What is the printing process of transparent thermal sensitive label paper?

The printing process of transparent thermal sensitive label paper is a relatively complex but efficient process, which relies on the principle of thermal printing technology. By heating, the colorless thermal sensitive dye layer undergoes physical or chemical changes, thereby revealing images or text. The following are the detailed steps of the printing process for transparent thermal sensitive label paper:

1、 Material preparation

Choose substrate: Use high-quality paper or film with a certain thickness and strength as the substrate to ensure stability and durability during the printing process. For transparent thermal label paper, transparent film materials are usually chosen.

Coating thermal sensitive coating: A special thermal sensitive coating (also known as a thermochromic layer) is coated on the substrate, which is mainly composed of various chemical substances such as colorless dyes, color developing agents, sensitizers, stabilizers, adhesives, etc. These components can undergo chemical reactions under heating conditions, releasing colors.

2、 Drying and curing

Drying treatment: After coating is completed, the paper or film needs to be dried to ensure that the coating is firmly attached to the substrate. There are various drying methods, including airflow drying under low temperature conditions and rapid drying using ultraviolet lamps.

Curing treatment: Further cure the coating to ensure optimal printing results. Curing treatment can be carried out through heating, ultraviolet irradiation, or natural drying.

3、 Printing preparation

Design and layout: Use professional label design software or printer built-in software to design and layout labels. Ensure the accuracy and beauty of text, barcodes, QR codes, and other content.

Set up printer: In the printer driver or settings menu, select the correct paper type (such as thermal paper) and print density parameters.

4、 Printing process

Heating color rendering: Heating the designed pattern or text through the print head of a thermal printer. The electronic heaters on the print head are arranged in the form of dots or strips, selectively heating the thermal paper. During the heating process, the colorless dye and color developer in the thermal sensitive coating undergo a chemical reaction, resulting in the desired image or text being displayed.

Control paper feeding: At the same time, the printer controls paper feeding through logic circuits to ensure that paper or film can smoothly pass through the print head and be heated and colored in the correct position.

5、 Subsequent processing

Shaping and cutting: Use cutting equipment to shape and cut printed labels to meet different size and shape requirements.

Bonding and coating: As needed, attach the label to the product to be applied, or apply coating treatment to enhance its durability and adhesion.

Packaging and Quality Inspection: Packaging and quality inspection of processed thermal labels to ensure product quality meets requirements. The testing content includes the flatness of the label, the clarity of the printing effect, durability, and other aspects.

In summary, the printing process of transparent thermal sensitive label paper includes material preparation, drying and curing, printing preparation, printing process, and subsequent processing steps. These steps together ensure high-quality printing and wide application of thermal label paper.