{"id":195704,"date":"2021-03-06T09:40:39","date_gmt":"2021-03-06T06:40:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/printing-without-ink-or-toner-how-thermal-printers-work\/"},"modified":"2021-03-06T09:40:39","modified_gmt":"2021-03-06T06:40:39","slug":"printing-without-ink-or-toner-how-thermal-printers-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/printing-without-ink-or-toner-how-thermal-printers-work\/","title":{"rendered":"#Printing Without Ink or Toner? How Thermal Printers Work"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a42c9f689157\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a42c9f689157\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/printing-without-ink-or-toner-how-thermal-printers-work\/#What_Is_a_Thermal_Printer\" >What Is a Thermal Printer?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/printing-without-ink-or-toner-how-thermal-printers-work\/#How_Do_Thermal_Printers_Work\" >How Do Thermal Printers Work?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/printing-without-ink-or-toner-how-thermal-printers-work\/#Can_You_Buy_a_Thermal_Printer_for_Personal_Use\" >Can You Buy a Thermal Printer for Personal Use?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><strong>&#8220;#Printing Without Ink or Toner? How Thermal Printers Work&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-715797 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/thermal-printer-hero-1.png\" alt=\"thermal printer\" width=\"650\" height=\"300\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/phomemo.com\/products\/phomemo-m02-pro-mini-pocket-thermal-printer-cyan\" data-credittext=\"Phomemo\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/phomemo.com\/products\/phomemo-m02-pro-mini-pocket-thermal-printer-cyan\">Phomemo<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>People don\u2019t think of printers as \u201ccool\u201d gadgets. They\u2019re kinda boring and infamously unreliable. On top of that, they require pricey toner to print anything. Did you know there are printers that don\u2019t need any ink? They\u2019re called \u201cthermal printers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ve probably seen a thermal printer in your daily life without thinking twice about it. They\u2019re used mostly by businesses, but there are plenty of very affordable thermal printers available online. The <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> is pretty cool and could be useful to you.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_a_Thermal_Printer\"><\/span>What Is a Thermal Printer?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>There are several different types of printers, but in <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a>, they work by <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>lying liquid ink or powder-based toner to the paper. