Description
How to Choose the Right Thermal Ribbon for your Label Printer
Step 1: Ensure you have a Thermal Transfer Printer
The ribbon is only used with Thermal Transfer printers. A ribbon cannot be used with Direct Thermal printers as they do not have the proper internal mechanical components to hold or thread the ribbon.
Step 2: Determine the correct ribbon size.
Ribbons are measured, width by length (WxL):
Width: Many printers have different print widths. A 6-inch width ribbon will not fit into a printer with a 4-inch print width. Choose the width of the ribbon that is equal to or less than your printers print width.
Length: The length of a ribbon will indicate the numbers of inches that 1 roll will print. For example a ribbon with a length of 244 inches will have enough ribbon to print 244, 1 inch long labels or 122, 2 inch long labels. Choose the proper length based on the inches needed for your desired print.
Step 3: Choose a ribbon material:
Wax Ribbon: Substrates for Semi-gloss coated paper, thermal transfer paper, woodfree paper, kraft paper, tag, price labels.
Wax-Resin Ribbon: Substrates for Semi-gloss coated paper, thermal transfer paper, woodfree paper, kraft paper, tag, price labels, matte coated paper, PP synthetic paper, fluorescent, paper, stained labels, PET, PVC, BOPP, PE .
Resin Ribbon: Substrates for Semi-gloss coated paper, PET, PVC, PE, PP, etc.
