Principle of Thermal Printing: Thermal printing uses chemically treated thermal media that turns black when the media passes under the thermal print head. Thermal printers do not use ink, toner or ribbon. The simple design makes thermal printers durable and easy to use. Because there is no ribbon, thermal printers are less expensive to operate than thermal transfer printers. Patterns on thermal media fade over time.
Principle of Thermal Transfer Printing: In thermal transfer printing, the thermal printhead heats the ribbon and the ink melts onto the label material to form the pattern. The ribbon material is absorbed by the media and the pattern forms part of the label. This technology offers pattern quality and durability unmatched by other on-demand printing technologies.
Differences:
1. Printing consumables are different.
Thermal printers use consumables: thermal paper. Thermal paper coated with a layer of heat will produce a chemical reaction and discoloration of the coating, similar to the photographic film will change color when it is hot, the use of thermal coating of this feature to create a thermal printing technology; (Note: Thermal printers can only be used with special thermal paper).
Thermal transfer printers use consumables: self-adhesive label paper, PET, PVC, wash labels, tags and other label media, but also can use thermal paper printing.
2, the shelf life is different.
Thermal machine print out the media preservation time is not long, generally six months! (Specifically depends on the storage location, luminosity, temperature and other environmental decisions on the actual shelf life); Thermal transfer machine print out the media to save time is longer, generally more than two years (depending on the use of label paper and ribbon quality).
3, the cost is different.
Thermal machine cost is lower, consumables are also lower; thermal transfer machine cost, the cost of consumables than the cost of thermal machine.
4, the scope of application is different.
Thermal printers for supermarkets, clothing stores, logistics, retail and other bar code requirements are not high enterprises; thermal transfer printers for manufacturing, automotive industry, textile industry, telecommunications, food sector, electronics industry, chemical industry, pharmaceutical industry, medical industry, public utilities, retail distribution, transportation and logistics, government agencies and other businesses.