What is thermal printing technology

Thermal printing technology is a digital printing process that uses thermal paper or thermal label under the heating of the print head to produce a chemical reaction on the surface coating of the paper or label, thereby generating an image or text printing technology. The following is a detailed explanation of the thermal printing technology:

Working principle

Heating and chemical reaction: the working principle of the thermal printer is that the printing head is installed with a semiconductor heating element, when the printing head is heated and in contact with the thermal printing paper, the color development agent printed at the printing head and colorless dye chemical reaction and change color, forming graphics. This chemical reaction is carried out at a certain temperature, and high temperatures will accelerate this reaction.

Dot matrix control: The thermal printer controls the heating element through a logic circuit, the heater is arranged in the form of square points or strips, and when driven, the corresponding pattern of the heating element is generated on the thermal paper. At the same time, the logic circuit that controls the heating element also controls the paper feed, so that the graphics can be printed on the entire label or paper.

advantage

Fast printing speed: thermal printing technology uses a print head with the same width as the printed medium, and the printing speed is very fast, which can achieve the effect of "seconds out".

High print quality: the generated images or text are clear, suitable for the printing needs of various labels and bills.

Low cost: Thermal printers do not need to use expensive cartridges and consumables like inkjet and laser printers, so printing costs are relatively low.

Easy to operate: The use of thermal paper as the printing medium eliminates the need for additional carbon strips or other consumables, simplifying the operation process.

Application field

Thermal printing technology is widely used in various fields, including but not limited to:

Retail industry: Used to print price labels, bar codes, two-dimensional codes, etc., to facilitate commodity management and sales.

Logistics industry: printing express package labels, shipping box labels, warehouse shelf labels, etc., to help realize logistics information tracking and inventory management automation.

Pharmaceutical industry: Printing drug labels, medical device labels, patient wristbands, etc., to ensure the traceability and safety of drugs and medical equipment.

Catering: Used for ordering and order processing, printing ordering orders, food preparation orders and takeout orders, etc., to improve order processing speed and accuracy.

Manufacturing: Marking and tracking products, printing product labels, serial number labels, etc., to help automate and trace production lines.

Matters needing attention

Selection of thermal paper: thermal printers can only use dedicated thermal paper, so you need to pay attention to choosing the appropriate thermal paper type and specification when using.

Storage time: Because thermal printing is generated by chemical reaction images or text, the printed content is greatly affected by the ambient temperature, and the storage time is relatively short. It is usually recommended to use as soon as possible after printing or store it properly to avoid fading of the information.

In summary, thermal printing technology is an efficient, economical and convenient printing method, which is widely used in various fields. With the continuous development of science and technology, thermal printing technology is also constantly innovating and improving to meet the needs of different industries.