Thermal printing is a common solution for adhesive labels and receipt printing for many small and large scale business ventures, as well as private individuals. Yet despite thermal labels selling like hotcakes, there are still many in the dark as to whether their anticipated project needs thermal transfer paper or thermal direct paper. Let's have a look at what each entails to enable you to make the right decision for your personal or business plans.
Thermal printing relies on wax or resin-coated labels to be subject to a certain temperature before recording the image. However, the heat process that creates the printed image can also destroy the image in equal measures. Cater your label printing stock accordingly, and get the best results.
Thermal direct paper changes colour when subject to heat, and the resultant image is more often than not printed in black. Incorporating a heating element in the form of the required image or combination of letters allows the easy on-site production of custom labels.
While thermal direct paper comes in virtually all shapes and sizes and is used without a ribbon, its heat-sensitive property is such that direct sunlight, artificial light or another heat source can ruin or obscure the image by causing it to darken.
Best suited to an indoor environment, thermal direct labels are subject to questions of durability due to the possibility of darkening or fading.
For longer-life labels that retain their image even when in close proximity with a heat source, thermal transfer paper is the solution for your thermal labels.
For use with a ribbon, thermal transfer paper is ideally suited to barcodes, general promotional use, and alimentary and household product labels due to its longer readable lifespan. | 
