What replaced the Brady BMP61?

The M610. Brady’s M-series renumbering maps the discontinued portables directly: BMP21-PLUS → M210, BMP41 → M410, BMP51 → M510, BMP61 → M610, BMP71 → M710. The M610 keeps the 2.0 inch print width and 300 dpi resolution of the BMP61 and accepts the same cartridge-keyed material ecosystem, so existing label stock investments carry over.

When does a handheld stop being enough?

Two triggers: width and volume. Handhelds top out at 2.0 inches (M610/M710) and print at 1.5–2 in/sec — fine for wire marking and panel work at the point of installation. The moment you need 4-inch facility signage, arc flash labels, or batch runs in the hundreds, a benchtop (i3300 class, 4 in/sec) earns its bench space. Print-room consolidation runs on the 600 dpi i5100/i7100 production engines at up to 11.8 in/sec.

What is the difference between the S3100 and the i5300?

Both are 4-inch sign-and-label benchtops; the i5300 (BBP35/BBP37 family) adds multi-color printing and cut-to-shape plotting, which matters for ANSI Z535 header colors and custom die-cut safety signage produced in-house. The S3100 is the simpler standalone touchscreen sign maker for single-color-plus-header work.

Is the Wraptor A6500 worth it over hand-applying wire labels?

It is a throughput machine: print-and-wrap in about 5 seconds per wire on 0.060–0.600 inch OD conductors. At harness-shop volumes where a technician hand-wraps hundreds of self-laminating labels per shift, the automation pays for itself in labor and in wrap consistency; below that volume, an M610 with B-427 self-lam stock covers the same work manually.

Home GuidesPrinter Selection Guide

Hardware Buyer Guide

Which Brady Printer? The Fleet, Decoded by Spec

The lineup looks bewildering — seventeen models across four naming eras — but it collapses into three questions: where do you print (pocket, bench, print room), how wide (0.75" to 4.16"), and how small is your smallest text or barcode module (203 vs. 300 vs. 600 dpi). Every spec below comes from our printer database; every model links to its full page.

1. The Fleet Map: Three Tiers, Thirteen Current Models

Field Portable HandheldsPrint at the point of installation — panel shops, datacom pulls, maintenance carts.

M210	0.75" · 203 dpi · 0.4 in/s	Entry wire ID & general marking; rugged, cartridge-keyed
M211	0.75" · 203 dpi · Bluetooth app-driven	Pocket tool driven entirely from the Express Labels app
M410	1.0" · 300 dpi · 1.3 in/s	Mid-tier field workhorse, wider die-cut range
M510	1.5" · 300 dpi · 1.5 in/s	High-performance portable for terminal blocks & 110-blocks
M610	2.0" · 300 dpi · 2.0 in/s	Flagship datacom & wire handheld (ex-BMP61)
M710	2.0" · 300 dpi · 1.5 in/s	Heavy-duty flagship with the broadest material catalog (ex-BMP71)

Benchtop & Sign MakersThe 4-inch class: facility signage, arc flash, pipe markers, batch label runs.

BBP12	4.0" · 300 dpi · 4 in/s	Value open-core desktop for bulk media
i3300	4.0" · 300 dpi · 4 in/s · auto-calibrating	Drop-in smart benchtop — no calibration ritual (ex-BBP33)
S3100	4.0" · 300 dpi · 3 in/s · touchscreen	Standalone facility sign station
i5300	4.0" · 300 dpi · 5 in/s · multi-color + cut-to-shape	ANSI Z535 headers & die-cut signage in one pass

Production & AutomationPrint rooms, serialization lines, and harness shops.

i5100	4.16" · 600 dpi · up to 11.8 in/s	Precision high-mix engine; 5 mil Data Matrix territory
i7100	4.16" · 600 dpi · 24/7 duty cycle	Heavy production workhorse (PR Plus / BBP72 lineage)
Wraptor A6500	0.060–0.600" OD · ~5 s print-and-wrap	Automated wire wrap at harness-shop volume

2. Discontinued-Model Migration Table

If you are replacing a dead unit or standardizing an aging fleet, the renumbering is nearly one-to-one — each successor keeps its predecessor's width class and workflow:

Discontinued	Current Successor	What Carries Over
BMP21-PLUS	M210	Same 0.75" / 203 dpi class, same rugged form factor
BMP41	M410	1.0" / 300 dpi, cartridge ecosystem
BMP51	M510	1.5" width class, media compatibility
BMP61	M610	2.0" / 300 dpi, touch workflow, material cartridges
BMP71	M710	2.0" width, broadest portable material range
BBP33	i3300	4.0" auto-calibrating benchtop role

Check the material, not just the printer

Every material page on this site lists its supported printers straight from the TDS data — before buying, confirm your standard stock (say, B-427 self-lam or B-342 PermaSleeve) is offered in your candidate printer's cartridge or core format. The printer decision is really a printer-plus-material-ecosystem decision.

3. Fast Picks by Job Description

Electrician doing service work from a van: M210 — cheap enough to live in the tool bag, rugged enough to survive it.
Panel shop wiring UL 508A enclosures daily: M610 for the bench + i3300 for nameplates and batch runs.
Datacom contractor terminating patch panels: M610 — 2.0" width covers 110-block and patch panel strip formats.
Facility EHS team printing arc flash & pipe markers: i5300 for multi-color Z535 headers, or S3100 where single-color-plus-header stock suffices.
Electronics plant serializing PCBs: i5100/i7100 at 600 dpi — the only tier that grades 5 mil Data Matrix.
Harness shop wrapping hundreds of wires per shift: Wraptor A6500 — ~5 seconds per wire, no hand-wrap variance.

Compare every model side by side

The printers directory carries full spec sheets, ribbon pairings, and supported material lists for all seventeen models — current and discontinued.

Browse the Printer Directory