Direct And Thermal Transfer Roll Labels
Direct thermal labels and thermal roll labels are designed for use in desktop and industrial label printers and are compatible with popular brands such as Zebra, Citizen, Toshiba TEC, Printronics and Dymo. Popular sizes are available from stock in large quantities for fast delivery to your door and please note also:
- Direct thermal labels do not require a ribbon for printing.
- Thermal transfer labels do require a ribbon for printing.
Labels compatible with desktop label printers are also available.
These are roll labels designed for thermal printers and are stocked in a range of sizes in very large quantities. It is important to know the difference between the two types which is shown on the product guide. The simple rule of thumb is that direct thermal labels do not require a thermal ink ribbon in the printer, whereas thermal transfer labels do require a ribbon.
These labels have many uses in manufacturing, dispatch and logistics, from address labels and barcode labels to product labels. Most thermal printers have a magic eye that detects the gaps between the labels so that print is positioned correctly on each label. Therefore, the majority of thermal labels don’t require holes or black marks (also known as registration marks) for registration.
Direct Thermal
These labels have a specially formulated chemical coating which in the presence of high temperature turns black, hence the process for printing direct thermal labels is using heat not ribbons.
There are two common types of coating: Eco and Top Coated
- Eco is a lower grade, but most commonly used where print is not required to last a very long time. An example of this would be dispatch labels. As the name suggests it is an economical material however it does have tendency to scratch easily.
- Top Coated is a premium label option. This material has extra coating to prevent scratching and discolouration. This is more commonly used in product labelling where print is required to be more enduring.
Compatible labels are a section with rolls in stock to fit Dymo, Seiko, Brother and Star machines.
Thermal Transfer
These labels most commonly have a semi-gloss finish. The process of printing these labels is by transferring ink from ribbons rather than a chemical process as with direct thermal printing.
This method of printing is more long lasting like top coated direct thermal as it will not scratch easily or discolour. Coloured print ribbons are available so that there is the option of printing spot colours.
Thermal Ribbons are also available, click here for more information.
