Northern Label Systems, professionals in supplying high-quality labels explain the differences between Direct Thermal and Thermal Transfer Labels.
Thermal Transfer printing makes use of an ink ribbon to transfer the printed picture from your heated printhead in the label printer onto the surface area of your label though Direct Thermal printing transfers the impression specifically onto a heat delicate substance.
You will discover positives and negatives to both equally approaches. Direct Thermal label printing will not require a label printer that uses an ink ribbon, hence which makes it a cheaper label printer. However, the labels are frequently a little more expensive. This said there is not any ink ribbon Value, so the actual printed label Price tag is remarkably related. Direct Thermal label printing also demands the label printer’s printhead to generally be in direct contact with the label alone. Should you be printing higher volumes of labels you will see the printhead wears out more rapidly than one particular used for Thermal Transfer label printing. This should be An important consideration if printing in quantity as printhead life will probably be minimized by in between 24% and fifty one%. The expense of a printhead differs but is frequently about forty% – fifty% of the cost of a small desktop label printer and sixteen% – 26% the expense of a mid-assortment or industrial excellent label printer.
The printed label may also be unique in terms of good quality. Direct Thermal label printing will likely be only used for labels that could have a brief shelf life which include shipping labels, packaging labels and ideal in advance of dates. This is because the heat resistant labels employed normally fade in daylight around a few weeks or months with regards to the standard of UV light-weight. Regardless if the labels are within an indoor office atmosphere the label will typically start to fade soon after 12-14 months.
Direct Thermal Labels using a ‘Topcoat’ can be found to be sure far more resistance to UV gentle, however What this means is an increase in label value. Most Direct Thermal labels are classified as the uncoated variety and therefore are utilized for short term labelling solutions.
Thermal Transfer label printing uses the same technique of printing such as heated features heating up and cooling down in a short time on the thermal printhead. Nevertheless, with thermal transfer label printing an ink ribbon is utilized to transfer the printed impression onto standard paper labels or artificial labels. The result is really a printed label that won't fade in daylight and will frequently be readable for a few years. Since an ink ribbon is utilized this functions like a ‘buffer’ in between the printhead as well as label by itself leading to greater printhead life. Thermal Transfer label printing can be utilized to print paper as well as artificial kind labels together with polypropylene, polyethylene, vinyl and polyester in equally matt and gloss.
The drawbacks of Thermal Transfer label printing would be that the label printer needed is a little bit more expensive. Having said that, Thermal Transfer label printers can be utilized to print Direct Thermal labels much too simply by eradicating the ink ribbon. Just bear in mind nevertheless, since you may perhaps use an ink ribbon to print There is certainly another factor to run outside of!
Northern Label Systems was founded in 2003 by Simon Brown who commenced working inside the label marketplace in 1988 when he was a field provider engineer for Toshiba which associated the on-website mend of label printers during the south east click here of England. He then went on to manage the label printer fix facility at Toshiba in Preston in 1992 and immediately after a few many years there worked in many positions as label printer set up engineer then gross sales account supervisor for a global label methods supplier. As Managing Director of Northern Label Systems Ltd Simon works by using his a few years of working experience in the label business to make certain only the best excellent products and solutions are bought.
Northern Label Systems has been constructed on a track record for supplying top quality labels at the best possible costs. They supply label printers by Zebra Systems, Citizen and Toshiba TEC, and self-adhesive labels available in numerous types of dimensions, colours and adhesive varieties to fit all label machines and purposes, rendering it easy to print your very own labels!
Their items can develop Address, Iron-On Nametags and Add-ons which include Dispensers, Unwinders and Rewinders. These useful applications are built to make label processing far more effective.