The battle of thermal transfer vs direct thermal printing is most often won by answering a simple question: Do you require long-lasting barcodes to identify products and tag assets, or do you need to print items with shorter shelf lives, such as shipping labels, receipts, or tickets?
Most organizations with dedicated barcode systems use either thermal transfer or direct thermal printing to produce labels for tracking and identifying people, products, and locations. But sometimes they pick the wrong technology simply because they aren’t aware of their differences.
By learning more about thermal transfer vs direct thermal printing, companies won’t waste time and money on labels and barcode printers that won’t work.
What is thermal transfer printing?
Thermal transfer printing use a heated print head and a thin ribbon to create high-quality, long-lasting barcode labels.
Black Tie makes high-quality, yet affordable, thermal transfer and direct thermal labels. Zebra is also a popular brand.
The ribbons have a wax, resin, or a wax/resin coating on one side. When a thermal transfer label or tag passes through a thermal transfer barcode printer, heat from the print head melts the wax or resin.
This process transfers ink to the label. The result is crisp, high-definition images of the highest quality—which is why thermal transfer printing is perfect for applications that require durable, long-lasting labels.
Learn more about thermal transfer printing.
What is direct thermal printing?
Direct thermal printing also uses a print head to generate images. But instead of using ribbons to transfer ink, it creates an image directly on the label.
This print technology uses chemically treated, heat-sensitive media that turns black when it passes under a heated print head. Therefore, no ribbons, ink, or toner is needed—which is one of the reasons for the widespread adoption of direct thermal printing. The ongoing maintenance costs are lower than those for thermal transfer printing.
Learn more about direct thermal printing.
Thermal transfer vs direct thermal printing
Both print technologies have advantages and limitations. To determine which is right for you, compare both in the table below.
|
Thermal Transfer |
Direct Thermal |
Best for |
|
|
Environment |
|
|
Ideal applications |
|
|
How it works |
|
|
Benefits |
Superior print quality
Maximum readability, scannability
Low operational costs
|
Simple to use
Good readability, scannability
Affordable
|
Limitations |
Higher supply expenses
Increased installation costs
Potential printer problems
|
Sensitive to environment
Usability issues
|
–>