Moving Beyond Black

Ribbon Carries the Story

Development and purchasing trends in thermal transfer ribbon, the "ink" element of this process, readily support a heavy industrial printing emphasis. "Not many suppliers have a very wide color offering," states Myers.

"Black ribbon is number one—no other ribbon color comes close [in terms of usage]," affirms Terry Smith, national sales and marketing manager for Japan Pulp & Paper, Tucker, GA. According to Smith, ribbon popularity is driving availability trends. "Black is readily available off-the-shelf," he says, "while colored ribbons are primarily stocked in 1 1Ú4˝, 2 1Ú4˝, 3 1Ú4˝ and 4 1Ú3˝ widths to accommodate the more popular label sizes. Others may have to be slit to order."