What is Thermal Transfer Printing?
What is Thermal Transfer Printing?
Thermal Transfer is probably the world’s most widespread printing technology for putting information on labels, paper, tape or even heat shrink tubing. The process involves heating and melting a coating of ribbon (which contains a wax or resin based ink) so that it imparts on to the material being used. It contrasts with direct thermal printing where no ribbon is present in the process. The melting is the part where the information required is printed onto the label. This could be used for barcodes, logos, text, expiry dates and batch numbers.
A thermal transfer printer is a type of printer that are used in this and they are known for their smear-proof images and resistance to fading.
The main functional component of a thermal transfer printer is its printhead, which spans the width of whatever tape the printer is built to handle. The width of the tape is in mm and should match the label being printed, its length is determined by the printer being used. The thermal printhead is made up of tiny heating pins, each of which represents a single pixel, who’s size and density differ by the printer being used. The printhead, which is controlled by a microprocessor is the element that causes the specific image to be formed by heating and cooling its pins. Where by the ink from the ribbon leaves the ribbon and is printed onto the blank surface.
There are 3 main components that are essential to guarantee a good printing quality. These are a Thermal Transfer printer, a print medium and an inked roll. Thermal Transfer principally well suited to meeting the demands of all the main industries: distribution, logistics, food processing, health, electronics, automotive, machine tools, chemicals, cosmetics, horticulture, textiles.
All thermal transfer inks are not created equal. It is advisable to be well aware of the demands of your particular application before you choose which type of transfer ribbon to use, either a wax based resin or a resin based thermal ink ribbon. Generally wax and resin generally can’t be interchanged, but there are some available that are combined into a wax-resin hybrid ink.
Wax thermal transfer ribbons are generally used for printing onto labels. The images they produce can last for years, but they need to stay dry, and are highly sensitive to abrasives, chemicals and oils. This would something to consider when deciding which ribbon would suit you best.
A Wax-resin ribbon work well with smooth and coated labels. The wax-resin combination produces a superior image and it offers much more durability than plain wax. But it still needs to be protected from too much moisture
Lastly, pure resin is the toughest and offers the most durability. However, it is not designed for use with paper. Resin-based thermal inks are designed to fuse onto vinyl, polyester and polypropylene labels, and can cope with the harshest environments. They won’t fade in sunlight, can withstand being immersed in water, and can be resistant to damage from oils and chemicals. This is dependent on the material being used though.
