What is the difference between thermal transfer printing and thermal printing of barcode printer ?

Barcode printers can be divided into thermal printing and thermal transfer printing according to the different printing methods. Both methods use thermal printer head to heat the printing surface. Thermal transfer printing is a durable pattern printed on the printing paper by heating carbon tape. Thermal printing is not suitable for carbon tape, but directly printed on label paper.

Thermal printers are generally used in supermarket ticket printers, POS terminal printing, bank ATM tickets and other places, installation of thermal paper can be directly printed, without ink without carbon ribbon, low cost.

Barcode printers can also be printed by heating print heads to heat transfer carbon tapes, sometimes replacing thermal printers. Used to print storage labels, supermarket price labels, medical labels, logistics labels, and product labels, authenticity traceability labels.

First of all, let ‘s look at the principles of these two printing methods

1. Principle of thermal transfer printing：

In heat transfer printing, the heat sensitive print head heats the ribbon and the ink melts on the label material to form a pattern. The ribbon material is absorbed by the medium, and the pattern constitutes a part of the label. This technique provides pattern quality and durability that other on-demand printing techniques cannot match.

2. Thermal printer principle :

The heat-sensitive medium of label paper after chemical treatment is selected as the heat-sensitive printing method. When the medium passes under the heat-sensitive printing head, it becomes black. Thermal printer does not use ink, ink powder or ribbon. Simple design makes the thermal printer durable and easy to use. Since there is no ribbon, the operation cost of the thermal printer is lower than that of the thermal transfer printer.

Difference between thermal sensitivity and thermal transfer

1. Bar code printer printing mode The heat transfer barcode printer is a dual mode, which can print both heat transfer printing mode and heat sensitive mode ( e.g. jewelry ).

Thermal printer is a single mode, only thermal printing ( such as : supermarket ticket printer, film ticket printer ).

2. Labels have different storage time

Hot transfer barcode printer printing effect preservation time is longer, at least more than one year.

The printing effect of thermal printer is saved for 1-6 months.

3. The cost of consumables is different.

Hot transfer barcode printers require high cost of carbon tape and labels. Thermal barcode printer only need thermal paper cost is low, but the relative print head loss is larger. In some industries, due to the long-term preservation of labels, heat transfer printers are needed, such as medical labels, supermarket price tags, jewelry labels, clothing storage labels, etc. And cashier tickets, movie tickets, take-out tickets, express logistics orders, etc., because it does not need so long to save time can use the heat sensitive label printer.

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