When Transfer Calls

Cook says most desktop industrial printers can print thermal and thermal transfer, but people don't usually buy them because they can do both. "Many may never access one of the print methods," she states.

Instead, the majority of users are selecting a printer based on throughput. "We don't talk about print speed in and of itself," Cook says, "because a fast speed might be moot if the printer takes 25 seconds to bitmap the image. This is critical for variable labels, which must be processed individually."