Northern Label Systems, professionals in providing high quality labels clarify the differences among Direct Thermal and Thermal Transfer Labels.
Thermal Transfer printing utilizes an ink ribbon to transfer the printed image in the heated printhead from the label printer onto the surface area of your label when Direct Thermal printing transfers the impression right onto a heat delicate substance.
You will discover advantages and drawbacks 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 Charge, so the actual printed label Price tag is remarkably related. Direct Thermal label printing also needs the label printer’s printhead to be in direct contact with the label alone. Should you be printing higher volumes of labels you will see the printhead wears out quicker than one particular used for Thermal Transfer label printing. This could be An important thought if printing in quantity as printhead life will probably be minimized by among 24% and fifty one%. The cost of a printhead differs but will likely be close to forty% – fifty% of the cost of a small desktop label printer and sixteen% – 26% the expense of a mid-assortment or industrial high-quality 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 greatest 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 volume of UV light. Even if the labels are within an indoor Workplace atmosphere the label will normally begin to fade just after 12-14 months.
Direct Thermal Labels using a ‘Topcoat’ can be found to guarantee more resistance to UV light, even though This implies an increase in label price tag. Most Direct Thermal labels tend to be the uncoated form and they are useful for short-term labelling methods.
Thermal Transfer label printing takes advantage of the same technique of printing such as heated things heating up and cooling down very quickly on the thermal printhead. However, 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 sunlight and will commonly be readable for a few years. Simply because an ink ribbon is used this functions like a ‘buffer’ in between the printhead as well as label by itself leading to amplified printhead life. Thermal Transfer label printing can be utilized to print paper in addition to artificial sort labels including polypropylene, polyethylene, vinyl and polyester in both equally matt and gloss.
The down sides of Thermal Transfer label printing is that the label printer essential is somewhat dearer. Nonetheless, Thermal Transfer label printers can be employed to print Direct Thermal labels also by just getting rid of the ink ribbon. Just try to remember even though, as you might use an ink ribbon to print There may be one more issue to operate out of!
Northern Label Systems was Launched in 2003 by Simon Brown who begun Functioning from the label business in 1988 when he was a discipline company engineer for Toshiba which involved the on-internet site maintenance of label printers within the south east of England. He then went on to handle the label printer repair service facility at Toshiba in Preston in 1992 and after three a long time there labored in various positions website as label printer set up engineer then revenue account manager for a worldwide label programs company. As Managing Director of Northern Label Systems Ltd Simon takes advantage of his a few years of encounter inside the label sector making sure that only the best high-quality products are sold.
Northern Label Systems continues to be constructed on a track record for supplying top quality labels at the best possible costs. They supply label printers by Zebra Technologies, Citizen and Toshiba TEC, in addition to self-adhesive labels accessible in a wide variety of dimensions, colors and adhesive sorts to match all label machines and applications, rendering it easy to print your very own labels!
Their merchandise can develop Address, Iron-On Nametags and Add-ons which consist of Dispensers, Unwinders and Rewinders. These useful applications are built to make label processing far more effective.