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Choose Direct Thermal or Thermal Transfer Printing
How to choose between direct thermal and thermal transfer printing. When deciding on a type of bar code printer to purchase for your company, you may
wonder if a direct thermal or a thermal transfer printer would be best for your
company.
Therefore, the purpose of this section is to better explain the benefits and disadvantages
of each system as well as explain the differences between their technologies. Direct thermal printers use a special chemically treated, heat-sensitive media,
referred to as thermal paper. Thermal paper changes colors, usually to black when
it passes under the thermal print head. Direct thermal printers do not use ink,
toner, or ribbon, making them more economical to operate than inkjet, laser, impact,
and thermal transfer printers. Early fax machines as well as most mobile printers
use direct thermal technology. The main disadvantage with this system is that the thermal media images will fade
over time. In addition, if the thermal label is exposed to heat, light, chemical
vapors, or other catalysts, the thermal paper the label is made from will darken,
making the information on the paper, or label unreadable. Direct thermal printing,
therefore cannot be used for documents which need to be keep for extended periods
of time. Technology has extended the lifespan of many common bar code printing
applications including shipping labels, patient and visitor identification, receipts,
and ticket printing. However, for such items as receipts, faxes, and even some
medical print offs and medical wristbands, the readability of these items greatly
depends on their storage conditions. An example of this would be direct thermal labels, which have spent several months
or even up to a few years in storage where they were protected from heat were able
to be scanned and read. Hospitals protect direct thermal patient wristbands from
water, and chemicals by coating them with a water- and chemical-resistant plastic.
Direct thermal printing applications are commonly used for bar codes, shipping labels,
compliance labels, receipts, event tickets, citations and parking tickets, temporary
nametags, and visitor passes, as well as many more applications. Thermal transfer printers use a heated print head, which applies heat to a ribbon.
The thermal printer ribbon has a waxy ink resin that melts onto the print medium
forming the image. The melted ink resin is absorbed by the medium so that the image
becomes part of the media. The images produced by this technique have quality and
durability, which is unmatched by any other form of on-demand printing. Because thermal transfer printers use a ribbon, they can accept a variety of print
medium, including paper, polyester, and polypropylene, making thermal transfer printers
more versatile. The only disadvantages are the operational cost are more expensive
than direct thermal printing, simply because of the added cost of the print ribbon.
The other disadvantage is to ensure print performance and durability the media and
ribbon must be carefully matched. When users select correct media-ribbon combination, the end product that is produced
is able to withstand extreme temperatures, ultraviolet exposure, chemicals, sterilization,
and other environmental hazards. In other words, the printed product remains readable
for several generations. Thermal transfer printing is used on such products as
product identification, permanent identification cards, inventory identification,
certification labels, labels for laboratory specimens, cold storage, and freezers
and even for the manufacturing of bumper stickers, to name a few of the infinite
uses of thermal transfer printing.
Small business guides: , Thermal Transfer Labels Guide.com |
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