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The Thermal Transfer Printing Process |
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 The thermal transfer printing process is similar to direct thermal printing. Both use the selective heating of elements in the thermal printhead to produce an image. In thermal transfer printing the image is produced by melting ink on a ribbon. The melted ink is then transferred to the label.
The advantages of thermal transfer over direct thermal are that most label materials can be thermal transfer printed, provided the correct ribbon is selected, and the durability of the print is generally better.
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| Ribbons |
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There are many grades of thermal transfer ribbon available to meet the requirements of different printhead types, label materials and applications. For simplicity they can be grouped into three categories: |
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Wax
•Offer good economy
•Good print results with a wide range of paper label materials.
•Print can be smudged or scratched.
•Applications: Product Identification, Distribution, Stock Control, WIP Tracking. |
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Wax/Resin
•Offer improved resistance to smudging and scratching.
•Good print results with a wide range of paper and synthetic label materials.
•Applications: As with Wax plus Healthcare, Asset Tracking. |
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Resin
•Offer ultimate durability of the printed image.
•Ideal for printing a wide range of synthetic label materials.
•Applications: Oil and Chemical Drum Labelling, Warehouse Location Identification, Asset Tracking.
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| Improving Print Quality |
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 Many factors affect print quality in thermal transfer printing. The most important is the combination of printer, label and ribbon. All three must be matched if the desired print quality is to be achieved. Assuming that you have a suitable combination you then need to make sure that the printer is set up correctly:
Balanced Printhead Pressure and Temperature
The aim is to set the pressure and temperature at the lowest levels that achieve the desired print quality. As well as helping to maintain print quality this also ensures that printhead life will be as long as possible. One way to establish the best settings is to start with pressure and temperature set at the lowest levels and gradually increase both, test printing between adjustments, until you have print quality that you are happy with.
Keep Everything Clean
Labels generate dust. You should periodically clean the dust from your printer paying particular attention to the paths followed by the labels and ribbons. If dust gets between the printhead and ribbon or the ribbon and the label print quality will be adversely affected.
The nature of the back coatings used on most ribbons means that a build up of residue occurs on the printhead. This build up prevents the effective transfer of heat from the printhead to the ribbon which results in poor print quality. The residue can be removed from the printhead with a soft, lint free cloth or swab moistened with an appropriate cleaning fluid. We recommend that this is done after each ribbon.
If these steps are followed you should find that your print quality is improved and you will be helping to prolong the life of your printhead.
If you would like any more information feel free to contact us on 020 8653 4477 or email info@nslabels.co.uk |
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020 8653 4477 