Thermal printers use heat to create an image. There are two kinds of thermal printers, direct thermal (also known as thermal autochrome) and thermal transfer (also known as thermal wax) printers. Direct thermal printers use special chemically treated paper, which changes color when heat is applied. The paper is passed over a heating element inside the printer by rollers, and where it is heated the paper changes color to create text or images. Thermal transfer printers have the ink on a ribbon instead of on the paper itself that are transferred to the paper when heated. Both styles use the same kind of heating element.
Uses Of Thermal Printers
Thermal transfer printers are most often used to create labels, mostly clothing tags, and barcodes because of its speed and the durability of the images, especially against water damage. Different types of labels use different inks depending on what material is being printed on.
Direct thermal printers are mostly used industrially as well because of their speed. The main advantage of a direct thermal printer is that the paper used is the only consumable. While this paper can be expensive, there is no need to buy or store ink, and it is the only think that needs to be replaced in order to keep the printer running. For this reason direct thermal printers are often used to print receipts from machines like cash registers and credit card machines. Early fax machines also often used direct thermal printing, but this method has largely been phased out.
Pros And Cons Of Thermal Printers
Thermal printers have a high printing speed, making them ideal for some business applications. They have few moving parts, and are thus extremely reliable. Also, they have durable images, especially thermal transfer printers. Images from direct thermal printers used to be susceptible to fading or distortion when exposed to heat, water, friction or light, but recent advances in technology have made them legible for estimated periods of 50 years or more. Direct thermal printers also have the advantage of needing no supplies other than paper.
However, thermal printers have a lower printing quality than other styles, like laser or inkjet printers. Thermal transfer printers require the same amount of ink ribbon for any page, no matter how much is printed on it. Also, direct thermal printers can usually only print in one or two colors, making them impractical for more detailed print jobs. Direct thermal printers also need special paper, which is more expensive than normal paper.