Thermal label printers are used every day across manufacturing, warehousing, logistics, retail, healthcare and countless other industries. From printing shipping labels and product barcodes to asset identification and stock control, they provide a fast and reliable way to produce labels whenever they are needed.
But not all thermal label printers work in the same way – and choosing the right printer depends on far more than simply the size of label you want to produce.
In this guide, we look at how thermal label printers work, the different technologies available, where they are commonly used and some of the things worth considering when choosing a printer for your business.
A thermal label printer uses heat to create an image rather than the ink or toner cartridges found in conventional office printers.
There are two main types of thermal printing: direct thermal and thermal transfer.
Although both use a heated printhead, they produce the finished label differently. This distinction is important because it affects everything from the lifespan of the label to the materials you can print on.
Direct thermal printers print onto specially manufactured heat-sensitive labels.
As the label passes beneath the thermal printhead, tiny heating elements activate specific areas of the material. These areas darken to create the required text, barcode or image.
No ribbon, ink or toner is required.
This makes direct thermal printing relatively simple and means there are fewer consumables to replace.
The trade-off is that direct thermal labels aren't normally intended for long-term use. Heat, sunlight, friction and certain chemicals can cause the printed image to fade or darken over time.
For this reason, direct thermal printing is particularly well suited to applications where the label only needs to remain readable for a relatively short period.
Typical examples include:
If a parcel label only needs to survive the journey from a warehouse in Liverpool to a customer in London, for example, direct thermal printing can be perfectly suitable.
Once you understand what you need your label printer for, you can start looking around for the best model. These range from basic machines that print labels, but don’t do much else, to specialist printers that are designed for your work/industry.
Thermal transfer printing also uses a heated printhead, but instead of applying heat directly to the label, the printhead heats a ribbon.
The heat transfers ink from the ribbon onto the label material.
This additional consumable makes thermal transfer printing slightly more complex, but it also makes it considerably more versatile.
Depending on the combination of ribbon and label material used, thermal transfer printing can produce extremely durable labels capable of withstanding demanding environments.
This makes it suitable for applications including:
Where a label needs to remain readable for months or years rather than days or weeks, thermal transfer will often be the more appropriate technology.
Neither technology is inherently better. The right choice depends on what you need the label to do.
If you're producing high volumes of short-life shipping labels, introducing a ribbon unnecessarily adds another consumable and another cost.
Conversely, using direct thermal labels to identify components that may spend years in storage could prove to be a false economy if the information eventually becomes unreadable.
The important questions are therefore:
How long does the label need to last?
A courier label may only be needed for a few days. An asset identification label could need to remain readable for several years.
What environment will the label encounter?
Consider temperature, sunlight, moisture, oils, chemicals, abrasion and general handling.
What material are you printing onto?
Paper labels may be perfectly adequate for some applications, while others require polypropylene, polyester or other synthetic materials.
What information will the label contain?
A simple address label and a small, high-density barcode place very different demands on a printer.
Understanding the application first makes choosing the technology considerably easier.
Once you've established the appropriate printing technology, another consideration is the type of printer itself.
Desktop thermal printers
Desktop printers are compact machines designed for relatively low to moderate printing volumes.
They are commonly found in offices, retail environments, healthcare facilities and smaller warehouses where space is limited and labels are printed periodically throughout the day.
Their smaller size usually means smaller label and ribbon rolls, so consumables need replacing more frequently than with larger industrial machines.
Industrial thermal printers
Industrial printers are designed for demanding environments and considerably higher print volumes.
You'll typically find them operating in manufacturing plants, distribution centres, warehouses and production environments where label printing forms an important part of day-to-day operations.
They tend to have more robust construction, larger media capacities and components designed to withstand sustained use.
For an operation printing thousands of labels every day, an industrial printer can be a much better investment than continually pushing a desktop machine beyond the workload it was designed to handle.
Mobile thermal printers
Mobile printers allow labels to be produced at the point where they are required.
Warehouse staff, for example, can carry a printer and produce barcode or stock labels while moving around the facility rather than repeatedly returning to a fixed printing station.
They can also be useful in retail, logistics, field service and healthcare applications.
Thermal printer resolution is normally measured in dots per inch (dpi).
Common resolutions include 203 dpi, 300 dpi and 600 dpi.
It might seem logical simply to choose the highest resolution available, but that isn't necessarily required.
203 dpi is suitable for many standard shipping, warehouse and barcode applications.
300 dpi provides greater detail and is useful for smaller text, more detailed graphics and compact barcodes.
600 dpi is typically reserved for applications requiring particularly fine detail or very small labels.
Higher resolution printers can cost more, so the important consideration is the level of detail your application actually requires.
Manufacturers frequently quote maximum print speeds, but the fastest printer isn't automatically the best choice.
Print quality can be affected by speed, label material, ribbon selection and printer settings. In some applications, slowing a printer slightly can produce more consistent results.
More importantly, businesses should consider their actual throughput requirements.
A printer producing a few hundred labels throughout an eight-hour working day has very different demands from one producing thousands of labels during a busy dispatch period.
The printer itself is only one part of a thermal printing system.
Label material, adhesive and – with thermal transfer printing – ribbon selection can have a significant effect on the finished result.
Thermal transfer ribbons are generally divided into three broad categories:
Wax ribbons are commonly used with paper labels and provide an economical solution for general-purpose printing.
Wax/resin ribbons provide greater durability and resistance to rubbing and scratching.
Resin ribbons can provide excellent durability and resistance to chemicals, moisture and demanding environments when paired with suitable synthetic label materials.
Matching the ribbon to the label material and application is essential. An expensive printer cannot compensate for an unsuitable combination of label and ribbon.
Modern thermal printers can offer numerous connectivity options including USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
The right option depends largely on how and where the printer will be used.
A single printer connected directly to one computer may only require USB. A warehouse containing multiple printing stations might require network connectivity so printers can be accessed from different systems.
It's also worth considering the software responsible for generating your labels.
If the printer needs to integrate with warehouse management software, an ERP system, stock-control software or another business application, compatibility should be established before choosing the hardware.
The printhead is one of the most important components in any thermal printer – and it is also a consumable component that will eventually wear.
Every printed label passes beneath it.
Dust, adhesive residue and unsuitable media can accelerate wear, while correct cleaning and maintenance can significantly extend printhead life.
Lines or blank areas consistently appearing through labels can be an indication of damaged printhead elements, although print-quality problems can also have much simpler causes.
Keeping the printer clean and using appropriate labels and ribbons can help prevent premature failures.
Before selecting a particular make or model, establish what you actually need the printer to accomplish.
Consider:
The purchase price of the printer is only one part of its overall cost.
Consumables, maintenance, downtime and component availability can ultimately have a much greater impact.
Unit 10 Webber Estates
Webber Road
Liverpool
L33 7SQ
