Thermal printing or thermal transfer printing. Printing technology on thermal materials. Thermal printing. Thermal transfer printing. Direct Thermal Printing vs. Thermal Transfer Printing - A Brief Comparison

In the process of thermal printing, the image appears as a result of a chemical reaction that occurs in the heat-sensitive layer of paper, as a result of the thermal effect on it from the thermal head of the printer's printing device.

Fig.8

The printer's thermal head consists of many point heating elements that transfer thermal energy to the thermal paper. The heating elements are arranged in a line along the thermal head with a step that determines the print resolution. During the printing process, the printer electronics turns on and off each of the heating elements, which, acting on thermal paper moving relative to the thermal head at a constant speed, create the final image - text, graphics, barcodes, etc.

An important role in the process is also played by the support shaft, which ensures contact of the thermal paper with the heating elements of the head and their movement relative to each other.

Advantages of thermal printing compared to other existing technologies:

· high printing speed (up to 400 mm/sec);

· minimal noise level, for example, compared to matrix devices;

· no additional consumables, such as ink, ribbon, toners, etc.;

· high print resolution (up to 400 dpi);

· high reliability due to the small number of moving parts;

· low cost of operation.

Thermal printing and Thermal transfer printing. Let's consider thermal and thermal transfer types of printing separately.

Thermal printing

Thermal printing today is one of those printing methods, during which the thermal head of the printer heats the thermal label, which helps the image you need appear. Thermal labels are the main consumables for this printing method (thermal printing). Thermal printers are printers that use thermal printing technology.

Thermal transfer printing

Fig.9

The next printing method is Thermal Transfer Printing, in which the thermal head of the printer heats the ribbon, namely the thermal transfer ink ribbon, and the layer itself (ink) is transferred to the label (thermal transfer) from the thermal transfer ribbon. Thermal transfer labels and thermal transfer ribbon are the main consumables for thermal transfer printing.

Thermal transfer printers are printers that use thermal transfer printing technology.

When using thermal transfer tape, this thermal transfer printing technology, or rather ribbon, is not prone to fading, and allows for better resistance to abrasion, as well as other external influences.

Thermal transfer printing as a printing technology is more expensive and complex, so an additional consumable material called “thermal transfer ribbon” appears.

Pros and Cons: Direct Thermal Printing

Advantages:

· economical - there is only one consumable material, the devices are inexpensive;

· speed - from 60 to 400 mm/s, does not depend on the roll width;

· variable printing of digital data;

· low noise level;

· high reliability - minimal number of moving parts and cost of ownership;

· low power consumption - applicability of portable devices with autonomous power supply;

· choice of image colors - black, blue, red, green, two-color printing (special printer and material required);

· ease of maintenance.

Flaws:

· limited lifetime of images;

· increased sensitivity to environmental influences;

· only line printing - the impossibility of realistic transmission of halftones and full-color printing;

· special paper and printing devices are required;

· if pre-printing technologies are violated, the thermal head fails prematurely

Angela

We recently switched to thermal transfer printing. In general, of course, compared to ordinary printing, heaven and earth. It looks more aesthetically pleasing and lasts longer. What I like most is that it is waterproof. This is important for us, because the product comes into contact with water when defrosting.

Morozov Vlad

To me, all thermal transfer printers are basically the same. They do not differ in quality at all, only maybe in printing speed. It seems to me that you need to ask what consumables they will select for you, the main thing here is high-quality material and ribbon. So if you don’t find truly high-quality consumables for such printers, then it’s better to consider another type of printer.

• Denis I

  Vlad, don't tell me. There are differences in the quality of printers and very noticeable ones. Here we have the build quality, the reliability of the printing elements, some system glitches, and the frequency of errors. Yes, you can always save money and buy something simpler, but how long will it last you? Even with the highest quality consumables.

Oleg

I use a thermal printer from Atol, model BP 41. I didn’t choose for long, I prefer Atolov products since the time of my first cash register. The brand guarantees the quality and indestructibility of devices, proven by practice! As for this printer, it is a normal working device. If you are looking for something for small print volumes, this is it. I make up to 2 thousand labels on it a day and am quite pleased with the result.

