What is the difference between thermal label paper and ordinary label paper?

The difference between thermal label paper and ordinary label paper is mainly reflected in the printing principle, durability, application scenarios and material characteristics. Here's a breakdown:

Printing principle:

Thermal label paper: Printing information is developed by the thermal action of a thermal printer without the use of ink cartridges or ribbons. The printing principle is that the chemical layer on the thermal paper turns black when heated to form a text or image.

Ordinary label paper: relies on an external cartridge or toner to form images and text, and can be printed by a variety of printing methods such as laser, inkjet, and thermal transfer.

Durability:

Thermal label paper: The durability is relatively poor, the printed content is not heat resistant, not light resistant, easy to fade with time, especially at high temperatures or long-term exposure to sunlight will accelerate the fading.

Ordinary label paper: high durability, can be stored in different environments for a long time without fading, suitable for products that need long-term identification.

Application scenario:

Thermal label paper: It is usually used for occasions that require instant printing and rapid content change, such as supermarket cash register systems, bus tickets, fast food restaurant order receipts, etc. In addition, it is also commonly used in cold storage, freezer and other shelves.

Common label paper: The application scenarios are very wide, including commercial product price labels, industrial inventory management labels, and even personal mailing address labels.

Material characteristics:

Heat-sensitive label paper: with high heat-sensitive coating treatment, little wear on the print head. But the material is usually not waterproof, not oil resistant, and easy to tear.

Ordinary label paper: according to the specific material (such as coated paper, PET, PVC, etc.), it may have better waterproof, oil proof, scratch resistance and other properties, and you can choose different adhesive and backing paper according to your needs.

In summary, there are significant differences between thermal label paper and ordinary label paper in terms of printing principle, durability, application scenarios and material characteristics. Which type of label paper to choose mainly depends on the specific use requirements and scenarios.