Direct Thermal Media Direct Thermal media are labels that do not need any ribbon to produce the printing. The printing happens on the media or a label itself when it contacts the heated printhead. In case you need to verify the media you are having is Direct Thermal, use your fingernail and draw a quick line scratching the surface of the media. If you see a visible black streak appearing, you can conclude that the media is Direct Thermal Media. Refer to the video below. This video demonstrates how to differentiate between Thermal Transfer and Direct Thermal:
Thermal Transfer Media Thermal Transfer Media are the media that need a ribbon to get the printout to stay on the media. If you do the same test with your fingernail scratching the media, you will not see any visible line. When the ribbon is used for Thermal Transfer printing, it must be compatible with the labels to ensure the printer meets the requirements expected by the users. Proper matching of the labels or ribbon assures the pressure and darkness settings do not have to be at the extremes to print correctly.
Configuration The printer setup includes adjusting the printhead pressure, setting the appropriate darkness level, and optimizing the print speed. In addition, regular maintenance ensures the printer is operating at an optimal level.
IMPORTANT! All printer settings can be impacted by commands from a mismatched or misconfigured driver or software application. A printer functioning well after setup but failing or indicating an error after label requests are received is most likely affected by the host-side misconfiguration of the driver or printer software settings. The host device that generates the printer commands for printing typically has a setup configuration that sends these as commands to the printer. Ensure all settings match with the printer settings to avoid intermittent issues.
NOTE Use the printer Pause Test Label when performing initial print quality adjustments. This will eliminate any issues introduced by the application or driver configurations. Refer to: PAUSE KEY SELF TEST.
Problem
Example
Resolution
The print is faded or too light when printing self-test
NOTE If the problem occurs after printing from your application, verify your driver or software configurations.
NOTE If there is a flood coating or preprint on the label surface where the print issue is occurring, check with your supplier for corrective action.
The media must match (if the ribbon is used). If no ribbon is used, verify the quality of the Direct Thermal stock. Check with your media supplier if you have exhausted all suggestions provided.
Reduce the print speed.
In the ZDesigner Driver v5 > Navigate to Control Panel > Devices and Printers > Find your printer > Right mouse click > Printing preferences > Options > Print speed. In the ZDesigner Driver v8 > Control Panel > Devices and Printers > Find your printer > Right mouse click > Printing preferences > Print Options > Speed.
Verify the ribbon is not slipping due to improper loading.
NOTE It is common to have the darkness set too high, resulting in bar spreading. This may look visually better but it causes the barcode spaces to reduce lowering the barcode grade.
Darkness is set as too high or low. Try changing the darkness on the LCD. Check the driver or application darkness settings.
Verify your quiet zone is 10x the narrow bar width. Barcodes too close to the edge may not scan properly.
Check for printhead element problems printing the Pause test. Missing elements can create problems with the bars in the barcode. Refer to: PAUSE KEY SELF TEST.
Build-up can cause lines in the print. Aggressive cleaning with cleaning film is sometimes needed if there is a baked-on residue that fails to be removed by swabs.
Each method uses a thermal printhead that applies heat to the marked surface. Differences:
Direct Thermal
Thermal Transfer
Heated ribbon
No ribbon is used, creating the image directly on the printed material.
It uses a heated ribbon to produce durable, long-lasting images on various materials.
Sensitivity to light, heat and abrasion
More sensitive.
Reduce the life of the printed materials
Less sensitive compared to Direct Thermal media.
The printer uses a single row of heating elements in a printhead assembly pressed against a rubber roller called a platen. The printhead elements are heated as the ribbon (if used), and labels pass as they are pressed together to produce the image. Any factors that affect the transfer of heat being applied by the elements will result in print image problems (assuming the labels and ribbon are appropriately matched for the application).
Printhead Maintenance: Failure to properly clean the printhead elements can result in an insulating build-up that prevents heat transfer. This can also lead to element failure.
Printhead Pressure: The pressure must be sufficient to maintain a constant pressing of the printing media while the element heat is transferred. This pressure must be evenly distributed across the width of the label so the image transfer is at the same intensity.
Burn Temperature: The darkness must be set high enough to meet the print darkness needed for the image transfer but not so high as to result in image spreading or burning of the ribbon carrier. Barcodes require that the bars and spaces are of equal width, and increasing the darkness beyond those required can result in space width reduction and barcode scan failures
Print Width: The Print Width value determines the maximum width the printer will print. It is often set to the full width, and the label format defines the printed area based on the image location. Applications and drivers may set a print width and reduce the printable area-based label size. This is not a problem unless one attempts to print outside the previously restricted area. Check the LCD if this occurs to see if the Print Width was changed.