Mila

I read the article three times, but I still don’t understand which type of printing is more suitable for labeling boxes in a warehouse? Now I’m planning to buy a printer, I don’t want to spend a lot. On the one hand, only black labels are needed, the main thing is that the device issues a couple of thousand a day without overheating. Here, in theory, thermal printing will work. But I still haven’t read what this type of printing has that is resistant to external influences. Please clarify this point, who has encountered this.

• Website

  Mila, warehouses most often have difficult operating conditions, so thermal transfer labels are best for you to use. With thermal transfer printing, the direct impact of the printer head on the media is eliminated by placing an ink ribbon between them. They do not wear off under moderate mechanical stress, do not fade under sunlight, and the paint is not washed off under the influence of moisture. Most likely, you will need to print large quantities of barcodes, so choose printer models with a long yield, narrow print and low resolution, for example, the Godex G500.

Our company Print-Code provides a full range of services in the field of sales of thermal and thermal transfer printers. Starting from individual consultations on choosing printers from our managers, ending with training events and all kinds of work on integrating the purchased printer into your work system.

In addition to the label printers themselves, we have in stock any consumables and components for them. If you are purchasing a label printer for the first time, you can call our sales managers. We will be happy to provide you with any advice and answer all your questions about choosing a product.

We hope that this article will help you get a general idea of ​​the types of label printers.

Types of Label Printers

Desktop label printers. The most popular type of label printer. The low price and compact size make this type of printer the best-selling. If your work space is limited, then the compact size of desktop printers will please you. The daily operating life of desktop printers is not very long. Manufacturers' recommended rate is from 1500 to 2500 labels (depending on the model) per day. Exceeding this resource may negatively affect the overall life of the desktop printer.

Mid-level label printer. One can imagine the size of the printer to be slightly larger than the desktop type. Accordingly, productivity (number of printed labels per day) is also greater than that of the desktop class. Plus, mid-range label printers support printing large rolls of labels and ribbons. Plus they're faster. All these criteria are fully satisfied by the printing of medium circulations.

Industrial label printer. With this type of printer, you don't need to worry about performance. You can print labels continuously, 24 hours a day. Of course, the sizes of printers in this class are larger than those of the previous two. Among other advantages, the industrial printer has a durable metal body. In short, when you invest in an industrial printer, you get fast and consistent label printing for a long time. If you have any difficulties or questions, please contact the print code.

The two most popular label printing technologies currently available are direct thermal printing and thermal transfer printing.

This article highlights all the differences between the two thermal label printing technologies, which can help you choose the best printing method for your labeling requirements.

Direct thermal printing and thermal transfer printing - a brief comparison:

Direct thermal printing is only suitable for labels with a short lifespan, since the period before fading is several months, depending on temperature conditions. The cost of such printing is significantly lower than thermal transfer printing and does not require ink, toner or ribbon, but it only prints in black.

Thermal transfer printing for longer term applications requiring high print quality. Thermal transfer printing requires the use of consumables such as ink ribbons and can print in color.

The biggest difference between thermal transfer and direct thermal printing is that thermal transfer printing requires ribbons while direct thermal printing requires nothing more than a printer and thermal paper.

Temperature is a major component in thermal printing; thermal barcode label printers work on this principle: the printer head heats the label with a heat-sensitive layer and this is how an image appears.
Thermal label printers, both industrial and desktop, are ideal for barcode printing as they produce accurate, high-quality images.

Thermal printers are compact and are used for printing in very limited spaces. With direct thermal printing, there is no ink or toner wastage and you only need to stock up on thermal label stock.

In contrast, in the thermal transfer printing process, the print head heats an ink ribbon, which transfers wax or resin to paper or film labels. Printing can be either black or color.

Thermal transfer label printing
Advantages of thermal transfer printers:

• Provides superior image quality and can be used for many applications
• Accept a wider range of printing materials such as paper and film including polyester and polypropylene materials
• Creates very durable labels for marking goods stored in different conditions
• Labels printed this way are great for harsh environments and can withstand extreme temperatures, UV exposure, chemicals, sterilization, some solvents and more.
• They can print in both color and black.

