In the world of product packaging and labeling, thermal printing has recently emerged. Several product companies have shifted to direct-to-package thermal printing for several reasons. But before going deeper on that, let us first look into what is direct thermal printing.
What is direct thermal printing?
Direct thermal printing or thermal printing is a process of digital printing. This method produces a printed image by selectively heating thermal paper. As this paper passes over the head of the thermal printer, the coating turns black in the specific areas which were heated. With that, an image is produced.
What are the important components of a direct thermal printer?
- Thermal head – this is what prints on paper as it is what generates heat
- Platen – this is a roller, made up of rubber, that feeds the paper
- Spring – this applies pressure to thermal head which causes it to be in contact with the thermosensitive paper or the thermal paper
- Controller boards – this is used for controlling the process or mechanism
What are its pros and cons?
The Pros.
- Direct thermal printers are more environment friendly. Since they have no ribbons, toner and ink. This means there is a definite reduction of wastes that are non-recycle which are often produced in other types of printers.
- Because there is no need for a ribbon, plenty of time will be saved especially when it comes to reloading. This is great for printing companies as they usually waste several labor hours on reloading printers and adjusting its settings. Overall, printing would become more time-efficient.
- As opposed to the traditional printers using ribbons, wrinkling of ribbons during printing would not anymore be a problem. Other problems such as accidentally buying the wrong ribbon is out of the picture as well.
- Direct thermal printers use lesser physical space for storage since they are more compact.
The Cons
- For a great quality print, thermal printers will definitely take its time in printing especially when it comes to complex designs of labels.
- Because direct thermal printing produces labels that cannot withstand extreme heat or long and direct exposure to sunlight, the labels are advised to be kept somewhere more cool or less prone to sun and heat exposure.
- Thermal labels will eventually fade in long periods of time. Regardless if it is exposed to the sun or not. With that said, using direct thermal printing on labels which will just be stored for years would not be the best way to go.
Fortunately, the world of thermal printing is still evolving. More and more improvements are still happening especially when it comes to the printers. For instance, DoraniX printing company is introducing some new printer models for improved direct-to-package printing. There are new features for faster printing, larger capacity and better configuration. In addition, DoraniX also offers engineering solutions when it comes to package printing. Videos for demonstrations are available for those of you who want to know how thermal printing works.