Thermal Paper
Thermal paper is a type of paper available for printing that allows printing without ink. Thermal paper or roll papers are those papers whose width is 80 mm and are used in thermal printing technologies. Printing on thermal paper is associated with clear, reliable and fast images. This type of technology is used in different sectors. The materials of this paper show special chemical interactions when exposed to the heat emitted from the printer head.
In fact, it is burned in a way to complete the printing process. In another definition, it should be said that thermal paper is a type of paper that provides the possibility of printing without ink with a special coating. The result of applying heat (through a thermal printer) to the thermal paper coating is a clear and transparent image without the need for ink or tape. This article was prepared for you by the technicians of the Konica Minolta repair department at the Konica Minolta dealership.
These papers are usually used in digital store scales, thermal printers, devices such as cash registers, credit card terminals, etc. These papers are made by using special heat-sensitive materials.
What is the difference between regular paper and thermal paper?
Thermal rolls are different from regular paper in that they are coated with a mixture of dyes and chemicals.
When heated above its melting point, the dye reacts with the chemicals and changes shape to the desired color (usually black but sometimes blue or red).
The print head in the machine is able to heat the correct areas of the paper and make it readable.
Thermal roll paper should have three layers, although you wouldn’t know it by looking at it.
What are the three layers of the thermal roll?
• The substrate layer is basically just paper.
• The base layer acts as a binding element made of starch, gelatin and alkaline salts. This layer allows heat to move through the paper.
• The active layer contains chemicals that make the paper react to heat.
• An additional protective layer helps the paper fade, but not all thermal papers contain this layer.
How to distinguish thermal paper and roll?
• You can see the difference by touching the paper.
• Thermal rolls have an almost smooth surface and are hard to write on with a pen, while regular paper rolls feel like regular copy paper.
• Since the color appears with heat, you can create a black spot on the surface of the thermal paper by dragging your fingernail.
Can you use thermal paper in a regular printer?
The manufacturing companies of these products do not recommend the use of thermal paper in a regular printer. Thermal paper is made to work in thermal printers that use heat instead of ink.
As a result, if you use a non-thermal printer, the result will not be good. The same is true for using regular paper in thermal printers.
How to buy good quality thermal paper rolls? What is the best way to choose a thermal roll?
Choosing the right paper roll size
There are many thermal rolls available, each of which has different sizes according to the customer’s needs. Choosing the right paper size will help you save money as well as precious time.
Knowing the amount of paper rolls you need
Knowing the quantity depends on the number of your trades. In this way, you have the greatest chance to receive discounts on bulk purchases.
Determining the cost-effectiveness of thermal rolls
Make sure that the paper rolls purchased are definitely worth it. You can do this by considering the total budget and comparing the prices of different manufacturers.
What is the method of maintaining the thermal roll?
You definitely want to make sure that the paper maintains its integrity after buying a bulk thermal roll. Here are some ways to properly store thermal paper in order to maximize its shelf life:
Storing thermal paper
Thermal paper products should be stored in a dark place at a relative humidity between 45% and 65% and a temperature below 77°F to ensure optimal performance for at least three years from the date of manufacture.
Maintain image integrity
Most paper products use dye technology and Co reagents to form the image.
This compound is sensitive to ultraviolet (UV) light and may show some image degradation with increased exposure to office light or exposure to strong ultraviolet (UV) light (sunlight).
Image stability depends on the degree of image development, unique product design, UV light intensity, and UV character (the percentage of UV range in a light source).
Therefore, keep the thermal rolls in a dark room with minimal exposure to UV light.
10 places where you should not keep your paper and thermal rolls:
Near the window / bright place
When thermal paper is exposed to direct sunlight, it fades, loses its shape, and may begin to unravel.
This means that after buying thermal paper, you should not put it in a place where it will be exposed to direct sunlight.
Instead, you should store them in a dark place to maximize their shelf life and use them as intended.
Whenever you’re thinking about storage, keep in mind that thermal rolls are destroyed by UV rays and direct heat.
In a humid place
Avoid placing thermal rolls in damp places, as they may absorb moisture and deteriorate.
The humidity level they can be exposed to should be between 45 and 65 percent. Anything above that will ruin your thermal paper.
