The need for versatility has spawned a growth of new thermal transfer ribbons.
Many converters have come to accept that when working with thermal transfer printers, you can't always get what you want, especially in terms of the wax/resin materials being fed through the press. Inevitably, there are a slew of basic limitations with most of these ribbons where performance in one area may be top of the line, but in other areas the same material may be lacking fundamental qualities. For example, a wax resin may have good chemical resistance, but may smudge or scratch when rubbed. Or a ribbon may work well on low-end printers, but can't print at higher resolutions, leaving printers with an inventory of ribbon that only works on half of their projects.