Thermal-ware for Package Printing

Thermal transfer printing offers printers and converters easy money-making opportunities, among several other benefits.

WITH ALL THE talk about variable data printing these days, packagePRINTING went straight to the experts to find out the fundamentals of thermal transfer printing and what it can do for today's package printers and converters.

pP: What are the main benefits that thermal transfer printing offers printers and converters?

Amy Schmitt, IIMAK marketing communications manager: Advantages include:

• Flexibility—Changing variable data is quick and easy when managed electronically. This significantly reduces downtime when compared to hot stamp or ink imprinting. Unlike hot stamp or ink imprinting, there are no plates or type that need to be changed.

• Print quality and durability—Thermal transfer offers varying degrees of image durability to meet any application needed. Thermal transfer ribbons also afford the opportunity to print a wide range of substrates. Ribbons are available in both black and a variety of colors.

• Reliable operation—Thermal printers work by melting ink from a ribbon onto the packaging material. They are designed for high-volume industrial environments. The printers, or "coders," are placed in-line with packaging systems, and are generally very low maintenance and easy to use.

pP: Explain the different kinds of thermal transfer ribbons and for what is each used.

Candice Kamody, marketing analyst for Sony Chemical Corp.: The intended application must be considered because of the differences in printed-image durability when printing with thermal transfer ribbons. The selection of wax, or wax/resin, or resin ribbons is a cost/performance issue based on the needs of the application.

Schmitt: General purpose wax is the most common ribbon and costs the least. It prints well on coated and uncoated papers and low-end synthetics. It's ideal for short-term labeling, where there isn't much scratching or smearing.

Premium wax/resin offers higher durability (scratch and smudge resistance) and can print on the broadest range of stocks. It is also a good choice if the image may come into contact with mild chemicals.

Super premium resin ribbons offer the highest durability but print on the narrowest range of stocks. Resin bonds with the stock, and coated synthetic stocks—like polyester—work best here. If long-term durability in harsh environments is required, resin is the answer, offering great resistance to solvents and extreme heat and cold. Resin provides superior image stability, but the costs of the stock, labels, and ribbons are higher.

pP: How can thermal transfer printing add money to the bottomline?

Schmitt: Here are the key points for an end user:

• Lower inventory—From an end-user perspective, one of the greatest savings opportunities is using thermal transfer to customize pre-printed labels. To consolidate and reduce label inventory and guard against obsolescence, some companies choose to combine thermal transfer printing with other printing technologies. The label or packaging is pre-printed with the logo and company information, and the variable info such as the product's type, size, or variety is added on demand. Here's an example: A manufacturer inventoried 70 different pre-printed labels—over $250,000 in inventory! One production line had 20 label changes per shift! A reseller introduced a thermal transfer printing solution, allowing the variable information to be printed on-demand with thermal transfer. They consolidated to two different pre-printed label stocks and with line changes minimized, their productivity increased.

• Reduced errors—Thermal transfer can also be used to reduce costly errors in distribution centers (DCs). Here's a great example: A DC was having problems with daily local deliveries. They also struggled with costly errors. Too often, the wrong boxes or missing boxes were being loaded onto a truck or the wrong boxes being delivered. They'd need to make a second trip to correct the errors. The company looked at their "Truck Route and Stop Number Label." They were already printing "Stop 1" on all the boxes for Stop 1, but they still had errors. Their label supplier recommended a thermal transfer color-coding system that would make it easy for warehouse personnel and drivers to spot all the boxes for each location. They would use a TEC CB416 to print a red box under the Stop 1, a blue box under Stop 2, and so on. The results speak for themselves. The color solution is now installed in four DCs and under consideration for an additional 31 DCs across the country. The reduction of errors more than justifies the extra cost of the color ribbons.

• Short runs, low volume—Thermal transfer can be a cost-effective answer for short-run jobs. For example, a specialty coffee packager could offer short-run, private-labeled coffee packages, so that retailers could sell their own distinctively branded coffees. The packager could offer options of a custom-designed thermal transfer label or print the retailer's branding info directly on flexible packaging.

pP: What's the future of thermal transfer printing in the package-printing industry?

Schmitt: Bright. Thermal transfer complements emerging technologies such as RFID (radio frequency identification). Even in wireless environments, there is a need for human readable information on a label. Additionally, growing segments like security offer opportunity for growth in thermal transfer. As counterfeiters become more advanced, companies are looking to multiple technologies, both overt and covert, to protect their goods.

by Kate Sharon

Associate Editor