Hello all,
Labels, labels, labels. Although you may not realize it at first- the world is covered in them. Every product has some sort of label, tag, identifying barcode, that helps us keep track of everything in the POS world. This blog is intended to help lost ones out, discuss up and coming trends in the printing industry, and much much more. So let's jump right in and start with some basics.
There are two main types of printing. Direct Thermal and Thermal Transfer. What is the difference? Which one should you use?
Direct Thermal
Much like receipt paper technology, Direct Thermal printing is a less permanent option in the label world. The labels are intended to last for about a year and will fade if exposed to direct sunlight. Many people use Direct Thermal labels for shipping labels (i.e. FedEx or UPS), inventory of food products (most food products have a shelf life less than a year and are not exposed to heat), pick tickets, coupons and many other applications.
How does Direct Thermal printing work?
The heat activated technology is in the label, so the print head basically burns an image onto the paper. You can use Direct Thermal printing in Direct Thermal printers and Direct Thermal-Thermal Transfer printers.
Thermal Transfer
Thermal Transfer printing is more permanent and durable than Direct Thermal. The printing is more crisp than that of Direct Thermal and there are actually a variety of color ribbons that allow you to print in colors other than black.
How does Thermal Transfer printing work?
The printer uses a ribbon to print on the media which enables the media to have a longer life and resist heat, abrasion, and other elements. Also Thermal Transfer printing allows you to print on a much wider variety of media than that of Direct Thermal printing. Some common uses for Thermal Transfer printing are storage labels, inventory identification, outdoor applications, and much much more. To ensure the highest quality Thermal Transfer printing the ribbon must match up with the label according to media type and size.
Ribbons
There are basically 3 different types of ribbon. Wax, Wax/Resin, and Resin.
Wax
Used for most basic identification applications, Wax ribbon allows you to print durable, long lasting images at a cheap cost. Most companies such as Zebra and Datamax use straight wax. There are a few smaller independent companies, such as BarcodeWarehouse.Biz that do put a small percentage of Resin in their Wax ribbons which increases the durableness and quality of the printing.
Wax/Resin
Used for high quality, crisp, clear printing, Wax/Resin ribbons offer an increased quality of printing than that of straight Wax ribbons. Wax/Resin is a wise choice for many applications because it is very durable, long lasting, scratch resistant, and tends to print better images than Wax.
Resin
Resin ribbon is absolutely the most resistant ribbon. Mainly used in environments where the media is exposed to harsh elements and strong chemicals, Resin ribbon is able to withstand almost anything including acid and abrasion. For the average user Resin ribbon is really overkill, but if you are working in a Laboratory for example Resin may be just the ribbon for you.
Media Types
There are many types of media that you can use in the POS, RFID, Label printing world. Here is a small list of media that is used with Direct Thermal and Thermal Transfer printing.
Paper Labels, Tags, Receipts, Wristbands, Polyester, Polypropolene, Gloss, Matte, Jewelry Labels and Tags, Nursery Labels, Tickets, Name Tags, Barcode Labels, Floodcoated Materials (most labels are blank white, Floodcoat allows you to make your label whatever color you desire. There are thousands of colors to choose from).
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These are just the basics of printing with Thermal Transfer and Direct Thermal. We will get into more details and facts and specs and troubleshooting as time goes on. If you have any questions regarding label printing please feel free to contact The Label Master at thelabelmaster@gmail.com or just leave a comment.
Happy Printing!
- The Label Master
