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Thermal Printer Technology
Quiet and fast, with excellent print quality, the T4204 multifunction label printer uses an inline thermal printhead. The operation of a thermal printer is different from that of a
The Printing Process
The thermal printhead allows two modes of operation:
•Direct Thermal
During direct thermal printing, the thermal printhead selectively heats small, rectangular thermal dots. When these contact the coated thermal paper, the dyes and developers in the coating react to the heat and develop an image. This mode of printing is generally used for
•Thermal Transfer
During thermal transfer printing, the heated thermal dots contact a thermal ribbon. The heat reacts with the ribbon and bonds the image to the paper. This method is used especially for abrasive,
Dynamic Print Control
Print quality largely depends on how the thermal paper or the thermal ribbon and thermal transfer paper responds to the heat of the thermal printhead. During printing, the thermal printhead must reach a set temperature in the shortest possible time. Then it must cool down to the original temperature in the shortest possible time after printing. Thus print quality is dependent on the precise control of the energy supplied to the thermal dots.
The thermal printer has a unique feature that provides excellent print quality by preventing unevenness of print density. Unevenness is usually caused by the stored heat from previous dots. The Dynamic Print Control is a history control whose output is based on the results of the previous printing. The printer predicts the quantity of heat required to print dots and regulates the electrical energy applied to the printhead. This prevents unevenness of print density and results in the printing of
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