{"id":140,"date":"2020-09-24T18:26:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-24T18:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gorillaoutput.com\/?p=140"},"modified":"2020-12-21T05:25:44","modified_gmt":"2020-12-21T05:25:44","slug":"do-thermal-printers-need-special-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gorillaoutput.com\/do-thermal-printers-need-special-paper\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Thermal Printers Need Special Paper?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Thermal printers need special papers to print, and it’s important to get the right kind of paper for your thermal printer. You are about to read the most comprehensive article you will ever find on thermal papers, their benefits, and the various applications you can use them for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do thermal printers need special paper? Thermal printers only work with thermal papers, which are more expensive than regular papers. Thermal printers require special papers because the thermal printing mechanism relies on the ability of these papers to print images without ink. However, direct thermal paper rolls are different from thermal transfer papers.<\/strong><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thermal printing machines are good investments but if you don\u2019t feed them with the right paper type, they will either not work at all or damage quickly. But then, why do thermal printers require special paper? What are these special papers? How do they work? Are there different types for various applications? Read on to find out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why Do Thermal Printers Need Special Papers?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Thermal printers need special papers because it is an inkless mechanism that uses heat to create imprints. In the case of direct thermal printers, the papers contain heat-sensitive pigments. The heat from the hot printheads of direct thermal printers activates these pigments to make imprints on the paper. In the case of thermal transfer printers, special papers are designed to accept melted pigments from thermal ribbons. Without these special papers, you would not be able to print with your thermal printer, and you can even damage the printhead.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Direct thermal printers have no ink. They only have a thermal printhead that generates heat. When you are printing with a direct thermal printer, the printhead gets hot and directly touches the paper as the paper passes over the printhead. If the paper does not have thermochromic (heat-sensitive) ink pigments, no imprint will appear on the paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the case of thermal transfer printers, they use thermal ribbons to generate imprints. As the ribbon passes over the thermal printhead, the print head\u2019s heat melts the pigments on the ribbon. The thermal transfer paper is usually directly under the ribbon, waiting to accept the meted pigments. They have a surface that\u2019s designed to accept and retain melted pigments from thermal ribbons. Without this type of surface, no imprint will appear on the paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Direct Thermal vs. Thermal Transfer<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You may have noticed that there are two different types of thermal printers \u2013 Direct Thermal and Thermal Transfer. These two printer types use different types of papers because they operate different printing mechanisms. To learn more about the differences between these two mechanisms, you can read our post on The Difference between Direct Thermal and Thermal Transfer.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The papers used by direct thermal printers are simply called Thermal Papers. Direct thermal printer is the earliest type of thermal printer. Thermal transfer printers were invented later, so their papers are called Thermal Transfer Papers. Both direct thermal papers<\/a> and thermal transfer papers are called Thermal Labels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note the distinction between the terms, \u201cThermal Papers\u201d (which refers to the special papers for direct thermal printers) and \u201cThermal Labels\u201d (which refers to both thermal papers and thermal transfer papers, as well as synthetic print media). Consequently, Thermal Papers are also known as Direct Thermal Labels while Thermal Transfer papers are known as \u201cThermal Transfer Labels\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thermal Labels vs. Thermal Papers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The table below shows a simple mapping of the different terms and the type of mechanism they work with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LABEL<\/strong><\/td>CORRESPONDING PAPER<\/strong><\/td>PRINTING MECHANISM<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Thermal Label<\/td>Thermal Paper
Thermal Transfer Paper<\/td>		Direct Thermal Printing
Thermal Transfer Printing<\/td><\/tr>
Direct Thermal Label<\/td>Thermal Paper<\/td>Direct Thermal Printing<\/td><\/tr>
Thermal Transfer Label<\/td>Thermal Transfer Paper<\/td>Thermal Transfer Printing<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What Are Thermal Papers?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Thermal papers are special heat-sensitive papers that create images when their transparent dye coating reacts with heat. The heat from the thermal printhead causes a reaction that changes the paper\u2019s color, usually to black, at the specific points where heat is applied.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thermal papers usually have two to three layers, depending on the manufacturer. The substrate layer refers to the paper material itself. But sometimes, this layer could be made of synthetic media like polypropylene instead of paper. The second layer is a coat of heat-sensitive chemicals mixed with transparent dye to create images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some manufacturers add an optional third layer<\/a> of top coating to their thermal papers. This layer serves to protect imprints on the paper from common elements that could degrade them. But the real layer responsible for image development is the second layer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Thermal Papers Work<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When the thermal printhead of a direct thermal printer heats the thermal paper during printing, it activates the heat-sensitive chemical in the paper, often called the developer. The developer then bonds with dye molecules to produce an image on the paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In direct thermal printing<\/a>, the paper comes in direct contact with the thermal printhead. Thermal papers have a slick and smooth surface that ensures this contact is safe for the printhead. If you feed a standard paper into a thermal printer<\/a>, the paper\u2019s surface might damage the thermal printhead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Standard papers do not contain heat sensitive chemicals so the heat from a thermal printhead will not create an imprint on them. Thermal papers are the only paper type compatible with direct thermal printers but they usually produce only one color<\/a> of imprint, mostly black. These days, however, you can find other image colors, including red and green.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2705  Video \u2013 How Thermal Papers Work<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This video demonstrates a simple home experiment to show how thermal papers work. You can also use this experiment to find out the coated side of thermal papers. Not one word is spoken, yet this short video makes a lot of sense. You should watch it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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