Disadvantages of thermal transfer printers:

• High operating cost
• Replacing ink ribbon can be difficult and time-consuming
• It takes longer to load consumables than direct thermal printing
• It is always necessary to accurately select the necessary ink ribbons (ribbons)
• Low grade ribbons may cause excessive ink buildup, requiring more frequent cleaning
• Disposing of used ink ribbons may not be considered an environmentally friendly process.

Areas of application for thermal transfer printing labels:

• Delivery and logistics, mailing, parcel identification;
• Archives, tracking files and folders;
• Inventory identification;
• Retail labels,
• Laboratories, storage in freezers.

Thermal label printing
Advantages of direct thermal printers:

• Printing costs are lower than inkjet, laser, and thermal transfer printers
• No ribbon, ink or toner required
• Durable and easy to use
• More environmentally friendly since you do not have to dispose of used ink ribbons.

Disadvantages of direct thermal printers:

• Images on thermal labels may fade over time
• Overheating of the material from which the labels are made can lead to darkening of the labels, and the information printed on them becomes unreadable
• The label smears if you rub it well
• Limited selection of label materials
• Causes more wear on the print head, so expect more frequent print head replacement
• Black and white printing only

Application areas for direct thermal labels:

• Transport labels,
• Retail labels,
• Inventory identification;
• receipts,
• Labels coupons, event tickets;
• Parking tickets
• Passes and other short-term markings.

An excellent way to quickly label (for example, food products that have a limited shelf life) is thermal printing. It can be successfully used in logistics schemes to mark cargo, and in other areas of activity - that is, in areas with a useful life of printed products not exceeding six months (the maximum period is one year).

Currently, thermal printing technology is used in almost all cash registers, ATMs and self-service terminals. It is also widely used for labeling goods at warehouse terminals, retail outlets and transport.

Thermal transfer printing is used for marking products with a long shelf life and various types of equipment. If you choose the right materials for making labels and ribbons that correspond to them, you can ensure the required print quality: resistance to high temperatures, aggressive environments (oil, gasoline) and adverse weather conditions.

Thermal printing technology

Thermal printing is carried out due to the thermal effect of the thermal head of the printer's printing device on a layer of special paper that is sensitive to the heating process. As a result of the contact of the thermal head with the paper, a chemical reaction occurs, and an image appears on the paper. The thermal head mechanism is based on the operation of a large number of point heating elements located along it and determining the print resolution. During the printing process, all elements are turned on one by one, heating up and creating an image on the paper, while the paper itself quickly moves relative to the thermal head. The support shaft in the printer ensures tight contact of the paper with the heating elements and their uniform movement relative to each other. This is how different types of text, graphics, and barcodes are created.

Application area of ​​thermal printing

Thermal printing is used not only on paper, but also on other materials: fabric, aluminum, plastic, wood, metal. Thanks to thermal printing, you can create branded mugs and T-shirts with photographs and logos, memorable souvenirs in the form of pens, logo labels and other souvenir products.

Advantages of thermal printing

• Thanks to high-speed printing and an almost silent process, thermal printing is very convenient to work with and does not require large energy consumption.
• To work with thermal printing, you do not need to purchase additional materials such as ink, ribbons or toners.
• Thermal printing equipment has virtually no moving parts, so these printers are very durable.
• High print resolution provides high-quality images on any surface, be it paper, fabric or wood.

Disadvantages of thermal printing

For all its advantages, thermal printing has a number of disadvantages associated with the specific operation of the printer.

• The chemical-thermal method, as a result of which the chemical components change their color, makes the print short-lived.
• Thermal printing can only be monochrome - during a thermo-chemical reaction, only one color is synthesized, and the resolution of the thermal head often does not exceed 600 dpi.
• , created using this printing technique, require a special coating so that the surface can withstand changes in temperature and humidity.

Summarize:

Summarizing the above, it is worth noting that today flexography is a universal printing method that has great technological capabilities. This method covers a wide range of materials used.

High-performance modern equipment used for flexographic printing is produced by many foreign companies, including European ones. It is worth noting that today some well-known companies specializing in the production of equipment for offset printing (for example, the German corporation Heidelberg Gruppe) are refocusing on the production of flexographic printing and pre-press equipment. This suggests that this technology has good prospects.