Home | Resources | Info Archive | Choosing a Thermal Label Printer 

Deciding on a thermal printer for your business can often be a confusing issue. The advice offered by different competitors can result in a minefield of conflicting choices that the successful buyer must negotiate in order to satisfy his or her own requirements. It is common to hear of individuals and businesses purchasing a thermal or thermal transfer printer which appears to fulfil their immediate needs, only to discover at a later date that the machine is not as flexible, reliable or economic as it was first advertised by the salesman.

Typical questions that may arise when deciding on a thermal or thermal transfer printer include:

Will the printer cost fit my budget?

How will it integrate with my existing equipment and systems?

What kind of technical support is available for the printer?

Is the printer easy to operate?

Queries of this kind can usually only be answered through discussion, as they are dependent on such things as personnel and corporate decisions. However, the majority of constraints will be physical ie. will the printer perform the tasks you require? At this point you can forearm yourself by reading the points below. They illustrate the major factors when deciding on a printer, and can help you to avoid ending up with a machine that may let you down in the future.

Direct Thermal or Thermal Transfer

One of the first choices that should be made is whether to select a Direct Thermal or Thermal Transfer printer. Many printers are capable of functioning in both modes (eg. Intermec 4440, Sato CL400E, Zebra 140XiII).

Direct Thermal printers (eg. Sato M5900) create an image by directly heating thermal-reactive media. The face of this media changes colour when exposed to heat, forming the image. The main advantage to this process is that it is very economical - no ribbons have to be used, and the printers are often cheaper than their Thermal Transfer counterparts. The downside is that you are limited to printing onto the special thermal-reactive papers which remain heat sensitive even after printing. This renders the resulting labels susceptible to environmental changes and limits your potential applications.

Thermal Transfer printers use a similar principle, but instead use the heat to transfer pigment onto the label from a carrier ribbon. Various ribbon grades allows the printer to successfully print onto many different types of labelstock, including advanced filmic materials as well as paper. This gives Thermal Transfer printers the obvious advantage of being more flexible, and not limited to a certain type of media. This does however create additional costs, as ribbons must be purchased to be used with the printer.

Label Width

The width of the labels that you will be printing is one of the most obvious constraints when selecting a printer. Some printers are better suited to smaller labels (eg. Intermec 3240, Sato CX200, Zebra 90XiII), and some are more capable of printing extremely wide labels (eg. Sato CL600E, Zebra 170XiII). Choosing a printer that is just the right size for your labels may seem the right thing to do, but it is always worth considering your future needs, for example, will choosing a smaller printer restrict you in the future should you wish to produce larger labels?

Labels Per Day

The number of labels that you will be producing is also a key factor. Printing large quantities of labels on a daily basis would place a high degree of stress on your printer, and a small desktop machine may not be up to the job. However, if you are looking for a simple low volume printer (eg. Sato CX200) your demands are unlikely to be extreme so it would be unnecessary to choose a rugged 24-hour duty-cycle printer (eg. Intermec 4440, Sato M8400RV).

Print Resolution

The print quality that you wish to achieve will also determine your final choice of printer. Print resolution is measured in dots per inch, an indication of how sharp and defined the resultant print will be. Common print resolutions include 203, 300, 360 and 406 dpi. Printers capable of high print resolutions (eg. Intermec 3440, Sato CL412) are often more expensive due to the advanced components required, and are generally chosen when printing compact barcodes or high-quality labels. Lower resolution printers (eg. Intermec 3600, Sato CL412, Zebra 105SE) are perfectly suitable for most tasks.

Printer Environment

The conditions that the printer will be operating under are often overlooked when considering options. Certain printers are intended for operation in clean, office-like conditions, and because of this incorporate plastic casings and components, and sometimes have exposed parts (such as the label holder eg. Sato DR300). These could be easily damaged in an industrial environment, where a sturdy, enclosed metal casing would be more appropriate (eg. Sato M8400RV). Careful consideration at this point could help extend your printers lifespan.

Workspace

The size of the printer can also be important. Will you have enough space for your new acquisition? Printers can range from shoe box size (eg. Sato CX200 and CT400), right up to almost half a metre square and larger (eg. Intermec 4440, Sato CL600, Zebra 170XiII) and often require extra clearance space for openings, access panels, cables and ancillary equipment such as rewind units and verifiers. Moving your printer should be avoided, particularly if it is heavy, and extra space to manoeuvre would benefit both the operator and the equipment.

Print Speed

Some printers are designed to operate at very high speeds, increasing throughput, while others are slow by design. Attaching optional components such as dispensers may have a detrimental effect on the printers speed as well. Customers expecting to produce large volumes of labels may benefit from the faster printers (eg. Sato CL600 - up to 12 inches per second!), although low-volume users may prefer to avoid the higher costs that result.

Cutter, Internal Rewind and other Accessories

Many printers allow the attachment of various optional extras, increasing the printers flexibility and often enhancing the efficiency of your labelling operation. However, some models have limited options, and the design of other models may not permit the retro-fitting of these components, so it is worth considering in advance which of these extras you may require in the future.

Connectivity

Another often overlooked factor is the method by which you will connect the printer to your computer. In the case of stand-alone printers, this may not be necessary, but for most printers they will require connection to a PC, terminal or network of some kind. Most models, as standard are equipped with either a Parallel or Serial interface (or both), and some models are only available with these type of connectors. If you require a different type of interface, such as RS485, Ethernet or Coax, then your choice of printer must be compatible with these systems.

Software

If you are using a PC to design your labels using a label design package, then you need to be sure that the software is compatible with the printer itself. If you are working with Windows, you will require drivers for the printer in order for it to be recognised by the operating system. Most printers come equipped with the necessary drivers, and most label design packages include a good selection of them too, so it is worthwhile investigating the availability of these.

Ultimately the decision is up to you, the buyer. Following the steps above and asking the right questions empowers you to say "This is what we need to buy", instead of being confronted by a salesman saying "This is what we have to sell".

Labelgraphics can offer independent advice on many makes and models of Thermal Printer, and we have an established policy of continual support and development. If we can help you in any way with your requirements, please Contact Us.