Barcode Printers

There are two different ways that barcode printers can print barcodes: Thermal Transfer and Direct Thermal. Direct Thermal printers print the barcode directly onto a label while Thermal Transfer uses a ribbon and a print head. The ribbon is heated and the image is etched on by the print head on a pre-defined area.

 Thermal transfer printers allow you to print barcodes on more kinds of materials than direct thermal. For that reason, the type of material you are going to print barcodes on is a determining factor in choosing what kind of thermal barcode printer to buy.

Larger thermal barcode printers generally are able to switch between direct thermal and thermal transfer. One drawback to thermal transfer printers is that the ribbon needs to be changed pretty often. If you are using the thermal barcode printer in a manufacturing environment that could mean a lot of downtime. Direct thermal printers are faster and especially useful when speed is a requirement and you are not printing a lot of barcodes all the time. An example would be in a hospital where each patient is given a barcode on their medical bracelets to identify them.

 Thermal barcode printers nowadays comes in all different shapes and sizes with varying price range. Laser jet and ink jet printers cannot print barcodes by default and generally need an add-on POS component or module.

Thermal barcode printing technology has evolved enormously over the last few years. Barcode manufacturers have even developed security features that ensure there is no counterfeit coding. The latest models of thermal barcode printers are capable of printing labels with Radio Frequency Identification Devices tags in them. These security features are mandatory in some highly sensitive industries and help to provide a guarantee of authentication.