Thermal Transfer printing

Thermal Transfer printing

Thermal printing is a type of digital printing where a material or substance is applied to the paper or any other kind of material by simply melting a coating of ribbon. It is done so that it stays glued to the material on which the print needs to be applied. It is in contrast to the thermal printing which doesn’t include ribbon in the process.

Thermal transfer is generally preferred over direct thermal printing on various surfaces which are heat-sensitive or when there is a desire for higher durability of the printed material when it comes especially against the heat. Thermal transfer is a famous print process which is particularly used for identification labels printing. It is most widely utilized in printing process around the world when it comes to printing of high-quality barcodes. Printers such as label makers can easily laminate the print which adds more durability. We specialize in thermal transfer with our experience in this field over the years in delivering a high-quality product which is durable against elements.

Process

The thermal transfer printing is carried by melting the wax within the print heads of a given specialized printer. The thermal transfer print process uses three major components: a carbon ribbon (the ink), a non-movable print head and a substrate to be printed which would generally be paper, card, synthetics or textile materials. These three components essentially form a sandwich with the ribbon present in the middle. A thermally compliant print head along with in combination with different electrical properties of the ribbon as well as correct rheological properties of the ribbon ink, all are the essential part of producing a high-quality printed image. We take special consideration in selecting these components to deliver best quality product to make sure that your business product represents reliability among the customers.

Most of the print heads are available in different dpi resolution options: 203, 300 and 600 dpi. Each dot is particularly addressed independently, and when a dot is addressed electronically, it gets heated up immediately to a pre-set temperature which is adjustable. The heated element melts the wax or the resin-based ink almost immediately on the side of the ribbon film which faces the substrate and this process, along with the combination of constant pressure which is applied by the print-head locking mechanism, transfers it into the substrate immediately. When a dot is “turned off”, that particular element of the print heat cools down within few moments, and that part of the ribbons stops melting or printing. As the substrate comes out of the printer, it dries completely and can be immediately used. We lay special emphasis on efficiency of this process as it defines our quality of print and with our expert professionals having years of experience, we deliver the printed material at a faster rate and deliver quickly.

Carbon ribbons are on rolls and are particularly fitted onto a reel holder or spindle which is present within the printer. The used ribbon is then rewound by a take-up swindle, which forms a roll of “used” ribbon. It is also called “one-trip” ribbon as once it has been rewound, the used ribbon roll is then discarded and eventually replaced with a new one. In case one holds a used carbon ribbon strip up to the light, one can see the exact negative of the image which has been printed. The major benefit of using a one-trip thermal transfer ribbon is that it provides the correct settings which are applied prior or before to printing, a 100% density of given printed image is thus guaranteed, particularly in contrast to a pre-inked ribbon on a dot-matrix impact printer ribbon which generally fades with usage, gradually. We make sure that we use the best carbon ribbon for this process to enable us to maintain the quality of our printed products for your business which is often used for promotional and marketing purposes and their quality represents your brand.

Service

We also provide coloured printing services to our esteemed clients. We have been doing this for a large clientele over the years with delivering standardized products to meet their expectations. The thermal printing technology can also be used to produce colour images for adhering a wax-based ink onto a material or paper. As the paper and the ribbon move along in unison beneath the perfectly placed thermal print head, the wax-based ink from the transfer ribbons easily gets melted and printed onto the paper. When cooled, the wax is permanently adhered to the paper. This particular type of thermal printer generally uses a like-sized ribbon panel for each panel which needs to be printed, irrespective of the pages’ content. Monochrome printers have a black panel for each page that needs to be printed. When it comes to colour printers, they either have three (CMY) or four (CMYK) coloured panels in the case for each page. Unlike other printers such as dye-sublimation printers, these thermal transfer printers cannot vary the intensity of the dot which essentially means that the images need to be dithered and it is must to do so. These printed materials are on par with inkjet and colour laser printers, more or less.

Currently, these types of printers are used for small size printing, and they are employed for various industrial label printing due to its inherent water fastness as well as speed which is essential to deliver the product on strict schedule. These printers are highly reliable as they don’t have a large number of moving parts which is in contrast with other printers. Printouts from the colour thermal printers which use wax are quite sensitive to abrasion since the wax ink can easily be scrapped, rubbed off or smeared but it doesn’t mean that they are not durable since they last long and provides a good finish which is important to add appeal to the product and the brand. Wax-resin compounds, as well as full resins, can easily be used on various materials like polypropylene or polyester so that durability can be increased. We make sure that the product we provide to you is of the highest standard and meets your expectation of quality from us.

We are expert thermal-transfer printing provider and are currently the market leader in this type of printing. We have earned quite a reputation in offering best quality printed material, and we make sure that you are provided with the best service and products for your business as we take your position in the market as a valuable and reliable provider of products and services, quite seriously.