What is Difference between Direct Thermal Labels and Thermal Transfer Labels

Direct Thermal Labels vs. Thermal Transfer Labels: Know the Difference

Thermal labels- direct thermal labels and thermal transfer labels are the most popularly used labels by businesses across the globe. Even though both use heat mechanisms to produce prints, they are different in terms of print quality, durability, and price. Traditional printers, as we know, use laser, inkjet, or dot matrix technologies whereas thermal labels are printed using thermal printing technology, where a heat mechanism is used to print the desired pattern on label stock. Hence, these printers are more reliable, fast, and cost-effective solutions for printing labels.

Owning an in-house labelling system offers multiple benefits and opportunities for cost savings, particularly if your business, especially if you deal with a large volume of products. For customised and on-demand labels, a labelling system is essential and to set up a labelling system adequately, you would require a powerful point of sale (POS) software/labelling software, POS label printers, and label consumables like label rolls and ribbons. This one-time investment will support your business for years and you can experiment with different types of labels depending on your labelling needs. Unlike regular labels, you would have to incur minimal printing costs with thermal labels, they offer a great printing speed, and produce high-resolution labels. 

This blog enumerates the differences between direct thermal and thermal transfer labels to help you choose the right label type for your business requirements.

But first, let us discuss

Thermal Labels

As the name implies, these labels are the ones that are created using heat. Ideal for printing budget-friendly labels in bulk, thermal printers are fast, quiet, and support customisation. These devices are usually compact and lightweight compared to other printers, and their portability allows them to be set up wherever the need arises. They also consume less power, making them more cost-effective.

Thermal labels are useful in several ways, starting from printing product labels to barcodes, ingredients, dates, food labels, price tags, pharmaceutical labels, and shipping labels. They are perfect for different industries such as retail, grocery shops, convenience stores, and eCommerce as they can be produced in bulk.

Types of Thermal Labels

Primarily, they are of two types:

1. Direct Thermal Labels: These labels are printed using direct thermal printers that function using chemically treated, heat-sensitive paper and a heated printhead to produce the desired print. These printers do not require any thermal ribbon or toner as the prints are produced on chemically treated paper using heat. The overall printing costs of these labels are low even though the costs of specialised heat-sensitive label stock. Since the material is heat sensitive, it offers a low durability and a short life span. These labels are usually printed in black, can support maximum of two colours, and are easy to print. Since these printers are compact, they are perfect for environments with space constraints.

Pros:

·         Budget-friendly

·         Easy to use

·         Supports bulk printing

·         High-resolution labels that are perfect for barcodes

·         Can be printed on both paper and synthetic materials

Cons:

·         Less durable

·         Susceptible to damage if exposed to heat

·         Doesn’t offer multiple colour prints

2. Thermal Transfer Labels: These labels are printed using thermal transfer printers that function with the help of a heated printhead and ribbons with coating on one side. When the printhead transmits heat onto the thermal ribbon, the desired print gets transferred to the label material while passing through the printer. These prints are durable and offer a better shelf-life, making thermal transfer labels ideal for long-term and outdoor use. Compared to direct thermal labels, the print qualities of these labels are high, and the printer can print in multiple colours. These labels are weather resistant, and the printers can print in multiple colours. Even though the label stocks are cost-effective, you would have to incur additional printing costs since you must replace the ribbons from time to time.

Pros:

·         Heat-resistant and durable

·         Can print in multiple colours

·         Ideal for high resolution images and barcodes

·         Fast printing with an array of compatible label materials

Cons:

·         Additional ribbon costs involved

·         More downtime due to the replacement of ribbons and label materials

·         You have to ensure that the ribbons and label materials are compatible

Now that we have an overview of both types of thermal labels, let us sketch the differentiating factors between the two.

Direct Thermal Labels vs. Thermal Transfer Labels

Choosing and setting up the right labelling system is a challenging task which involves immense investment and time. Having an in-house labelling system offers immense benefits but deciding the type of labels will depend entirely on your labelling requirements. Different labels offer different advantages and disadvantages which need to be compared as chosen wisely.

Both direct thermal and thermal transfer labels are equally popular and offer distinct applications. Hence, while choosing the right thermal labels, ensure that you consider the below-mentioned factors:

·  Printing Technology: Since printing technology impacts the quality of labels, label rolls, durability, and costs, it is your foremost duty to consider the printing technology. Albeit the printer itself is the most expensive component of an in-house labelling setup, you need to compare the consumables like label materials, and ribbons too, because despite being low costs, these consumables need to be purchased frequently, impacting the overall costs of label printing.

Direct thermal labels are produced using direct thermal printers where the heated printhead when reacts with the heat-sensitive label material produces the desired prints. These printers are compact and do not require any additional consumables. The printing process is easy and cost-effective. However, the durability of the prints is low, and it doesn’t support multiple-coloured prints. At the same time, since these devices have fewer moving parts and are hence less likely to breakdown or require maintenance, offering better reliability.

On the other hand, thermal transfer printers are used to print thermal transfer labels. But unlike direct labels, these devices produce prints when the printhead impacts the ink ribbons to print labels on the label material while passing through the printer. But you need to ensure that the label materials and ribbons are compatible. These sturdy devices can be set up both indoors and outdoors and can suit any temperature. Also, the printers have a long life and the label materials do not require any special thermal transfer printing characteristics.

