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One of the most common questions related to barcode printing is whether direct thermal or thermal transfer printing is the right option for any given application. Both offer advantages for specific types of products. Labels only expected to last for six months or fewer, for example, would be well served with a direct thermal printer. But for products that will deal with harsh conditions or that need to last longer, thermal transfer may be a better solution.

Let’s take a look at each barcode printing option.

Direct Thermal Printing

Direct thermal uses heat to create the image or text directly to the material—in the form of chemically treated label stock -without the use of a ribbon. This involves the print head coming into direct contact with the heat-sensitive material. Although this decreases the print head life, users will save money on printer configuration costs.

The direct thermal process involves no ink, ribbons, or toner. The printed materials are more susceptible to damage from air, sun, fluids, light, and heat abrasion compared to thermal transfer. This may result in images being unreadable due to fading or normal wear and tear. However, this might not matter for products that have a short supply chain life, such as visitors’ passes, shipping labels, and event tickets.

Additionally, direct thermal printers tend to be simple and easy to use. They also have a chemical coating, making them resistant to water damage. These printers, for the most part, only do black and white printing and cannot create the very fine lines necessary for some types of barcodes.

Thermal Transfer Printing

This process uses a heated ribbon to apply heat to the printing surface. Thermal transfer printing is best for barcodes because it produces a high-quality, accurate, and long-lasting image. It also can create precise widths that are often necessary for barcode lines.

Thermal transfer printers accept a wide range of materials beyond paper, including polyester, polypropylene, and other synthetic materials. This durable printing technique is ideal for outdoor uses, identification tags, and other uses. Thermal transfer can withstand a variety of conditions, including ultraviolet exposure and extreme temperatures. And, they are available in a wide variety of colors, label stocks, and adhesives.

As you make your decision, it’s important to understand your actual needs and whether it’s worth investing in a thermal transfer application over a direct thermal printer. Speak with a barcode printing expert if you need assistance with this decision.

GoDEX offers a broad range of feature-rich printers, along with excellent customer service. The company started making barcode printers 20 years ago, and since then has been in the business of delivering value for a global customer base.

If you are somewhat new to the world of barcode printing, you may be wondering about the differences among 600 dpi, 300 dpi, and 200 dpi printers. 

First, it is worth noting that dpi stands for “dots per inch.” For example, a 600 dpi barcode printer is capable of producing 600 dots per inch. It will create a much higher resolution image than a 200 dpi printer.

The number of dots is related to the density of pinheads on the thermal transfer ribbon. An ink-dot printed on the label material corresponds with a dot on the pinhead.

Advantages of 600 dpi Printers

When it comes down to it, barcodes consist of a series of narrow and wide bars. The white space between each bar is also set. Precision is a key factor in ensuring readability, and the quality of the barcode image is considerably better at 600 dpi.

Printers operating at 200 dpi are good for text, images, and numbers. However, these images will not appear as clean and crisp as those on a 600 dpi printer. Lower-resolution images are acceptable for large barcodes but do not work so well for smaller applications.

While high-resolution printers tend to be more expensive than their low-resolution counterparts, they also offer some key advantages:

• High-resolution barcodes are easier for scanners to read, thereby minimizing potential problems with faulty barcodes

• Large retailers often prefer their products to have high-resolution barcodes

• High-resolution barcodes occupy less space on the product, allowing for more text or images to shine through

• A 600 dpi printer creates barcodes that are .66 inches, compared to 1 inch on a 200 dpi printer

• Depending on your company’s needs, you may require a smaller barcode to meet industry requirements

For certain products and applications that need small barcodes, a 600 dpi printer is highly recommended. This is likely the case if you need to print barcodes for circuit boards, small asset tracking tag, labels inside of electronics, and QR codes.

Printing a high-quality barcode label

Factors that impact the quality of the barcode label include a well-cared-for print head, using the correct type of label, and working with a label design that matches the printer’s dpi. If you have a high-resolution image, but a low-resolution printer, the resulting barcode may be pixelated and unreadable.

GoDEX offers high-quality barcode printers that come with easy-to-use, well-designed software.The company is the industry leader when it comes to delivering high-performance, reliable printers, and customer service.

There are many companies that make a variety of products in the barcode label printer category. The oldest companies have specialized in big expensive thermal transfer printers for many years. On the other hand, GoDEX International offers a great selection of value-priced barcode printers for most all common barcode printing applications. GoDEX was established in 1993, and is a global engineering company that specializes in barcode printing products. GoDEX is headquartered in Taiwan, but serves the entire globe with their full line of barcode label printing products.

