Northern Label Systems, professionals in supplying top quality labels reveal the distinctions concerning Direct Thermal and Thermal Transfer Labels.
Thermal Transfer printing utilizes an ink ribbon to transfer the printed image from your heated printhead in the label printer onto the surface from the label whilst Direct Thermal printing transfers the image straight on to a warmth delicate content.
You can find advantages and drawbacks to both equally approaches. Direct Thermal label printing isn't going to require a label printer that uses an ink ribbon, therefore rendering it a cheaper label printer. Nevertheless, the labels are generally a little bit costlier. This mentioned there's no ink ribbon cost, so the particular printed label Expense is remarkably similar. Direct Thermal label printing also involves the label printer’s printhead for being in direct connection with the label by itself. If you're printing superior volumes of labels you'll discover that the printhead wears out more quickly than 1 useful for Thermal Transfer label printing. This should be An important consideration if printing in quantity as printhead life will be diminished by in between 24% and fifty one%. The expense 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 cost of a mid-assortment or industrial high-quality label printer.
The printed label will even be distinctive when it comes to excellent. Direct Thermal label printing is usually only utilized for labels that will likely have a brief shelf life like transport labels, packaging labels and finest before dates. It is because the heat resistant labels applied frequently fade in daylight more than a number of months or months depending upon the level of UV light. Even if the labels are in an indoor Business office setting the label will frequently begin to fade after twelve-fourteen months.
Direct Thermal Labels with a ‘Topcoat’ are available to make sure much more resistance to UV light, although this means an increase in label cost. Most Direct Thermal labels will be the uncoated sort and therefore are utilized for short term labelling solutions.
Thermal Transfer label printing uses exactly the same method of printing for example heated features heating up and cooling down in a short time on the thermal printhead. Nonetheless, with thermal transfer label printing an ink ribbon is used to transfer the printed graphic on to common paper labels or synthetic labels. The end result is often a printed label that will not fade in daylight and can typically be readable for many years. For the reason that an ink ribbon is applied this acts as a ‘buffer’ concerning the printhead along with the label itself bringing about enhanced 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 down sides of Thermal Transfer label printing would be that the label printer necessary is slightly costlier. Nevertheless, Thermal Transfer label printers may be used to print Direct Thermal labels as well by just removing the ink ribbon. Just recall although, simply because you might use an ink ribbon to print There may be one more issue to operate from!
Northern Label Systems was Launched in website 2003 by Simon Brown who started Doing work during the label market in 1988 when he was a subject service engineer for Toshiba which concerned the on-web-site repair of label printers inside the south east of England. He then went on to control the label printer repair facility at Toshiba in Preston in 1992 and right after 3 decades there labored in a number of positions as label printer installation engineer then product sales account supervisor for a world label units provider. As Managing Director of Northern Label Systems Limited Simon makes use of his many years of knowledge from the label field to make sure that only the highest top quality merchandise are marketed.
Northern Label Systems has long been crafted on a reputation for giving high quality labels at the very best prices. They source label printers by Zebra Systems, Citizen and Toshiba TEC, and self-adhesive labels out there in numerous types of measurements, colours and adhesive varieties to fit all label machines and purposes, rendering it effortless to print your own personal labels!
Their items can produce Address, Iron-On Nametags and Accessories which include Dispensers, Unwinders and Rewinders. These practical instruments are intended to make label processing far more effective.