If you are planning on purchasing a thermal barcode label printer for your business, our guide can help.
There are three main types of thermal barcode label printers which we describe below. Of course you can visit our barcode label printer page on our website to view all the different models we offer including the best Zebra printers where you’ll find even more information.
Three Types of Thermal Barcode Label Printers
Direct Thermal Printing
Direct thermal barcode label printers apply heat directly to the specially coated labels they use. This activates the ink on the label and produces the image. The images printed using direct thermal printing tend to be black but some printers do allow for a second colour option. With a direct thermal barcode label printer there is no ink, toner, or ribbon required and this means that these models are cost effective. The downside to using this type of printer is that the labels that are produced are not very durable. The specially formulated paper is highly sensitive to UV light, heat, moisture, and scratching. The labels can be smudged as well. If you are printing labels to be used in an environment with any of these conditions, a direct thermal barcode label printer is not the right choice for you. To find the best direct thermal label printers be sure to check out our label printers page on our website.
Thermal Transfer Printing
Thermal transfer barcode label printers apply heat from the print head to the thermal transfer ribbon. The ribbon is coated with wax, resin, or a combination of the two. When using this printer, heat is used to melt the coating on the ribbon and this transfers the image to your label. The thermal transfer barcode label printer does produce durable labels and full colour can be used. Thermal transfer printers are more expensive but if you need labels that are long lasting and durable, they are a great choice. The labels can withstand a range of environmental hazards including exposure to UV light, moisture, extreme hot or cold, chemicals, and scratching. They won’t smudge either. Be sure to check out our range of thermal transfer barcode printers for more information.
Ink Jet Printing
Ink jet barcode label printers use tiny dots of ink to create the image on your labels. The more dots per inch (dpi) the printer offers the higher the resolution you will have on your images. The jets in ink jet label printers can clog and the ink can also bleed when certain media is used. Ink jet label printers are not the best choice for those planning to print barcodes and if you need a reliable barcode printer we recommend checking out our range of Zebra label printers and barcode printers on our website.
Now that you know about the three different types of thermal barcode label printers you should be able to choose which type of printer will work best for your label printing needs. If you need any help or further information our AIS experts are always on hand to help. Contact us today.