GoDEX products are distributed globally by technology dealers know as value-added resellers, or VARS. These companies are proven to be capable of operating, installing, and supporting the GoDEX brand of barcode label printers in the end user environment before they become authorized as a GoDEX value-add reseller. In the 28 years that GoDEX International has been in business, they have created many different types of thermal barcode printers, including the very popular retails printer, the G500. This is just one example of the user-friendly barcode products that GoDEX has provided to the barcode industry.

Zebra is the largest and another popular barcode label printer manufacturer and has had many different mergers and acquisitions over the years. Other well known barcode label printer manufacturers include companies like Epson, Sato, TSC, cab and Toshiba TEC etc. These companies all have their own background and experience in the manufacture of thermal printers, industrial barcode printers, thermal transfer printer products, barcode scanners, and other products that are designed for use in the barcode and thermal printing industry. In choosing the ‘best’ of these manufacturers, the decision generally comes down to application requirement, budget and brand preference. Each company has their own unique strengths in their offerings of thermal and barcode printing products.

About The Author: GoDEX International is an engineering company that specializes in designing and manufacturing barcode printing products and the only company with it’s own developed Label Edit software – Golabel that lead the industry in the value price, high performance category. GoDEX has offices in the USA, Europe, Taiwan, and China and its products are distributed world-wide.

Looking for more great information about barcode printers, barcode generator software or barcode label printers? Below you will find a treasure chest of information that will help you increase your knowledge of barcode label printers, direct thermal printer, mobile printer, wristband printer and thermal transfer printers.

There are many different barcode types to choose from when printing barcode labels . Each barcode type is called a symbology. The term ‘barcode’ refers to any printed symbol that is designed to represent data that can be easily read by computers. Most commonly, people are familiar with one dimensional (1-D) barcodes which are represented by a series of vertical black and white lines and are used on product labels and shipping labels. 

There are about 20 types of one dimensional barcodes; each suited for a specific application. Symbologies that are common in 1-D barcode labels include code 39, code 128, UPC, and EAN. Code 39 is much older and very simple, while code 128 allows coding more data in a smaller barcode symbology. UPC is used in retailing of products specifically. EAN codes are becoming more standard around the world to be used in a variety of retail applications. There are many other symbologies that you can find to use, but these are the most common. Depending on your intended use, you will choose a different 1-D symbology for your needs. 
 
Two dimensional (2-D) barcode symbologies can contain even more data in an even smaller space. For example the entire Gettysburg Address can be encoded in a symbol the size of a postage stamp when using very high density code PDF 417. The PDF 417barcode symbol has become very popular with package delivery companies. 2-D barcodes are represented by rows of black and white squares stacked on each other. Popular 2-D barcode symbologies include PDF 417, code 49, and Data Matrix. For more examples of 2-D barcodes please refer to http://www.adams1.com/stack.html.

Most barcode scanners can read all types of symbologies, however special scanners are required to read 2-D symbologies. A barcode reader can be connected into handheld devices or integrated with a desktop computer. There are lasers and imagers that read these codes, and each has its own benefits. Lasers are best for 1-D barcodes and imagers are best for 2-D barcodes. Barcode printers have to be very precise because the spacing and density when printing the black and white symbologies is critical.  Laser printers are ok for printing some low density 1-D barcodes, but  thermal printers are actually preferred for printing sharp high density barcode symbologies and creating fewer mistakes in barcode labels and barcode printing. 
 
About The Author: GoDEX International is an engineering company that specializes in designing and manufacturing barcode printing products that lead the industry in the value price, high performance category. GoDEX has offices in the USA, Europe, and China and its products are distributed world-wide.

Looking for more great information about barcode printers, barcode generator software or barcode label printers?  Below you will find a treasure chest of information that will help you increase your knowledge of barcode label printers,  wristband printer and thermal transfer printers.

There are many different kinds of barcode printers that will enable you to print barcodes. Every printer almost, is capable of producing simple barcodes using the right software, ink, and paper supply. You can print barcodes from your home inkjet printer if you have a reasonably high quality printer, but if you really want high quality barcodes, there are other better ways to print. Let’s review four of the most common printing technology and see which one is best for barcode printing.
 
Ink jet printers: These are used in small business applications and in home offices. There are a few issues with inkjet printing.  With ink jet printers it is very difficult to print on one label at a time.  Only sheets of multiple labels can be printed in an ink jet.  Also the barcodes produced by ink jet printers tend to have rough edges because the ink bleeds and seeps into the paper.  And last, barcodes produced by ink jet printers are vulnerable to erosion by water and other common liquids.  Ink jets are OK for printing pages of the same barcode, but are not the best choice.

