Thermal stickers (thermal labels) are used for labeling products in both industrial and commercial areas. First of all, we are talking about enterprises where automated control and accounting systems using bar coding have been introduced and are widely used. By the way, in this case, barcode printers are used for convenience. In addition, the use of thermal stickers directly affects the increase in the throughput of the point of sale due to the labeling of packaged products using self-adhesive thermal stickers.
Recently, the popularity of this type of commercial products has been steadily growing, which, accordingly, leads to the expansion of their scope.
Scope of thermal labels
Thermal labels are an integral part of any modern enterprise operating in the field of trade, and sometimes industry. In the latter case, such labels are used to print variable operational information in production. Thus, the following areas of their use can be distinguished:
- in supermarkets, on scales for self-service;
- at enterprises specializing in the production and packaging of food and industrial goods;
- in logistics companies;
- at automotive enterprises to control the assembly of vehicle components;
- in companies providing postal services, etc.
Varieties of thermal labels
As a rule, paper thermal labels are divided into 2 types.
1) Eco thermal labels are non-coated thermal paper labels. The paper used for their production has three base layers:
- heat-sensitive, chemically activated coating,
- a primer that guarantees high resolution and print quality and greatly enhances the sensitivity of the thermal layer,
- base paper.
2) Top thermal labels are distinguished by the presence of a special protective layer that guarantees reliable protection against aggressive environmental influences, in particular:
- pollution,
- accidental mechanical damage, scratches, abrasions,
- high humidity or condensation on frozen food,
- excessively high or low temperature,
- exposure to various chemical oils, fats, organic solvents, plasticizers in PVC film / packaging.
Semi-industrial label printer
For the production of a separate group of stickers, a special type of semi-gloss paper is used, which does not have heat-resistant characteristics. These labels are the usual colored stickers often used to label foods such as bread, biscuits and convenience foods. For them, there are label printers to buy Kazakhstan.
Also in a separate group it is worth highlighting self-adhesive thermal labels. We must not forget that when heated above 50 degrees, the image on such stickers can easily darken or lose clarity. Therefore, such products require special storage conditions and protection from direct sunlight and high humidity.
Thermal transfer labels
In addition to conventional thermal printing, thermal transfer printing is becoming increasingly popular in enterprises. With thermal transfer printing, information is applied to the label using a special ink ribbon (“ribbon”). The result is a sharper, brighter and more environmentally stable image, which in turn greatly expands the range of print media used (plain paper, varnished paper, cardboard, polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, synthetics, etc.). ), including the possibility of rapid color printing (on special thermal transfer printers).
Thermal transfer printing involves the use of one of two types of ink ribbon: wax-based (WAX) or resin-based (RESIN).
Expert in legal marketing. Head of marketing agency MAVR.
Business degree “Master of Business Administration” (MBA).