·  Applications: It is essential to consider the applications of your labels before you purchase a label. From identifying products, warnings, providing instructions, labels offer multiple benefits. The adhesive capabilities allow them to be attached almost anywhere as per requirement. Make sure you consider the targeted user, the purpose of your label, and the environment it would be in while deciding the intended application for a labelling system. You can pick basic labels for employee usage whereas, for customers, you can choose colourful and aesthetic labels. Know that the durability requirement of labels influences their applications.

Direct thermal labels are both easy to print and inexpensive but offer a short to medium life span. Hence, they are ideally suited for indoor applications like retail, logistics, price labels, coupons, barcode systems, shipping labels, weight labels, temporary name tags, and more. The labels that are printed on synthetic material can also be used to label freezer items that are exposed to cold temperatures and moisture. But these labels are not suitable for environments with high temperatures.

Thermal transfer labels as we know offer high-resolution prints, are durable, and offer a long shelf life, making them perfect for an array of applications. The right label material coupled with the right ribbon can create any type of label to suit both indoor and outdoor use. Some of the popular use of these labels includes product labelling, promotional labelling, certifications, asset tracking, branding labels, and more. These labels are not only long lasting but are also colourful.

·  Printing Quality: Labels are primarily printed to convey information to the viewer; hence, print quality is a crucial factor when choosing the label type. Even for barcode printing, print quality plays an essential role.

The printing quality of direct thermal labels is quite decent and provides sufficient clarity. These labels can print texts, 1D barcodes and 2D barcodes that are both readable and scannable. You can use the black-coloured print for basic printing whereas, for a specialised label, you can choose another colour. These labels are susceptible to damage if exposed to heat; hence they need to be handled carefully.

Thermal transfer labels provide high resolution texts, images, and barcodes and the labels are a combination of small characters, line work, logos, 1D barcodes, and 2D barcodes. The thermal ribbons are available in resin, wax, and wax resin grades, and are available in different colours, making them perfect for branding and promotions. Not only are they heat and scratch resistant, but they are also durable ensuring high quality prints.

·  Durability: The capability to withstand wear and tear, high temperatures, rough handling, and general life span determines the durability of the label materials. Consider the required durability of the label as different labels offer different strengths, capabilities, and longevities.

Direct thermal labels offer limited durability as the label material is susceptible to heat and the printing process doesn’t involve any inks or ribbons. Perfect for indoor applications, these labels have a short to medium shelf-life and can fade over 6-12 months. Since these labels are heat sensitive, overexposure to UV light and heat can damage the prints on the labels. These labels are prone to abrasion and damage but using quality label material like plastic can enhance their durability to a certain extent.

Thermal transfer labels, on the other hand, are known for their high quality and great durability as they can last for over a year, making them best suited for outdoor applications. Capable of withstanding extreme temperatures, hash industrial processes, laboratory processes, cleaning solvents, UV exposure, and more, these labels do not get damaged by abrasions, extreme temperatures, moisture, or frequent handling. 

·   Label Material: Papers, polyester, vinyl, polypropylene, foils, and some other blends are the popularly used label materials. For high resolution prints, paper is used with strong adhesive. Plastic, on the other hand, is susceptible to smudging and moisture, and is flexible too, and polyester is known for its durability and waterproof feature. Available in different finishes including matte, glossy, semi-glossy, fluorescent, reflective, and transparent, the label materials have a significant impact on the final printing quality of the label.

With direct thermal labels, there are fewer label material options available, and the label material needs to be heat-sensitive as there are no inks or ribbons involved. There are certain direct thermal labels that can be used for thermal transfer or other printing technologies but for direct thermal printing, only dedicated labels are used. For direct thermal printing, papers and plastics are the two types of label materials.

On the contrary, there are different types of thermal transfer label materials available. Since this type of printing requires ribbons, you need to ensure that the material is compatible with the ribbons for the desired printing quality and durability.

·  Costs: Yes, an in-house labelling system is a great investment, but it involves set up costs, the label printer being the most expensive investment, followed by the consumables like the label rolls and ink. You might also have to incur repair and maintenance costs.

The cost of a direct thermal label printer is low and since they do not require ink or ribbons, there are no additional costs involved. But you need to ensure that the label materials are heat sensitive as the cost of the label rolls can be higher. Also, since the printhead tends to wear out quickly, you might have to replace the printhead.

Thermal transfer printers are comparatively more expensive as there are moving parts involved. Different label materials are available in different price ranges and the type of the material. The maintenance costs of these printers are high because of the several moving parts but the printhead offers a better shelf life. Even though the cost per label is high, you can get better print quality, coloured labels, and better durability.

Wrapping Up,

Due to the diverse application of labels, their popularity is growing by the day. As discussed, thermal labels are the most popular types of labels offering fast and quality prints.

If you are looking for quality label printers in Australia, you’ve landed on the right page. POS Sales Australia is a one-stop shop for premium point of sale (POS) hardware brands, consumables, and accessories, all available at competitive prices. Starting from Zebra ZD220D Direct Thermal Label Printer to Zebra ZD420D 203DPI Direct Thermal Label Printer, TSC TE210 USB+RS-232+Ethernet, and Zebra GC420T 203DPI Thermal Transfer, we have it all at our online store. Browse through our inventory to purchase the product that meets your budget and business needs perfectly.