Thermal Printer

A thermal printer or electrothermal printer is a printer that uses heated pins to "burn" images onto heat-sensitive paper.

These printers are popular for printing bar codes, labels, price tags, and other special print jobs.

There are two kinds of thermal printers.

Thermal wax transfer  printer

- This printer uses a thermal transfer ribbon that contains wax-based ink.

- A thermal print head melts wax-based ink from the transfer ribbon onto the  paper.

- When cool, the wax is permanent.

Direct thermal  printer

- Prints the image by burning dots onto coated paper when the paper passes  over a line of  heating elements.

- Direct thermal printers do not use ribbons.

- Early fax machines used direct thermal printing.