How to Copy Thermal Paper
Thermal paper, a type of copy paper that uses heat to produce its image, is used in many printers that specialize in quick prints. These include cash registers, older game consoles and ultrasound machines. The printouts from these printers fade over time and are very sensitive to heat and light. Images can disappear in as little as five years. To preserve the information on the printouts, it is best to photocopy them on a laser printer photocopier or scan them and store the digital file. Libraries usually save only photocopies of materials originally printed on thermal paper.
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Instructions
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Gently unroll the thermal paper printout and place it face down on the photocopier or scanner. Be sure that the printout is positioned exactly as you want it because the light from the photocopier or scanner can degrade the image on the thermal printout, so you should expose the image to that light as few times as possible.
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Attach the corners to the copier with removable sticky notes. This will prevent the thermal paper from curling. Be sure that the sticky notes' adhesive only adheres to the back of the thermal printout and the surface of the copier or scanner.
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Place a piece of white paper over the thermal printout and sticky notes. This will prevent the scanner or photocopier from photographing anything extraneous that is on the back of the printout and will reduce the appearance of shadows.
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Photocopy or scan the document. Make another copy from the copy.
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Tips & Warnings
If the image is already fading, it may be possible to darken the image slightly by holding the back of the printout near the heat of a light bulb for no more that thirty seconds at a time.
Be careful that your hands have no oil or grease on them. Oils degrade thermal printouts quickly.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit fax image by Ewe Degiampietro from Fotolia.com
