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What is a Thermal Printer?
Thermal transfer printing is a related method that uses a heat-sensitive ribbon instead of heat-sensitive paper. In order to print, one inserts thermo-sensitive paper between the thermal head and the platen. The printer sends an electrical current to the heating resistor of the thermal head, which in turn generates heat in a prescribed pattern. The heat activates the thermo-sensitive coloring layer of the thermo-sensitive paper, which manifests a pattern of color change in response. Such a printing mechanism is known as a thermal system or direct system. The paper is impregnated with a solid-state mixture of a dye and a suitable matrix; a combination of a fluoran leuco dye and an octadecylphosphonic acid is an example. When the matrix is heated above its melting point, the dye reacts with the acid, shifts to its colored form, and the changed form is then conserved in metastable state when the matrix solidifies back quickly enough. Thermal printers print faster and more quietly than dot matrix printers. They are also more economical since their only consumable is the thermal paper itself. For information on Thermal Paper and Thermal Printers, these pages may help: |
A thermal
printer (or direct thermal printer) produces a printed image by
selectively heating coated thermochromic paper when the paper passes over
the thermal print head. The coating turns black in the areas where it is
heated, producing an image. Two-color direct thermal printers are capable
of printing both black and an additional color (often red), by applying
heat at two different temperatures.