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.

Direct transfer risks a lot of damage. The debris and dust in the printer will be damaged with the constant pulling across the print head. The material may be burned, and you will end up with poor quality work or even incomplete work. If you are to use direct transmissions, you should know how to control it to avoid damage from the dust and other forms that can damage.

You need to know the features of both printers before you settle on one. There are printers made solely made for each method, and there are others which are a combination of them. They all vary in price. The combination is slightly more expensive than the current transmission one. The direct transmission is the most affordable as it does not have as many mechanics.

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.

All these labels have various specifications. Each model of the different printers is different. They have different speeds and use different amounts of heat. The best thing is to avoid a lot of heat and go for maximum speed. A lot of heat may cause damage to the readability of the material. A bar code on a product may be undetectable therefore buying the product is harder.

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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