Thermal Transfer Definition
Thermal transfer is a scientific concept that deals with the movement of heat energy. Simply stated, thermal transfer is the tendency for heat to move from one object to another, such as when a hot plate leaves a warm spot on a tabletop. This concept has been used in a variety of applications, but one of the less common is in office technology.
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Printers
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One of the oddest uses of thermal transfer is in a printer. Thermal transfer printers, which use heat to transfer ink onto a page, are non-impact printers. This means that these printers don't use force, but rather use heat to leave an impression on a page.
Types
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A thermal transfer printer is made up of several basic parts: a printhead (which is made up of small, resistive heating pins), a microprocessor and, in some, cases a special wax-based ink. There are two distinct types of thermal transfer printer; one is called a direct thermal printer, and the other is a thermal wax transfer printer.
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Direct Thermal Printers
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A direct thermal printer is the simpler of the two varieties of thermal printer. It has no ribbon and no wax. As paper is fed through one of these printers, the printer's small heating pins push down and burn dots onto the paper as it comes out. The microprocessor in the printhead tells it which pins to heat, and as such, which pins will leave the desired mark on the page.
Thermal Wax Transfer Printers
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Thermal wax transfer printers are slightly more involved than direct thermal transfer printers. Thermal wax transfer printers have a ribbon of wax-based ink, which is heated by the printhead. After this, the wax is transferred to the paper by the pins, leaving permanent dots on the page.
Uses
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Direct transfer printers were the first variety of the two to be used. Early fax machines used this technology, and many still do. Both varieties, though, are popular for printing bar codes, labels, price tags and other similar specialty print jobs.
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