What's the difference between carbon and ribbon

There are significant differences between carbon and color bands in several ways, and the following is a detailed explanation and summary of the differences between them:

Definition and use:

Carbon ribbon: Also known as carbon ribbon or carbon ribbon, is a printer accessory. It is a roll of ribbon material coated with materials such as toner and resin on a plastic film or paper tape. Carbon tape is mainly used in POS machines, cash registers, printers, fax machines and other office equipment, but also widely regarded as the standard consumables in industrial applications.

Ribbon: mainly used in needle printers or typewriters. The working principle is to use the dot matrix firing pin or letter bump in the print head to impact the ribbon and produce a printing effect on the printing paper. Ribbon was a common consumable for these early printing devices.

Main ingredients:

Carbon belt: mainly includes carbon black, resins and lubricants. Carbon black is the main pigment, which is dyed by heat reaction. The resin is responsible for adhering the toner to the paper tape; The lubricant improves the smoothness and durability of the print.

Ribbon: Its composition is relatively simple, mainly nylon yarn as raw materials woven into the band base after the ink soaked, dyed.

How it works:

Carbon tape: In the printing process, the printing hair heat transfers the toner to the self-adhesive label, this process is called the heat transfer method.

Ribbon: The ribbon is struck by the dot matrix firing pin or letter bump in the print head to produce a printing effect on the printing paper.

Application scenario:

Carbon belt: Because of its excellent printing effect and wide media adaptability, it is widely used in various label printing scenarios, such as retail, logistics, manufacturing and so on.

Ribbon: Mainly used in early printing equipment, such as needle printers or typewriters.

Performance and Features:

Carbon tape: usually has higher printing clarity and durability, and can be printed on a variety of different materials of self-adhesive labels.

Ribbon: Although the printing effect may not be as clear as the carbon ribbon, it is still a necessary consumable in some specific scenes or early printing equipment.

Environmental protection and cost:

Carbon belt: Due to its efficient and durable characteristics, although the unit price may be slightly higher, it may be more cost-effective in the long run. At the same time, many carbon belt products also have environmental certification.

Ribbon: In terms of cost and environmental protection, because the technology is more mature and popular, it usually has a lower cost and a wider range of environmental protection options.

In summary, there are significant differences between carbon belt and color belt in terms of definition, use, main components, working principle, application scenarios, performance and characteristics, as well as environmental protection and cost. Which consumables you choose mainly depends on your specific printing needs and device type.