiFi
|
Connectivity:
USB, Bluetooth
|
Connectivity:
USB
|
|
Supported OS:
Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
|
Supported OS:
Windows, macOS
|
Supported OS:
Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
|
Supported OS:
Windows, macOS
|
|
Labels per Minute:
up to 40
|
Labels per Minute:
up to 60
|
Labels per Minute:
up to 60
|
Labels per Minute:
up to 70
|
|
Label Feed:
Inside roll
|
Label Feed:
Rear-fed
|
Label Feed:
Rear-fed
|
Label Feed:
Inside roll
|
|
Requires Special Labels:
Yes (for postage)
|
Requires Special Labels:
No
|
Requires Special Labels:
No
|
Requires Special Labels:
No
|
|
Max Roll Size (4x6):
320
|
Max Roll Size (4x6):
N/A
|
Max Roll Size (4x6):
N/A
|
Max Roll Size (4x6):
320
|
|
|
Our Verdict
While the limited integration catalog might not make the PitneyShip Cube an ideal match for some–and even less so for others who ship bulky products regularly–the PitneyShip Cube’s built-in scale, quick and clean printing capability, and tight connection to the PitneyShip software makes it a recommendable option for everyone else looking to save space and have a single solution for their shipping and mailing needs.
Final Thoughts
The PitneyShip Cube turned out better than I anticipated. When I first heard about it, I wasn’t confident I’d like it–when was the last time you’ve seen Pitney Bowes come up in a conversation about modern software and shipping solutions? Historically, they made their name in office mailing solutions that were boring for the regular consumer.
The PitneyShip Cube is fast and well-built, and when paired with the free PitneyShip software, it is a decent shipping experience.
The software is decent, but the pricing could be better. I would have preferred to see a limit on the number of labels generated per month rather than a 5% surcharge or perhaps a less-deep discount on shipping rates, where Pitney Bowes can pocket the difference for themselves. The shipping software market is incredibly competitive, after all.
Pitney Bowes is a powerful player in the medium and large business mailing and shipping space. Still, finding a place with small businesses, stay-at-home parents with Etsy stores, eBay enthusiasts, and the like, they only had one shot at making something good for the rest of us.
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