Thermal transfer ribbon is an integral component of label printing for various applications, ensuring your labels remain scannable, readable and long-term durable.
Selecting an effective thermal ribbon requires taking into account substrates, printer technologies and materials used. No matter if you need labels for food items at a restaurant or tickets for quality theater productions – thermal ribbons that last must be chosen carefully.
Wax Ribbons
Wax ribbons are the go-to thermal transfer ribbon choice, accounting for 90% of total sales. Their dark and crisp images produce vivid prints on coated or uncoated paper and synthetic label materials using different energy settings and speeds settings, offering good smear resistance with moderate chemical resistance for shipping warehouse and retail tagging applications.
Premium resin enhanced wax ribbons are engineered to meet printer manufacturers’ specifications for optimal print quality and performance, boasting higher percentages of resin that minimize static charges for cleaner prints while offering greater resistance against chemicals smearing than pure wax; making it the ideal solution for more challenging environments.
This ribbon is ideal for printing onto various labels, including both coated and uncoated paper, semi gloss or matte synthetic labels, low-end synthetic films such as polyethylene or polypropylene films and low-end synthetic films like polypropylene. It offers excellent smear resistance while being moderately chemical resistant as well as being scratch and abrasion resistant.
Resin ribbons offer superior durability, performing admirably on even the toughest label materials such as synthetics, metalized or freezer-grade paper and polyethylene. Their high melting point withstands extreme temperatures as well as harsh chemicals exposure. In addition, these ribbons can print small characters, rotated symbols and multiple labels within an orderly row.
We carry an assortment of resin and wax-resin ribbons in various sizes for compatibility with various printer models, so that you can find one suitable to your printer. If you need help selecting an option, contact us and we’ll assist in selecting an optimal choice – custom-sized options may also be available if desired! For optimal printing results, purchase ribbon size that exceeds maximum width/length capacity as indicated here for thermal transfer printers.
Resin Ribbons
Resin ribbons are among the most durable thermal transfer ribbons, capable of printing on virtually every substrate that can be printed using uncoated paper labels. Although resin ribbons tend to be the more costly option, they provide optimal durability and abrasion resistance in environments like warehouses and freezers.
Resin ribbons provide superior smudge and scratch resistance in harsh environments while maintaining superior print clarity on matte synthetics and coated paper labels. Their lower print energy requirement compared with wax makes for faster print speeds and they’re even certified UL and CSA materials!
Wax-resin ribbons are an ideal solution for applications requiring labels with extended lifespan and finer images than full wax ribbons, such as glossy or coated paper labels and synthetic ones such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester vinyl and textile substrates such as acrylates. They offer protection from abrasion, extreme temperatures and chemicals as well. They’re typically found on glossy or coated paper labels or synthetic ones including polyethylene polypropylene polyester vinyl specialty substrates or textiles such as textiles.
Technicode’s experienced printer technicians can assess your unique printing requirements based on industry requirements to recommend the optimal ribbons for your printers. Get in touch with us now to start printing for automotive, food & beverage or aerospace industries!
Selecting the ideal printer, label stock and ribbons for your application can be difficult and stressful. Our experts are here to guide you towards making informed decisions based on your environment, productivity goals and thermal paper roll budget. We will explain all available options, benefits and drawbacks of each one so that you can make an informed decision. Furthermore, we can assist in setting up the appropriate equipment as well as train your team on proper printing techniques to enhance efficiency and reduce downtime – our goal being helping your business expand with proper tools and support!