Near oil and liquids
Water and oil can seriously affect the quality of thermal papers. They not only destroy the paper but also react with the coating and change the color.
If you live in a flood-prone area, use waterproof storage facilities after purchasing thermal paper or place them on high ground so they don’t get lost.
What is the result of keeping the thermal roll inside the car?
You should always store purchased products below 77 degrees Fahrenheit. This means you cannot have them in your car.
Another reason to prevent them from accumulating in the vehicle is the fact that exposure to sunlight destroys them.
On the way to coolers
To maintain its integrity and performance, you need an optimal humidity between 45% and 65% for thermal paper.
If you want your rolls to serve you better and longer, you may want to look for another storage location due to high temperature and humidity fluctuations in coolers.
In the kitchen
Paper and fire are opposites. It is dangerous to have a heat roller in the kitchen.
If they catch fire, you will end up losing the paper and the entire building. The heat of the cooking area is another reason why you shouldn’t have thermal rolls in your kitchen.
In a place with many people
If you store the thermal paper in a place where there are many people after buying it, it is more likely that they will be touched or moved continuously.
You don’t want to end up with fingerprints, torn or tampered papers. Find a place where you can probably lock it to prevent people from tampering with it.
Next to the organic solvent
When organic solvents such as alcohol or cleaning fluids are spilled on your heat roller, you may never be able to use it, as they will completely rub off the paint on the surface.
Near the adhesives
If your thermal roll comes into contact with the adhesives, it’s a disaster. You will not be able to open it and use it.
If you work at a station where you constantly use glue, you need to make sure that your papers are not near it.
In dusty places
Dust is the enemy of your paper. This makes them look dull and lack the gloss often associated with heat rolls.
Additionally, having dusty thermal rolls interferes with your printer, as layers of dust affect performance. The key to better use of papers and rolls is their proper storage.
How thermal paper works
Thermal paper is a type of paper with a special coating that enables printing without ink.
The surface of the paper is covered with a solid mixture of color and suitable array. This array is a combination of color-changing materials such as fluorene.
When the array is heated above its melting temperature, the dye reacts with the acid and changes from colorless to colored.
Usually, the reactive acid in thermal paper is bisphenol.
Usually, the coating turns black when exposed to heat; But sometimes blue and red colors are also used.
Benefits of thermal paper
The result of applying heat to the coating is a clear and transparent image without the need for ink, toner or ribbon.
Printing on thermal paper is associated with clear, reliable and fast images. This type of technology is used in different sectors.
Faster thermal paper printers
Thermal paper printers or receipt printers are much faster than other printers, which results in less waiting time in the checkout line.
Quality of printed images
Images created on thermal paper are cleaner and higher quality than other types of printing.
No need for ink, toner or cartridges
Thermal paper printers are reliable and stable. Because there are fewer moving parts in the inkless thermal paper printer,
The possibility of getting stuck while printing is unlikely, and it does not break easily like some printers.
These benefits come with saving money through low maintenance costs.
Durability and longer life
Thermal printers produce more durable output than printers that use ink. The shelf life of high quality thermal paper printed copies is years and even decades.
Less noise pollution
Thermal printing technology is much quieter than other types of printing. This brings a more enjoyable experience of high volume printing.
Thermal paper structure
The structure of thermal paper consists of base paper and several layers of special coating. On the upper surface side, the pre-coating layer and the thermal layer are coated. The first layer is the base paper, which is specially developed for thermal paper technology. The base paper is covered by a thermal layer.
Precoat layer: The thermal insulation precoat layer improves the smoothness, uniformity and anchoring of the thermal layer.
Thermal layer: The purpose of this layer is to produce images with thermal reaction. In practice, thermal paper is blackened in the heated areas due to the presence of this layer with chemicals such as dyes, developers and sensitizers.
Coated thermal paper
When high durability of the thermal printing image is required, a coating is applied to the thermal layer, which forms the coated thermal paper. Also, the backing layer can be coated to improve printability and protect the reverse side from adhesive.
Coating layer: protects the top layer from water, oil, solvent, moisture, scratches, etc.
Backing layer: Backing layer is applied to remove twist, treat with static electricity and create a back barrier against adhesive.
