RIBBONS

In Thermal Printing, a thermal print head applies heat to a ribbon, which melts ink onto the material to form the image. The ink is absorbed so that the image becomes part of the media.

This technique provides image quality and durability that is unmatched by others, on demand printing technologies. Direct Thermal costs less to operate than inkjet and laser. Most mobile printers use direct thermal.

Direct Thermal uses chemically treated heat sensitive media that blackens when it passes under the thermal print head. Direct Thermal printers have no ink, toner or ribbon. It may fade over time when overexposed to heat, or light. The material will darken, making text or barcode unreadable. Direct thermal printing is not used for lifetime identification applications.

This method is commonly used for shipping labels, compliance labels, receipts, parking tickets, coupons, event tickets, parking tickets and name tags.