top of page

Thermal-transfer printing


This thermal transfer printing has been the digital printing method use for thermal print name tags wherein the materials are applied to the paper or in some other materials thru melting the coating of ribbons so that it will stay glued into the material wherein the print is being applied. It compares with the direct thermal printing, wherein no ribbon has been there in the process.

The thermal transfer is the one being preferred over the direct thermal printing at exterior that are just heat-sensitive or if it has higher durability of the printed matter (particularly beside the heat) is desired. The thermal transfer is the famous print process specifically used for the making of ID labels. This is the most broadly used printing procedure in the world to printing high-quality barcodes. The printers like the label makers will laminate the prints for added durability.

The thermal transfer printing had been invented by the SATO Corporation and this is the first thermal-transfer labels of printers in the world and was manufactured in 1981.

These would normally be paper, textile materials, synthetics, or cards. These three components efficiently form the sandwich with a middle ribbon. The thermally compliant print heads, in combination with those electrical properties of a ribbon and the appropriate rheological properties of a ribbon ink were all important in making the high-quality print images.

These print heads are being offered in several resolution options. Every dot is independently addressed, and when the dot is addressed electronically, it instantly heats up to the pre-set or the adjustable temperature. The heat element right away melts the resin-based ink or the wax on the area of the ribbon films facing the substrate, this procedure, in blending with the steady pressure being applied to the print-head locking device immediately transfers onto the substrate. If the dot "turns off", the element of a print head rapidly cools down, and this side of the ribbon thus stops printing/melting. As the substrate came out of the printer, it’s totally dry and may be used immediately.

The carbon ribbons are being on rolls and had been fitted onto the spindle or the reel holder in the printer. Its’ used ribbon was rewound by the take-up spindle, creating the roll of the "used" ribbon. This is being termed as a "one-trip" ribbon due to formerly being rewound; this used roll had been discarded and changed with the new one. When one was to grasp the strip of the old carbon ribbon up into the light, the one would see the exact negative of an image that had been in print. The major advantage of utilizing the 1-trip thermal transfer band/ribbon is that it gives the accurate settings are being applied prior to the printing, the 100% density of the printed image is being guaranteed, in distinction to the pre-inked ribbons on the dot-matrix impact of printer ribbon, that slowly fades with usage.

The thermal-printing technology may be used to make color images by sticking the wax-based ink to the paper. As the ribbon travel with the paper in unison underneath a thermal print head, this wax-based ink coming from a transfer ribbon melted onto the paper for the thermal print name tags.

bottom of page