Features of thermal papers
The main function of thermal paper is its thermal printing method. This is the reason why thermal printing quality and image stability are important in thermal paper properties in addition to normal paper properties such as grammage, thickness or strength. In addition, the ability to print with conventional printing methods such as Flexo or Offset is also required for this paper.
The general properties of thermal paper include the following.
Absorption properties: water, oil, printing ink
Basic properties: heat, thickness, humidity
Resistance properties: tensile and tear strength, elongation
Surface characteristics: brightness, darkness, whiteness, smoothness/roughness, surface strength
Specifications of thermal papers
In thermal paper, image stability refers to how many years the thermal print will be readable under the correct conditions. In thermal paper specifications, density is an optical quantity measured from the thermally printed image. Meanwhile, the static sensitivity shows at what temperature the thermal image starts to form.
The low static sensitivity also means that the thermal image begins to form at high temperatures. High static sensitivity in turn expresses thermal imaging at low temperatures. If thermal paper is used in high temperature conditions, static sensitivity is a very important property.
Meanwhile, the dynamic sensitivity shows at what speed and with what energy level the thermal papers can be printed. Basically, higher dynamic sensitivity equals better quality.
The difference between thermal paper and ordinary paper
The difference between thermal paper and ordinary paper is clear. Because it is covered with a mixture of dyes and chemicals. When the dye is heated above its melting point, the dye reacts with the chemicals, causing a color change that is usually black but sometimes blue or red. The print head in the device is able to heat the correct areas of the paper and make it readable.
Thermal paper consists of three layers, although you wouldn’t know it by looking at it. The base layer acts as a binding element made of starch, gelatin and alkaline salts. This layer allows heat to pass through the paper. The active layer contains chemicals by which the paper reacts to heat. An additional protective layer helps prevent the paper from fading.
There is a noticeable difference in the feel of the paper. Thermal paper has a somewhat smooth surface and is difficult to write on with a pen, and usually a scratch on a nail can cause a black spot on the surface of thermal paper. Using thermal paper in a regular printer is not recommended.
Thermal paper is designed to work in thermal printers that use heat instead of ink. It is also thinner and more slippery. Therefore, a regular printer probably won’t produce good results. The same applies to using regular paper in a thermal printer.
Where is thermal paper used?
As already mentioned, thermal roll papers are commonly used in the preparation of supermarket receipts, shops, digital scales and online medical prescriptions, as well as card readers and POS machines.
Identify the characteristics of the best type of thermal paper as follows:
Note that you should pay attention to its quality when buying thermal paper rolls. It is better to buy from reputable brands, because usually by choosing the best paper, damage to the printer will be avoided. In general, we mention some points that you should check before buying thermal paper. Stay with us.
Paper thickness: Note that the price of paper depends on the thickness of the layers in the paper rolls. Some papers are very thin and may be damaged and torn during printing. Papers that have little resistance may not be able to perform the printing you want, and the machine may not be able to print with quality on the paper.
Polishing of the surface of thermal rolls: note that some brands use very low quality paper, which causes lint to be seen on these papers. Since these papers are cheaper, they may damage your device and reduce its lifespan.
Durability of printing: Durability of printing on the surface of thermal rolls is one of the things that you should check before buying, because some domestic and foreign brands unfortunately use poor quality papers and materials in the process of making thermal rolls. Using cheap paper may reduce costs at first, but note that these low-quality rolls can damage your device and significantly reduce its lifespan. So it is better to use quality brands from the beginning.
Layers :
Thermal paper rolls are usually made up of different sections. Of course, the presence of some of them is mandatory and others are optional. These layers from the outermost layer to the innermost layer are:
Top cover: This cover protects the thermal image from wear and moisture damage.
Thermal layer: This layer usually contains the main components for thermal printing to be done correctly. Chemical reactions are carried out in this layer and texts and images appear on the paper. The existence of this layer on the thermal paper is mandatory and it causes resolution.
Base paper: The lower layer is the base paper, the thickness of which may differ in different models. This layer makes the paper resistant to tearing and stretching.
Bottom coating layer: The last layer is the bottom coating layer, which usually protects the thermal roll from substances such as alcohol and oil and makes the paper flexible.