Thermal Transfer Print Technology

Thermal transfer printers use a thermal print head too but the heat is applied to a wax or resin based ribbon instead of the label.

Thermal transfer print technology.

This printing process can be used at speeds as fast as 400 packages per minute. The printer heats select elements on the thermal printhead to transfer the colored pigment in the ribbon onto the flexible packaging. Two major features play into the durability. All hellermanntyton thermal transfer ribbons consist of a special resin composition to maximise print performance.

The ribbon fuses to the media when activated by heat and by selectively heating and cooling the printhead transfers text and images onto the media. The ribbon ink is then pressed and absorbed into the label paper creating your print. Thermal transfer is preferred over direct thermal printing on surfaces that are heat sensitive or when higher durability of printed matter is desired. Thermal transfer printing produces long life image stability.

Thermal transfer barcode and label print technology also uses a thermal printer but offers more flexibility in media by adding a resin or wax ribbon. The printing process applies a code to a flexible film or label by using a thermal printhead and a thermal ribbon. Thermal transfer technology can print on a nearly unlimited variety of media stock except multi form. Since then the proper name for the process has become known as dye diffusion th.

Long term maintenance costs are low compared to dot matrix ink jet and laser printing. Thermal transfer printing brings digital technology to flexible film packaging applications common in many food industries. Thermal transfer printers require that thermal ribbon to work but the final product is much more durable as a result. Thermal transfer printers use a thermal print head to transfer a solid ink from a ribbon onto a label supply usually made from vinyl polyester nylon or other thicker materials to produce a permanent print.

Ribbon is usually made from wax resin or a combination of the two and is bonded to the label supply surface with heat and pressure. This technique provides unmatched printing quality and durability. Thermal transfer printing uses a high resolution 300 dpi thermal printhead and thermal transfer ribbon. Dye sublimation printing is a computer printing technique which uses heat to transfer dye onto materials such as a plastic card paper or fabric.

Thermal transfer enables batch or single label printing with virtually no waste. The sublimation name was first applied because the dye was considered to make the transition between the solid and gas states without going through a liquid stage. The thermal transfer print technology is based on heating up certain dots in the print head then transferring the ink very precisely from the ribbon on to the surface of the printed material. Thermal transfer printing is a digital printing method in which material is applied to paper by melting a coating of ribbon so that it stays glued to the material on which the print is applied.

Thermal transfer printing technology tto was engineered as an advancement over traditional analog coding technologies like hot stamp and roller coders. This understanding of the process was later shown to be incorrect as there is some liquefying of the dye. It contrasts with direct thermal printing where no ribbon is present in the process.