Affordable color label printers have transformed the label and packaging industry, but the humble thermal label continues to survive. As much as we love color, thermal label printers are here for the long term. Below are a few reasons why thermal labels and thermal label printers are here to stay.
- Simplicity — The technology powering thermal label printers is elegant in its simplicity: Use a heated printhead and heat-sensitive materials like ink-coated thermal ribbons and thermal labels to create a printed label. As such, thermal label printers are affordable and reliable. In addition, many label types, including barcodes, shipping and logistics labels, inventory labels, asset labels, book labels, retail tags, and visitors passes, simply do not need colorful graphics.
- Need — Businesses need to print industrial labels and barcodes on an ongoing basis. For example, with the continued growth of eCommerce and new processes such as curbside pickup due to the pandemic, businesses of all sizes need a fast, easy, and reliable way to print shipping labels and customer order labels. Thermal label printers, which come in a variety of sizes and configurations, allow them to do just that with minimal fuss or intervention required. Simply ensure you have a sufficient quantity of blank labels, and if using a thermal transfer printer, thermal ribbons, and then quickly print thermal labels as needed.
- Cost — Direct thermal and thermal transfer printers are inexpensive to purchase and economical to own. Since there’s no ink or toner required with direct thermal printers, labels are the only consumable you must buy. Thermal transfer ribbons are also affordable, even more so when you purchase them in bulk.
- Versatility — Thermal label printers can be used for a wide variety of purposes in offices, warehouses, hospitals, schools, and other environments. They are commonly used to print barcodes, office labels, shipping labels, food service labels, hospitality labels, will call labels, name tags, visitors passes, asset labels, inventory labels, lab specimen labels, patient labels, book labels, file folder labels, address labels, report labels, and more. Blank thermal labels come in various sizes, shapes, colors, and label materials, giving businesses even more potential use cases. For thermal transfer printers, it’s possible to switch ribbons from traditional black to color or metallic options. Likewise, thermal transfer ribbons vary in durability characteristics, allowing you to print basic labels and tags with a standard wax ribbon or extremely durable, waterproof and chemical-resistant GHS labels with synthetic labels and a resin ribbon.
DuraFast Label Company has a large inventory of direct thermal and thermal transfer printers, direct thermal labels, thermal transfer ribbons, and other supplies. Thermal label printers come in various form factors ranging from compact desktop, mobile, and handheld units to large industrial thermal label printers for manufacturing and enterprise environments. No matter what labeling challenges you need to solve, we’re here to help. In addition to selling label printers and supplies, we sell thermal ribbons by the carton for additional cost savings and have a wholesale program where you can buy thermal labels by the pallet.