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Thermal Transfer Printers
Thermal transfer printers are classified as non-impact printers, meaning that the
printer head does not strike the paper in order to create the image. They use heat
to transfer an image onto paper. The printer heads of thermal transfer printers
contain several tiny resistive heating pins. In many modern thermal transfer printers,
microprocessors communicate to the printer precisely which individual heating pins
are heated in order to melt the wax-based ink, producing the desired image onto
paper. The size of the printer head will determine the size of the labels or paper
that can be used, this is due to the fact that the print head spans the entire width
of the medium that is to be used for printing. Thermal transfer printers are used
for printing bar codes, labels, price tags, and other specialty print jobs, such
as bumper stickers, large graphics, and even clothing. There are two forms of thermal
transfer printers; direct thermal printers and thermal wax transfer printers. Early fax machines used direct thermal printers, which produce an image by using
a heated printer head. As the print head moves over paper that has been chemical
treated, the paper changed colors, usually black or blue to produce the image.
Direct thermal printers do not use ribbons. However, the thermal paper is extremely
sensitive to temperature, light, and chemical vapors and therefore does not have
a very long print life. Thermal wax transfer printers use a ribbon containing wax-based ink. When heat
is applied to the ribbon by the thermal print head, the wax melts that transferring
the ink to the paper where it becomes permanent once it cools. Generally, the thermal
transfer ribbons are made up of three layers, the first being the base material,
the second layer is the wax-based ink, and the final layer is a coating. The coating
and base material prevent the ink from adhering to the print head. A tremendous
benefit over direct thermal printers is that with thermal transfer prints, monochrome
and color ribbons are available. However, each time a print ribbon is changed or
replaced, it is strongly recommended that the print head be cleaned, using a cotton
swab and isopropyl alcohol.
Small business guides: , Thermal Transfer Labels Guide.com |
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