Compare INDUSTRIAL THERMAL TRANSFER PRINTERS. Industrial thermal transfer printers enter information to product surfaces as part of an industrial process. Thermal transfer printers use a ribbon coated with ink or carbon to add information to the product. Often these are date or manufacturing code. The printing can be done in 6 standard colors or any custom color.

Thermal transfer printers have a print head made up of a fine matrix of semiconductor points. (300 points/inch or dpi) These points are selectively heated. The system uses a ribbon which has dry ink on the side in contact with the product. The hot points of the print head melt the ink on the ribbon and transfer it to the product. This type of printer is used frequently for UPC code printing even though the print is not very durable. Print dimensions range from 2 x 2 inch to 4 x 6 inch. Print speed in 500 prints per minute.