Thermal Transfer Ribbons Versus Direct Thermal Transfer

By Robert Cole


It is very hard to find a monopolized product or service in the world today if there is no regulation from the government to protect a certain product. There is an option for almost every product. The same applies to thermal printing. There are two main kinds of thermal printing which are thermal transfer ribbons and direct thermal transfer. As their names suggest, one uses ribbons to imprint information while other does not need the ribbon.

Current print head life and its cost. In direct current transmission as the name hints, the print material is to be in direct contact with the label material as it is pulled across the printing head. On the other hand, thermal transmissions are designed with a back-coating to reduce the friction. Less friction and static means less wear and tear.

With the direct current transmission, it is not the same. The dust and debris that may be present in the labels are in direct contact with the print head. In the process of being pulled across the print head, they may burn or physically damage the elements. In the long run, you will have printed out poor quality or premature print head failure.

The printer configuration. There are printers that can do both direct and current transmissions. You can have such and choose which one you prefer. However, there are the printers specifically made for the direct current transmission. These are more affordable as they do not have all the hardware needed to support transmission ribbons. This also saves on time as you do not have to constantly change ribbons.

The media you choose impacts the life of the print head. Before you settle on a media, you should know that it will impact the cost of operations. For example, most people think that a coated direct current label is better than the uncoated one. Basing your argument on this fact alone will cause you a lot of losses because even the inferior brands may have a coated thermal label.

The different labels will have different specifications regarding speed and even the amount of heat used. Go for a printer that minimizes the heat but maximizes the speed. Sometimes the heat may be too much and end up causing damage. For example, producing bar codes that cannot be scanned. This will be a complete way of costly resources.

Imagine buying a product that does not have instructions or precautions. You may end up running into accidents. All manufacturers should make sure that their products have clear instructions. They also need to choose the method of printing out the information. For long lasting content, current transmission is best. If you are sure that your product may not sell immediately, make sure that the writings are going to last long enough.

There has been a lot of waste in the environment which has led to its depletion. As you settle for a method, make sure you have considered the environment. The thermal ribbon uses chemical bases which may cause harm to the environment. The direct method, however, is safer because it does not use the ribbon.




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