Thermal printers are of two varieties: direct thermal and thermal transfer<\/a>. Each variety has its peculiar uses. So if you only know the general things you can do with thermal printers, your knowledge is not complete. As you read on, we will explain the two types of thermal printers, how they work, where they differ, and what you can do with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Facilities that use thermal printers include transportation services, hospitals, lotter facilities, grocery stores, and libraries. Nowadays, you can find thermal printers almost everywhere.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When you withdraw money from an ATM, you\u2019ll get a transaction receipt. These machines use thermal printing<\/a> to generate their receipts. This is one of many other examples. Even music producers and filmmakers now use thermal CD printers<\/a> to create permanent prints on thermal printable discs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A few other examples of common industries that have embraced thermal printing are listed below. If you operate in any of these industries, you should consider using thermal printers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Transport services, including buses, airlines, shipping lines, and trains now use thermal printing. They often generate tickets or boarding passes using thermal technology. This method makes prints faster than regular printers. If they were to use a different printing method, there would be a long queue of people waiting for long hours for tickets and boarding passes to be issued before they could board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Betting and lottery agencies also issue tickets with thermal printing. Lottery tickets require fast printing so that the participants can proceed quickly to play their lottery. The same applies to betting agencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Doctors now use thermal printers for issuing drug prescriptions rather than write them manually. This eliminates the problem of illegible handwriting when the pharmacist wants to dispense the drugs. Thermal print prescriptions are clear and bold, so the pharmacist will have no problem reading them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aside from drug prescriptions, electrocardiograms (ECH) and ultrasound results are printed using thermal technology. These results present clear diagrams and figures which are easier to read and interpret.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n More so, hospitals use barcode wristbands for both staff and patient identification. And when you pay for hospital services, they issue thermal receipts as proof of your transaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can hardly find any grocery store or supermarket these days that doesn\u2019t use thermal printers. The cash registers and weighing scales at these stores print out thermal receipts<\/a>. This method is faster than writing with a pen or using a regular printer. If you run a grocery store or supermarket, you should consider buying a thermal POS printer<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Libraries are also using thermal printing to label their books. It is accurate, efficient, and affordable. They also print tags with thermal printers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The typical uses of direct thermal printers<\/a> are for basic, short-term printing applications. Conversely, The typical uses of thermal transfer printers are for long-lasting labels that can hold up to sunlight exposure and withstand abrasion, heat, moisture, and chemicals.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The typical uses of direct thermal printers<\/a> are for basic, short-term printing applications. These include shipping labels, tickets, and receipts. It\u2019s the common type that you will find in various machines that issue transaction receipts, such as cash registers, POS machines<\/a>, and ATMs. Their speed also makes them suitable for industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The typical uses of thermal transfer printers are for long-lasting labels that can hold up to sunlight exposure and withstand abrasion, heat, moisture, and chemicals. A few examples of thermal transfer applications include barcodes, product labels<\/a>, asset tags, packaging labels, and clothing tags.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thermal transfer printers<\/a> are fast and produce durable images. However, various label types require different ribbon types. So you must match labels with the appropriate ribbon to achieve the best image quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Direct thermal printers do not require toners, ink cartridges, or ribbon. They create images with direct heat on specialty media, called direct thermal papers<\/a>. The printing machine draws thermal label rolls<\/a> across the thermal printhead elements. As the paper runs through, it turns dark in the areas where heat is applied while other points remain plain.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As you can see, the process doesn\u2019t need ink or any other supply aside from the paper rolls. This makes the mechanism simple, easy, and cost-effective for small businesses. However, thermal labels have a shorter image life<\/a> and usually fade with time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You should only use the direct thermal method when your application only needs short-term scannability and durability. If you require archiving, or something that can withstand light, high temperatures, chemicals, or abrasion, you should not use direct thermal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More so, direct thermal printers are suitable for applications that don\u2019t need complex color-coding. They typically print in one color, which is usually black or blue. Some models, however, print in two colors using different heat levels to achieve different colors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thermal transfer printers use ribbons to make durable and long-lasting images on thermal transfer labels. The heat from their printhead elements melts ink from the ribbon onto print materials as they run through the printer. You must match label materials with their appropriate ribbon type to get the best quality.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Thermal transfer printers can print in color<\/a> but the options are still limited. Different ribbon colors are available but the printer can accept only one ribbon at a time. The color of the ribbon will determine the color of your print. However some new models of thermal transfer printers print hologram images with diverse color shades<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A special type of thermal transfer printers uses the dye sublimation<\/a> technique. Some embossing label makers<\/a> use this special technique. This technique uses ribbons that contain four ink panels. Three of these panels bear primary colors while the fourth is clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How does the dye sublimation technique work? The heat from the thermal printhead causes the sublimation of solid ink, meaning that it turns solid ink straight to gas. In gas form, the ink permeates the paper on the exact spot and binds permanently to it. This makes the print very durable.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The dye sublimation technique produces long-lasting photo images with a full range of colors. The primary colors mix in the right proportions to create other colors as needed for the image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is one of Professor Messer\u2019s free course materials on print technologies. It explains the two types of thermal printers, their uses, advantages, and disadvantages. You will learn a lot from this short video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"What](\"https:\/\/gorillaoutput.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Depositphotos_11042731_s-2019.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhich Facilities Use Thermal Printers?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Transportation Services<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Betting and Lottery<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Hospitals<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Grocery Stores and Supermarkets<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Libraries<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What Are The Uses of Direct Thermal vs. Thermal Transfer?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What Are Direct Thermal Printers Used For?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What Are Thermal Transfer Printers Used For?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How Direct Thermal Printers Work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How Thermal Transfer Printers Work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Dye Sublimation Technique<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\u2705 Video – Thermal Printers – CompTIA A+ 220-1001 – 3.11<\/h4>\n\n\n\n