Shopping for a label printer can be overwhelming. There’s no need to get yourself into a jam, though! The Label Experts are here to explain the ins and outs of barcode label printers and help you find the best one for your business.
Water-Based Inkjet vs. Laser vs. Thermal Transfer Label Printers
There are so many types of label printers available on the market these days, but which type is the best for your business? Each label printer has pros and cons, but it really all comes down to what you need your label to do and how the image is transferred onto a label.
For example, water-based inkjet printers spray ink onto the label. Laser printers fuse toner onto their labels. Thermal printers use heat and pressure to apply a coating of wax or resin from a print ribbon onto labels.
Is a Thermal Transfer Label Printer the Best Printer for Your Business?
There are two main types of thermal printers: direct thermal, and thermal transfer. Both are extremely well suited for barcode label printing. Laser and water-based inkjet certainly have their places in the printing world, but IOHO that place is not in the land of durable, long-lasting barcode labeling! If you want your barcode labels to remain unsmeared and scannable long-term, thermal printers are the best label printers to buy!
And we’d be remiss not to mention the flexibility in types of labels that a thermal printer provides. Instead of being locked into limited laser sheet label options, thermal printers can print a wide variety of labels—chemical resistant, LN2 proof cryogenic materials, and heavy-duty industrial options, to name a few.
Many of our customers in labs, warehouses, and manufacturing facilities appreciate the flexibility a thermal transfer printer gives them. We provide them with desktop label printers and blank labels suited to their industry. A popular choice with many of our customers who print their own labels is a partially printed blank, where we print a full color logo on part of the label, leaving plenty of room for them to print their own barcodes and other data onsite.
Still stuck on what label printer is the best choice for your business? Pick up a phone and one of our Label Experts can walk you through all your questions about whether or not a thermal transfer label printer is the best choice for your business.
