Thermal transfer, thermal printing technology barcode (below)

Currently available thermal transfer printers are classified into high-end industrial type, mid-range industrial type, and low-grade industrial and commercial dual-use type according to the different print speed, resolution, print quality, and reliability.

Print speed

The high-end industrial type printer central processor is 64 bits or 32 bits, and the printing speed can reach 10-16 inches per second due to the faster processing of pictures or texts; the central processor of the industrial printers is 32 bits or more. 16 bits, printing speed is 5-8 inches/second. The low-end industrial and commercial dual-use CPU is 8-bit, so the print speed is only 2-5 inches per second, and it is usually used for small batch printing.

2. Print resolution

At present, the resolution of thermal transfer printers on the market is mainly 4 kinds of 600dPi, 400dpi, 300dpi, 200dpi. 300dpi resolution has been able to meet the bar code printing accuracy requirements, is the most commonly used models. When you need to print a fine picture, you can also use a higher-precision printer.

3. Print quality

The quality of thermal transfer printing is mainly reflected in the quality of graphic images at high speed. Most high-speed printers use the latest edge pressure printheads (also called hoverhead printheads). Its advantage is that the print head can move freely up and down, which is more flexible (it is not only easy to install and remove, but also can realize many special functions, such as high-speed printing and ribbon saving functions), easy to clean, good heat dissipation, and long service life. . The traditional flat pressure print head is not movable due to its location, heat dissipation is slow, dust is easy to accumulate, and its service life is relatively short. It cannot print at high speed and is only suitable for ordinary label printing.

4. Job reliability

Whether the printing position is accurate and the stability of the sensor, the rationality of the paper feeding structure, the firmness of the printer shell, and the printer's motor have a close connection. The high-end printer has three super motors to move the paper, ribbons, and print heads up and down. The three locations can be synchronized or out of sync, thus saving ribbon during high-speed printing. Followed by whether the printer is an industrial design. This is related to the quality and quantity of the stepper motor and the stability of the power supply and circuit board.

5. special function

High-end printers have many special features to suit the needs of different occasions.

1) Save the ribbon. When the customer's label printing area only occupies a small part of the label, the ribbon saving function plays a role in reducing the cost of the ribbon.

2) Automatic print head inspection function. When printing large quantities of orders, the barcode of each label can be guaranteed to be accurately read. Even manual inspections cannot guarantee 100% yield. With the print head self-test function, the printer will automatically detect the print head when it finishes a certain number of tasks to ensure the quality of the printed labels.

3) Replace the label and ribbon material prompts. When the label or ribbon runs out, the printer will give a warning in advance and shorten the replacement time.

4) Double knife function. As long as customers add a cutting knife to the printer, they can cut off each label and leave a margin for cutting. However, on special occasions, especially the tag label of the garment industry, all edges of the slitting need to be cut off after printing to leave a perfect label. The double knife function can achieve this effect.

5) Single sheet feeding mode. Although single-format printers have been commonly used in the printing of clothing labels, for some printing plants, reel-based printing is still the main method. Occasionally, there are small-volume single-sheet orders that can be printed on the printer. Add a single sheet feeder.

6) The scanner can print and scan once.

7) Automatic labeler. When the labeling speed is not very high, a sticker labeler can be installed on the barcode printer to complete the printing and labeling work at one time, thus saving hardware costs.

8) Print head width selection function. Using a machine with this feature when the label is very wide but the print width is very small will save the cost of the print head.

9) The print head unit is easy to replace. Usually, the flat pressure print head needs to be replaced with a tool, which is troublesome. The edge pressure type print head is relatively simple, and it is only necessary to manually open the set screw.

As mentioned above, high-end industrial printers are suitable for large-scale, large-scale printing services, and special functions help reduce production costs. They are the preferred model for printing shops. The low-end industrial and commercial dual-use printers are suitable for small batch use in office applications.

ribbon

The printing effect is related to the matching degree of the ribbon and the label, in addition to the setting of the printer itself. High-speed printing must use high-speed ribbons (ie, edge-pressure ribbons). In general flat-press printing, flat-pressure ribbons are selected, and they cannot be mixed. Depending on the material of the label, the type of ribbon used is also different.