Dot matrix printers: Dot matrix printers can be likened to a typewriter to get the general idea of how it works. The printhead mechanism has a matrix of mechanical pins that form different characters and then the printhead is struck against an ink ribbon to print in the correct shape. Because dot matrix printers cannot print bars with very sharp edges, they are not considered adequate for barcode printing, especially when compared to other printing options for barcodes. However, dot matrix printers are great at printing carbon copies and multi-page forms, which inkjet, thermal, and laser printers are not capable of. Dot matrix is not a good choice for printing barcode.
 
Laser printers: Laser printers, like inkjet printers, are generally used for sheet fed labels. Laser printers rely on a toner to be transferred to the paper to create an image and like ink jets this process does not produce bars that have the sharp edges that quality barcode symbologies require. In addition, laser printers require sheet feed labels through a complex and hot paper path. This results in lots of label peeling off inside of the machine causing jams and maintenance issues. These printers are great for small businesses and home office document printing applications, but are not ideal for printing on demand high quality barcodes.
  
Thermal printers: A thermal transfer printer is without a doubt the most popular technology for printing high quality barcode labels. This printer is designed to use heat to transfer the ‘ink’ (wax or resin) to the paper in transfer printing. In direct thermal printing, the print head simply causes the chemically treated paper to react, imprinting the image inside of the label media. Thermal barcode labels come on a roll and on demand one by one label printing is possible.  Also thermal printers are the best at creating barcodes with the absolute sharpest edges which means a higher quality barcode symbology and better scanning accuracy.  In addition, thermal printers can print on a wide variety of synthetic label materials, so durability and longevity of the printed barcode is maximized. And last, thermal barcode printers are very economical and easy to use.

These are the most common forms of barcode printers that are used today. Thermal printing is by far, the most popular option simply because of its accuracy, flexibility, and low cost.

About The Author: GoDEX International is an engineering company that specializes in designing and manufacturing barcode printing products that lead the industry in the value price, high performance category. GoDEX has offices in the USA, Europe, Taiwan, and China and its products are distributed 
world-wide.

Looking for more great information about barcode printers, barcode generator software or barcode label printers?  Below you will find a treasure chest of information that will help you increase your knowledge of barcode label printers,  wristband printer and thermal transfer printers.

Put simply, a barcode is a machine-readable representation of data, either in one-dimension or two-dimension format. The benefits of barcoding are speed of data entry and accuracy. Black and white bars or matrix patterns are used to create the barcode, and depending on whether it is 1-D or 2-D. A 1-D barcode appears as vertical black and white lines, commonly seen on the products on our grocery and retail stores. A 2-D barcode will look like little black and white squares stacked on each other.  The most common and public usage of 2-D barcode is by FedEx.  They use 2-D PDF 417 barcode to track every package they ship.

The first bar code patent was issued in 1952 to Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver, using what looked like a bulls-eye symbol that was made of concentric circles. Bar codes were used as far back as 1932 when a group of students who did a project where they required customers to select their merchandise by removing the correct punch cards from the catalog that corresponded with the items that they wanted. In 1970, the Uniform Grocery Product Code Council and McKinsey & Co. created a numeric format for product identification in bar codes. In 1973, George J. Laurer invented the UPC (Universal Product Code) that we know today. Commercial bar codes were not used until the mid to late 1960s, and the initial application was for industrial use. Some of the early adopters of barcode technology were the railroads and the US Postal Service.

In 1967,bar codes were used on the American Railroad, known as KarTrak. It took almost 7 years before there was 95% coverage of the fleet, but the project was ultimately abandoned in 1975 because of the technical difficulties in reading the barcodes.  At that time, a similar technology call RFID (radio frequency identification) became available but was considered far too expensive, so it was not used. However by 1991 RFID technology had improved and become less expensive and it became mandatory for all rail cars to be identified with an RFID tag.

The US Post started studying applications and uses for barcodes in mail delivery during the early 1970’s and by 1982 the US Postal Service implemented the POSTNET code for tracking mail delivery across the United States. Within five years the US Post had installed barcoding systems in most every major city in the US.

The actual first invention of the barcode was done by the Irish, and likely based on the Irish alphabet from the first centuries AD, which looks like a form of bar code itself. Today, barcodes have a variety of applications, including identifying retail products, mail sorting, warehouse use, and even for patient identification and tracking in hospitals.

About The Author: GoDEX International is an engineering company that specializes in designing and manufacturing barcode printing products that lead the industry in the value price, high performance category. GoDEX has offices in the US, Europe, Taiwan and China and its products are distributed world-wide.

Looking for more great information about barcode printers, barcode generator software or barcode label printers?  Below you will find a treasure chest of information that will help you increase your knowledge of barcode label printers,  wristband printer and thermal transfer printers.

