Nearly every business has laser printers. Therefore, it is only natural that when it comes the time for printing labels a majority of people will resort to this method. However, special thermal label printers print labels more quickly and efficient and offer higher-quality labeling technology. What are the best ways to determine whether it’s the right time to utilize laser technology or thermal printers?
Today, we’ll discuss the advantages and disadvantages of printing using lasers or thermal technology.
Laser printers and thermal printer are two different printing techniques. Laser printers push labels or paper through the rollers and images are burned on the paper. The typical thermal printer is a straight, short route that passes specifically coated thermal paper over an image head made up of tiny , electrically heated parts.
But, when using laser printers labels have to bend or shift directions because of the changing path. This may create an possibility that the labels could split from the silicone backing leading to jams. Because of the direct route of printing, reliability and speed are likely to be higher.
If your printing requirements for labels include details and colors thermal printers are restricted. It is necessary to have an laser printer to print the majority of labels using colors or images. However, if you require an abundance of white and black labels to label your shipping, or for labeling purposes using a thermal printer, it will be the best option.
The cost of thermal printers can be higher at first than laser printers but for companies that require durable labels for tracking, shipping as well as routing, they provide solid printing labels and sophisticated tools to manage variable data. This means that the total cost of ownership of laser printers is more expensive to meet the current needs for labeling.
Thermal Vs. LASER PRINTING AVANTAGES and DISADVANTAGES
USE CASES FOR THERMAL
Think about the situation for DHL Supply Chain of North America. In 2017 the company was searching for ways to reduce printing costs and labeling. The company was having problems with labels that were not readable that cost the company more than $100,000 in one distribution center. Through standardizing on thermal printers for labels and barcode readers in over 400 centers for distribution, they saw savings of around $273,000.
In addition to a higher level of security, thermal printing could be integrated into more sophisticated processes and tracking software. Automobile maker Renault utilizes thermal printers to print quickly RFID tracking labels to ensure that inventory and parts are tracked automatically across factories, despite hundreds of vehicles coming out of the production line each day. Failure to monitor a single piece could lead to assembly delays and vehicles being delivered to incorrect locations. With the information available through these processes, Renault is able to improve assembly efficiency and reduce the speed of delivery.
If you’d like to know about the ways GFC will help your company adopt high-quality thermal labels, call us today to find out what we can do to provide you with the tools, knowledge and resources to manage your logistical and management requirements.
