What Is Thermal Printing?

Thermal printing is the process of using heat to activate the embedded inks in specialized paper to print words and images. Thermal printers are more efficient than dot matrix printers, and they are more economical to use, as well. It is ideal for quick, yet small, printing applications, and the printers generally require less maintenance than other types of printers.

Identification

Thermal printing uses heat, rather than force or impact, to print characters or images onto specialized thermal paper. The heating pins within the printer head transfers heat to the paper, which causes the ink to transform into a visible color. The words and images are then printed onto the paper, through this method of using heat to activate and contrast the paper's embedded inks.

Types

Thermal wax transfer and direct thermal transfer are the two main types of thermal printers. Thermal wax transfer printing uses heating pins to melt the wax-based ink for printing. The wax and a base material prevent the ink from spreading. Thermal wax transfer, however, requires the maintenance of periodically cleaning ink and wax residue off of the printer head.

Direct thermal transfer uses the heating pins of the printer head to directly burn the printing information onto the thermal printer. This type of thermal printing does not require the use of ribbons for printing, therefore it has much less maintenance demand than the thermal wax transfer printers.

Features

Thermal printers have very simple components. The controller board houses all of the control functions of the printer's capabilities. The platen is responsible for rolling the paper into the printer, and the spring moves the thermal printer head to make contact with the paper. The thermal printer head is the main component of the printer, which is responsible for applying the heat, according to the data feed, to make the actual prints on the paper.

Function

Thermal printers are usually operated from a main computer, such as a desktop or a point-of-sale system. To operate a thermal printer, turn it on and insert the specialized paper into the machine. This will trigger the printer to activate the thermal printer head to generate heat, according to the data that has to be printed. Once the thermal printer head makes contact with the paper, the heat will activate the embedded ink to print the data onto the paper.

Thermal printers are commonly used for specialty printing jobs and fast printing procedures, such as receipts on demand, price tags, and bar code labels for merchandising. Their usage can be observed in many on-demand public services, such as gas stations, retail shops and information booths.

Considerations

Thermal printing offers the convenience of low-maintenance printing capabilities. Its cost varies based on model type and features. Pay special attention to printing quality when selecting a thermal printer according to its costs. Also, take into consideration the type of paper chosen, as thermal paper has been known to dull over time and the ink may fade away, as well.

Though the cost of paper is significantly higher than standard printing papers, this expense is counterbalanced by the efficient performance of thermal printers. Maintenance costs will also include periodic changing of the printing head and ribbon replacement, especially if using the thermal wax transfer printers. Having the printer serviced is also a periodic expense to consider, however the simple design of the thermal printer lessens the frequency of its service repairs.

Resources

• Thermal Printers