People don’t think of printers as “cool” gadgets. They’re kinda boring and infamously unreliable. On top of that, they require pricey toner to print anything. Did you know there are printers that don’t need any ink? They’re called “thermal printers.”
You’ve probably seen a thermal printer in your daily life without thinking twice about it. They’re used mostly by businesses, but there are plenty of very affordable thermal printers available online. The technology is pretty cool and could be useful to you.
What Is a Thermal Printer?
There are several different types of printers, but in general, they work by applying liquid ink or powder-based toner to the paper. Thermal printers don’t actually apply anything to the paper. Instead, the paper itself is what makes the image appear.
A typical printer needs to have its ribbon or cartridge replaced when the ink or toner runs out. Since a thermal printer isn’t applying a substance to the paper, only the paper itself needs to be replaced. This makes them easier and cheaper to operate.
Thermal printers are all around us. They’re used to print airline tickets, retail receipts, shipping labels, bank slips, and much more. Many fax machines in the 1990s also used thermal printing technology, but have since been upgraded to laser or inkjet.
Businesses like thermal printers because they are compact, easy to move around, print quickly, and are cleaner and cheaper to operate. If you’ve ever wondered how UPS prints out your shipping label so quickly, that’s thanks to a thermal printer.
How Do Thermal Printers Work?
There are mainly two types of thermal printers: “direct thermal” and “thermal transfer.” We’re specifically talking about direct thermal printers here.
