Moving Beyond Black
June 1998
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Black thermal transfer ribbon's popularity suggests a steady industrial applications stronghold, although the color spectrum is widening.
by Susan Friedman
With a bar code or other variable data as a calling card, thermal transfer printed packaging commonly carries identification, shipping or tracking information.
Thermal transfer's sharp, crisp output has made it the on-demand printing method of choice for newer bar codes that can be read from a distance, and improved compliance labeling, states René Gallet, thermal products manager at Printronix, Irvine, CA.
A similar following in higher-end package printing remains to be seen. Thermal transfer speeds of six to eight inches per minute remain a disadvantage with larger prime label runs, notes Anne Myers, product/market manager at IIMAK, Amherst, NY. Myers says studies show thermal transfer to be cost-effective for runs of 10,000 prime labels or less, in which the biggest bottom-line benefits arise from eliminating traditional press set-up time.
Ribbon Carries the Story
Development and purchasing trends in thermal transfer ribbon, the "ink" element of this process, readily support a heavy industrial printing emphasis. "Not many suppliers have a very wide color offering," states Myers.
"Black ribbon is number one—no other ribbon color comes close [in terms of usage]," affirms Terry Smith, national sales and marketing manager for Japan Pulp & Paper, Tucker, GA. According to Smith, ribbon popularity is driving availability trends. "Black is readily available off-the-shelf," he says, "while colored ribbons are primarily stocked in 1 1Ú4˝, 2 1Ú4˝, 3 1Ú4˝ and 4 1Ú3˝ widths to accommodate the more popular label sizes. Others may have to be slit to order."
The high volume of black ribbon work also makes it cheaper to manufacture, from a coating operations standpoint, explains Dennis A. Jordan, international sales manager for Sony Chemicals Corp., Mt. Pleasant, PA. Suppliers typically work with shorter batches of colored ribbon during coating operations, and thus face higher changeover costs that are passed on to the end-user, he says.
Ribbons for spot color work can be matched to a custom or PMS color, says Printronix' Gallet, while process colors can be achieved through an additive color process, in which ribbons apply one color at a time to build the desired image, just as plate separations build images on-press.
For thermal transfer printers with one printhead, single ribbons can be purchased with multiple panels of color that are applied in succession as the ribbon moves through the printer, explains Sony's Jordan. On multiple printhead printers, an individual roll of color is used with each head. He says although multiple printhead hardware is more expensive, the accompanying ribbon is more cost-effective because the user buys only the colors he needs, versus paying for unneeded colors on a panel-style ribbon.
by Susan Friedman
With a bar code or other variable data as a calling card, thermal transfer printed packaging commonly carries identification, shipping or tracking information.
Thermal transfer's sharp, crisp output has made it the on-demand printing method of choice for newer bar codes that can be read from a distance, and improved compliance labeling, states René Gallet, thermal products manager at Printronix, Irvine, CA.
A similar following in higher-end package printing remains to be seen. Thermal transfer speeds of six to eight inches per minute remain a disadvantage with larger prime label runs, notes Anne Myers, product/market manager at IIMAK, Amherst, NY. Myers says studies show thermal transfer to be cost-effective for runs of 10,000 prime labels or less, in which the biggest bottom-line benefits arise from eliminating traditional press set-up time.
Ribbon Carries the Story
Development and purchasing trends in thermal transfer ribbon, the "ink" element of this process, readily support a heavy industrial printing emphasis. "Not many suppliers have a very wide color offering," states Myers.
"Black ribbon is number one—no other ribbon color comes close [in terms of usage]," affirms Terry Smith, national sales and marketing manager for Japan Pulp & Paper, Tucker, GA. According to Smith, ribbon popularity is driving availability trends. "Black is readily available off-the-shelf," he says, "while colored ribbons are primarily stocked in 1 1Ú4˝, 2 1Ú4˝, 3 1Ú4˝ and 4 1Ú3˝ widths to accommodate the more popular label sizes. Others may have to be slit to order."
The high volume of black ribbon work also makes it cheaper to manufacture, from a coating operations standpoint, explains Dennis A. Jordan, international sales manager for Sony Chemicals Corp., Mt. Pleasant, PA. Suppliers typically work with shorter batches of colored ribbon during coating operations, and thus face higher changeover costs that are passed on to the end-user, he says.
Ribbons for spot color work can be matched to a custom or PMS color, says Printronix' Gallet, while process colors can be achieved through an additive color process, in which ribbons apply one color at a time to build the desired image, just as plate separations build images on-press.
For thermal transfer printers with one printhead, single ribbons can be purchased with multiple panels of color that are applied in succession as the ribbon moves through the printer, explains Sony's Jordan. On multiple printhead printers, an individual roll of color is used with each head. He says although multiple printhead hardware is more expensive, the accompanying ribbon is more cost-effective because the user buys only the colors he needs, versus paying for unneeded colors on a panel-style ribbon.
Companies Mentioned:
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Chemistry for the Graphic Arts
What the Printer Should Know About Paper