Thermal

Overview

A thermal printer is a non-impact printer that uses heat to create impressions on the paper. A thermal printer's print-head contains several pins that are heated by passing a current through them. A microprocessor usually controls which of the pins get heated. Depending on the type of thermal printer, the heated pins either directly dots on the paper or melt wax onto paper. In most printers, the print-head is as wide as the paper. Thermal printers have high reliability and resolution and are used for special applications like receipts, bar codes, and labels. They also have very low maintenance costs.

picture from: www.cleanteam.com

There are three types of thermal printers - thermal dye-sublimation, thermal wax transfer, and direct thermal.