direct thermal printer

A low- to medium-resolution printer that uses a type of coated paper that darkens when heat is applied to it. The paper is passed by a line of heating elements that burn dots onto the paper. This is typically used in barcode printers and other small specialty printers. It was widely used in early fax machines. See thermal wax transfer printer and printer.

Direct Thermal Printer

This earlier printer from Datamax was designed to print barcode labels and other point-of-sale tickets and tags. The unit handled media up to 4.6x12" and thermal wax transfer capability could be field installable. (Image courtesy of Datamax.)

Copyright © 1981-2025 by The Computer Language Company Inc. All Rights reserved. THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher.

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

The ZD420d and ZD620d direct thermal printers are easy to use and built with advanced connectivity, centralised monitoring and device management features that ensure optimum print speeds and decreased printer downtime for retail, healthcare and manufacturing workers.

Zebra helps retailers fortify store operations

"The blank label industry as well as the direct thermal scale label markets, have started to make the conversion to linerless technology by developing linerless thermal transfer and direct thermal printers," he says.

Linerless labels: sustainable and efficient, the popularity of linerless labels is expected to grow as quickly as the technology that supports it

The new wristband system includes durable, high-resolution wristbands, digital cameras, software, and direct thermal printers, which use heat to create text, bar codes, and photos directly on the wristband.

Finding a better way to identify patients: an addiction medicine hospital implements more durable wristbands and name tags

* In direct thermal printers, controlled pulses of energy cause a chemical reaction in specially formulated papers that selectively turn the paper black.

Efficiency gains with bar coding and interfaced instruments

Thermal transfer and direct thermal printers, ribbons, direct thermal labels.

Bar coding: the ideal system

All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.