Thermal Transfer Labels For Your Labeling Needs

I am sure you will have wondered at least once, how barcodes on the labels you see on the product you recently purchased are printed. These labels are called thermal transfer labels. These depend upon heat to print the barcode or the information printed on them.

Besides being used for barcodes, they are also used to for printing pricing, addresses and shipping information as well. The process that prints out the information on these is quite simple to understand. Between the label and the print head is a ribbon that usually contains a mixture of heat sensitive wax and resin. The printer circuitry heats up the print head that transfers the information to the label. The information is thus transferred to the label by means of a thermal process.

This process makes the transfer of the ?ink? permanent. Unlike direct thermal printing, which relies on heat sensitive paper for the printing process, thermal transfer labels are more durable and are resistant to fading or smudging. This is very useful if printouts need to be stored for a longer time. For example, thermal transfer labels may be used to label products in a warehouse where it would be disastrous if the information printed on the labels were lost.

The same can be said about the shipping and courier industry, which relies on labels for addresses and shipping information. Labels must withstand harsh transport conditions by rail, road, air, or even by sea. Additionally, the information needs to be secured until the article finally reaches its destination.

Another advantage of using direct thermal labels is that they can be produced on demand. It takes only a fraction of a second for a label to be printed and the quality is far better than what is produced using other methods. This is the reason why thermal transfer labels are widely preferred in the industry.

There are a variety of sizes of thermal transfer labels available in the market for your needs. You can either visit your favorite store or order online to get the thermal label you need. One little hint ? do not mistake direct thermal labels for thermal transfer labels else you will end up with something you did not want!