Thermal transfer, thermal printing technology barcode (on)

Today, the demand for bar codes has become indispensable. More and more goods use bar codes and variable data to transfer many product information, such as production date, storage location, delivery data, materials and styles. Such as stored in the trademark, therefore, the printing plant must strengthen the understanding of bar code printing technology, in order to actively meet the requirements of commodity packaging and logistics management.

In bar code printing, when it is necessary to print a stream code or variable information, because the cost of plate making is high, the traditional printing method can no longer meet the requirements. However, the speed of laser and ink jet printing is relatively slow, and there are many restrictions on paper, and it is not very applicable in industrial applications. Therefore, the use of computer-to-plate printing thermal transfer printing method has become the main solution for printing bar codes and variable information.

Printing principle

1. Thermal transfer printing

The principle of thermal transfer printing is shown in Fig. 1. It relies on the heat generated by the print head to heat the carbon powder on the ribbon to form a text on the label. Thermal transfer printing systems are mainly composed of thermal transfer printers (also known as barcode printers), ribbons (also known as ribbons), stickers (some high-end printers can also print a variety of computer tickets). The cooperation of these three parts determines the print quality.

In addition, thermal transfer printers can also perform thermal printing jobs that are suitable for applications where the durability of labels and printed information is less demanding, such as supermarket price tags, which can often be accomplished using inexpensive thermal printing.

2. Thermal printing

Thermal printing requires the use of a dedicated thermal label to produce a corresponding color change based on the heat of the hair print to complete the print job. Since the thermal label itself is lower in price than the thermal transfer label, printing does not require the use of a ribbon, so the printing cost is relatively low.

Hot print labels

Labels that can be used for thermal transfer and thermal printing are classified into six categories based on their durability.

Economical thermal label

Short service life, poor anti-fouling performance, typical application forms include: supermarket commodity price tag, warehouse logistics management tag, address tag and so on.

2. Coated thermal labels

It has a long service life, good anti-fouling properties, and is suitable for labels that have a slightly longer retention time, such as labels for dairy products and frozen foods, as well as labels printed in hospitals and laboratories.

3. Economic heat transfer label

Also known as ordinary coated paper labels, it is mainly used in logistics and warehouse management.

4. Heat transfer label

Heat transfer labels are expensive, but they are still the preferred products of some large companies. They are often used in the packaging of brand-name products.

5. Thermal transfer polyolefin film label

The label is mainly made of white and transparent colored materials. Due to its good softness, it is mainly used in the clothing industry, and it is attached to the clothing to mark the specifications and dimensions.

6. Thermal transfer PET label

Mainly used in the electronics industry, such as the product description of household appliances, the factory serial number of mobile phone panels and other thermal transfer equipment performance.