Thermal printer applications are found all over the business world. These printers are used for printing barcode labels, receipts at stores, and many other labels and types of printed materials that require special printing practices. A thermal transfer printer has a print head that uses heat to create an images on labels and tags.  A printhead is essentially a very small wire imbedded in a silicone glass structure, a few microns from the surface.  There are two types of printing, direct thermal and thermal transfer.

In direct thermal printing the media (labels, tags, receipts, etc.) contain a heat sensitive die and when activated by the heat energy of the printhead, create images on the paper, such as barcodes, alpha numeric, graphics, etc. In thermal transfer printing a special ribbon is used instead of heat sensitive die, in order to create an image on the label.

The ribbons used in a thermal printer or barcode label printer are made of two basic materials: wax or resin. Depending on the quality of printing and the type of labels being printed, you can choose from wax ribbons (cost-effective but not high quality), wax/resin ribbons (good quality and cost), and resin ribbons (high cost AND high quality).  The heat will heat up the ribbon in the right areas depending on what is being printed, and thermally transfer the ink in those areas to the thermal paper, creating the desired text, image, barcode, or other printed information. 
 
When people talk about the ‘ink’ used in a thermal printer, they’re not really talking about ink at all. There is no ink involved in thermal printing. The wax or resin ribbons that you choose is actually very thin plastic material, that is somewhat similar to the look and feel of common kitchen plastic wrap except that the plastic substrate is coated with a dry black pigment sometimes called ink. If it is a way ribbon, the pigment is way and obviously if it is a resin ribbon, the pigment is resin.  The process of making wax, wax/resin and resin ribbons is very complex, and there are many varieties available for most any application.

Ribbons that are made of pure resin are not used for printing on paper. Resin is intended for printing on synthetic materials and applications where labels will be outdoors, overexposed to contact, or otherwise have a need for extreme durability. Whether you are printing barcode labels or any other types of materials on thermal printer mechanisms, they are effective at providing a unique printing process that uses heat, rather than direct contact, to transfer ink to the thermal paper. This is a specialty type of printing, but has changed the way that many businesses operate by giving them a better way of printing receipts, bar codes, and other materials.
 
About The Author: GoDEX International is an engineering company that specializes in designing and manufacturing barcode printing products that lead the industry in the value price, high performance category. GoDEX has offices in the US, Europe and China and its products are distributed world-wide.
 

Looking for more great information about barcode printers, barcode generator software or barcode label printers?  Below you will find a treasure chest of information that will help you increase your knowledge of barcode label printers,  wristband printer and thermal transfer printers.

A thermal transfer printer is the most common type of technology used in barcode printing. It works by a printhead heating a ribbon made of either wax or resin, or a combination of the two, and then transferring the image on the thermal paper. The printhead is controlled by the printers logic and graphics control, from printer commands most commonly sent from a computer based barcode printing software application.

Thermal transfer labels are high quality, easily scanned, attractive, durable, and made to last for a very long time. In some cases thermal transfer labels may be more expensive to produce than direct thermal labels, but they still remain as the most popular barcode printing technology.

Direct thermal printing uses a chemically treated paper that turns black when heated under the print head. There is no thermal transfer ribbon ink involved; direct thermal printing is completed by simply applying heat to the paper. This type of printing is simple, affordable and portable, and is commonly used on store receipts and tickets. Since the paper is chemically treated, rather than using a thermal transfer imaging process, the direct transfer labels are much more susceptible to fading over time and can be damaged by direct sun light. However, when it comes to sales receipts and retail pricing tags, longevity and durability are generally not an issue.

In choosing the right type of printing technology for your needs, you will need to determine how long you want your labels to last and what will be the environment of the printed labels. For more affordable printing in a retail environment or for basic shipping labels, a direct thermal printer would suffice. Of course, if you are printing on synthetics or need longer lasting and more durable labels, thermal transfer will be the better choice. It might be a bit more expensive, but thermal transfer printing quality is unmatched and will provide you with great looking labels that last a long time.

If you are unsure about choosing direct thermal or thermal transfer printing, your safe bet is to choose thermal transfer. Thermal transfer printing is a bit more complicated than direct thermal because it uses a thermal transfer ribbon, but is your best choice for printing reliable trouble-free barcode labels.

About The Author: GoDEX International is an engineering company that specializes in designing and manufacturing barcode printing products that lead the industry in the value price, high performance category. GoDEX has offices in the USA, Europe, Taiwan, and China and its products are distributed world-wide.

Looking for more great information about barcode printers, barcode generator software or barcode label printers?  Below you will find a treasure chest of information that will help you increase your knowledge of barcode label printers,  wristband printer and thermal transfer printers.