13.3.3 Thermal Printers

Learn about thermal printers.

Thermal printers are usually found in a business or industrial environment, and they're often used to print receipts. Thermal printers are incredibly quiet and easy to maintain. They use heated pins to print characters onto paper. There are two different types of thermal printing technology.

Direct Thermal Printing

Only prints on a special type of paper called thermal paper. It has a thermochromic coating, making it sensitive to heat. During printing, the thermo-coating darkens to gray or black wherever the pins in the thermal printer touch it. This method is fast and cheap, but it isn't durable. This is why thermal printers aren't used for archiving documents.

Direct thermal printers produce low-quality, low resolution printouts that are meant to serve as a temporary solution. The printout fades over time, and can also be erased with water, heat, and light.

Thermal Transfer Printing

An incredibly durable solution (10+ years of clear printout content). Thermal transfer printers use heated pins to transfer solid ink from a ribbon onto a sheet made of stock material (e.g. vinyl, polyester, nylon, flexible magnet). They last so long due to the thermal processing, which binds the solid ink onto the stock material using heat and pressure, creating a printout that can't be rubbed out or smeared with a clear, glossy, printed surface. These printouts are often used for safety announcements or inventory labels.

Thermal transfer printing can produce printouts with a resolution of up to 1200 DPI.

The problem with thermal transfer printing is that the materials for it are more expensive to procure, and they will be wasted if they aren't used often. They also aren't recyclable, and they need to be compatible with one another or they run the risk of getting stuck in the printer.

Maintenance & Troubleshooting (Raw Lesson Content)

General Cleaning: Remove dust and debris inside and outside the printer.

• Avoid static electricity. Only use an electrostatic-safe vacuum.
• Blow inside of printer with compressed air.
• Wipe outside with damp, lint-free cloth. Clean Thermal Print Head: Regularly clean thermal print head to remove residue and dust.
• Use a lint-free cloth or cotton swab soaked in isopropyl alcohol to firmly wipe print head several times. Let dry.
• Do not touch print head with fingers as oils can affect the print quality.
• Most manufacturers recommend cleaning the print head every time the ribbon is replaced.
• Some printers allow you to use a purchased cleaning card to clean the entire paper path. Clean Platen Roller: Poor roller maintenance can waste material by causing it to wrap around and become jammed.
• Regularly clean rollers same as print head.
• Clean rollers of gunk and accumulated adhesives.
• Watch for roller wear or rips and replace platen as needed. Replace Paper: Many manufacturers recommend cleaning the paper each time the printer is replaced.
• Align paper properly and thread to platen roller.
• Be sure to get correct materials for the printer.

A dirty printer is unable to properly diffuse its heat which can reduce the life of the printer.

Printer isn't printing? Verify that the printer is using thermal coated paper by firmly rubbing a coin or fingernail across the surface to affirm a black mark appears. Unwanted dust accumulation? Keep printer access door closed to avoid unwanted dust in the printer, especially in an industrial environment. Paper or label jammed? Consistent jamming is a sign that the rollers and print head need to be cleaned. Inspect the platen roller for damage, clean or replace as needed. Ensure the paper or labels are properly aligned and properly threaded.

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