However, “Zink Paper” has several heat-sensitive layers with cyan, magenta, and yellow dyes embedded.īy precisely controlling the temperature and length of the heat pulses, Zink printers melt the different layers to reveal their colors. Like other direct thermal printers, Zink printers use thermal paper. One exception is a printing technology called “ ZINK,” which stands for Zero INK. The prints also fade over time, so they’re not great for long-term projects. Most thermal paper only contains black dye, which is good for printing basic things like recipes and bullet journals. Since the paper itself is what contains the dye, the quality of the prints can be somewhat limited. Each spot that gets heated up reveals the dye impregnated in the paper. This thermal head heats up the special paper in specific spots as it rolls through. Thermal printer head © Raimond Spekking / CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Ī direct thermal printer is equipped with a “thermal head” that generates heat. Direct thermal printers do not require any form of ink or toner. The ribbon is heated up in specific spots, which melts the ink-substance onto the paper.

Thermal transfer printers use ink in the form of ribbons (rolls of ink-coated material). There are mainly two types of thermal printers: “direct thermal” and “thermal transfer.” We’re specifically talking about direct thermal printers here. If you’ve ever wondered how UPS prints out your shipping label so quickly, that’s thanks to a thermal printer. Businesses like thermal printers because they are compact, easy to move around, print quickly, and are cleaner and cheaper to operate.

Thermal printing serial tags