Thermal labels are labels that are printed using one of two processes, direct thermal printing or thermal transfer printing. Both techniques use heat to apply an image or text to a treated surface.

To give you a better understanding of how thermal labels work, consider the following differences between direct thermal and thermal transfer printing and the advantages of each technique.

What is direct thermal printing?

Direct thermal printers need printing material that's been coated in a leuco dye. The leuco dye can switch between chemical forms; one form doesn't have any color. It's for this reason that a blank sheet covered in leuco dye still appears blank.

Direct thermal printers have a heating element in their printhead so when the heat makes contact with the treated paper, the leuco dye changes from colorless to dark. This causes imagery and text to appear.

What are the advantages of direct thermal printing?

Direct thermal printing is a good technique to use when the information being transferred to a label only serves a temporary, one-time use like a ski-lift ticket.

Direct thermal printers are also fast and efficient. They're often used for receipts and printing labels. They also don't require supplies that need to be replenished because they don't use ink or cartridges.

What is thermal transfer printing?

Unlike direct thermal printing, which uses heat to transform ink that's already been embedded in the printing material, thermal transfer printing uses heat to physically transfer the ink onto the paper.

What does this mean? Thermal transfer printers use a wide ribbon that's covered in a waxy substance that melts and bonds with specially-treated printing material when the heated printhead touches it. The ribbon is usually black, but it comes available in a variety of colors.

What are the advantages of thermal transfer printing?

Thermal transfer printing is fast and efficient like direct thermal printing. However, thermal transfer printing has increase durability and color available.

These characteristics make thermal transfer printing a preferred option for on-demand and low-volume applications.

Looking for a label printer for your business?

It's no secret that label printers are a key player in many different industries. In fact, the global print industry alone has an estimated value of $898 billion.

If you're looking for InkJet label printers and high gloss InkJet labels for your business, Argon Store has what you need. To learn more about different labels and label printers, contact Argon Store today.