Sometimes, direct thermal and thermal transfer labels can be confusing when it comes to printing a barcode for your merchandise. If you prefer to print barcodes using thermal, it is important to understand the difference to ensure your labels come out with a clean and resilient image. A good image makes the results from barcode scanners easier and highly reliable. As you will see from the information below, there are distinct characteristics of each.

1. Direct Thermal Labels and Printing – This type of printing uses a thermal print head. In this case, the print head creates and applies heat onto paper that has been treated with chemicals. The result is the barcode turning a dark color, capturing lines, stripes, characters, text, and images better. The downside to using direct thermal printing is that overtime labels begin to fade.
2. Thermal Transfer Labels and Printers – Again, print heads are used for thermal transfer printing, creating heat but unlike the first example, this form of barcode printing, the heat is applied onto a ribbon. From there, thermal transfer ribbons transfer the data to a label. The benefit to this option is the number of options you have for face materials. Additionally, using ribbons adds longevity to the final product by serving as a buffer between the print head and material being used.