When you ask for “thermal labels,” your label printer might ask if you want “direct thermal” or “thermal transfer.” If you’re not sure, that’s okay! A good printer will explain the differences and help you choose.
But if they don’t explain or it’s still confusing, don’t worry. There are two ways to use heat to put images and words on stuff. Your printer might understand the differences well, but for someone who’s not into labels, it can be confusing.
In this article, we’ll talk about the direct thermal vs. thermal transfer debate. We’ll explain what each type is, when they’re used, and the good and not-so-good things about each one.
What are thermal labels?
Thermal labels are labels made using heat to print images or text on special surfaces. There are two types: direct thermal printing and thermal transfer printing.
The infographic below shows the advantages and disadvantages of direct thermal and thermal transfer printing. Keep reading for more details.
What is Direct Thermal Printing?
Direct thermal printers use special paper or material coated with leuco dye. This dye can change color when it’s heated. So, when the printer’s heating element touches the paper, the dye turns dark, creating text or images. Sometimes, it’s the printhead that moves, and other times, it’s the paper or material. It depends on the printer.
More Everyday Uses
Apart from shipping labels, direct thermal printing is commonly used for things that don’t need to last a long time. For example, think about a ski lift ticket. They need to be printed fast for each person but don’t need to last more than a day.
Other uses for direct thermal printing include short-term stuff like:
– Parking tickets
– Wristbands for patients
– Passes for events
– Name tags
– Receipts
What Are the Benefits of Direct Thermal Printing?
Direct thermal printing is often used for barcodes and other scannable items because it produces clear, high-quality graphics and text consistently. Other benefits of direct thermal printing include:
– No need for ink or cartridges; the special printing material is the only thing you need.
– Because there are fewer supplies needed, there’s less maintenance and lower maintenance costs.
– Direct thermal printers are quick, which is why they’re used for things like receipts or shipping labels.
– They can be small and easy to move around.
– Operating direct thermal printers usually costs less than thermal transfer printers.
What Are the Downsides of Direct Thermal Printing?
Direct thermal printers can’t print in color, but your label printer might be able to print “blanks” with your company logo and other colors. Then you can run these blanks through a thermal printer.
Direct thermal printing is cheaper when you only need a few labels. But if you need a lot of the same label, like a whole roll or more, traditional printing methods might be cheaper.
Another problem is that there’s a shortage of leuco dye, which is used in direct thermal printing. The Chinese government has slowed down production because of pollution.
Other reasons to think about different printing methods instead of direct thermal printing include:
– Direct thermal labels can get dark if they’re in too much heat or light, making text hard to read and barcodes hard to scan.
– The labels can fade over time.
– If you scratch the labels, they can get dark. (Remember what happened when you scratched that shipping label from Amazon?)
Overall, if you care most about speed, being able to move the printer around, being efficient, and not spending too much money, direct thermal printing is a good choice. But if durability matters more, thermal transfer printing might be better.
What Is Thermal Transfer Printing?
If you’re not sure about the difference between direct thermal and thermal transfer printing, think about the word “transfer.” In direct thermal printing, heat changes ink that’s already in the material. But in thermal transfer printing, heat “transfers” ink onto the paper.
In thermal transfer printers, there’s a wide ribbon covered in wax-like stuff. When the printer’s heated printhead touches it, the wax melts and sticks to special paper or material. Usually, the ribbon is black, but you can get ribbons in different colors for thermal transfer printing.
What Are the Benefits of Thermal Transfer Printing?
Like direct thermal printing, thermal transfer printing is fast and creates clear, accurate text and images. It’s also great for printing barcodes.
But thermal transfer printing has the bonus of being able to print in color and being more durable. This makes it a good choice for printing a small number of labels as needed.
Compared to direct thermal printing, thermal transfer printing:
– Makes labels that last a long time.
– Stands up to moisture, heat, and light.
– Doesn’t rub off easily.
– Can be used on lots of different materials, like paper, polyester, and polypropylene.
Compared to other types of printing, like dot matrix or laser printing, thermal transfer printing is usually cheaper in the long run. Thermal transfer printers last a long time and don’t need much maintenance.
What Are the Downsides of Thermal Transfer Printing?
While thermal transfer printers can use ribbons in colors other than black, they can’t do full-color printing. For example, if you want to print in green, you need a green ribbon.
(GHS safety labels only need four colors, so printers for those labels come with all four.)
Thermal transfer printers also use up more material than direct thermal printers because the waxy ribbons need to be replaced now and then.
Here are some other downsides to thermal transfer printing:
– The ribbon usually can’t be recycled.
– You have to make sure the ribbon matches the material you’re printing on. If it doesn’t, it can melt onto the label and make a mess, possibly damaging the printer.
How Your Label Printer Can Assist You
An experienced label printer can help you decide between direct thermal and thermal transfer printing, based on what you need and how much you can spend.
There’s a myth that you have to buy label materials from the same company that made your printer. But a good label vendor can make labels in any size you need, like the width of the label and the space between labels.
If you need to print a lot of labels or if you want to stock up, your label printer can help with that too. They can also help you choose from other printing options besides thermal printing.
Ready to talk about your label needs? Contact us today.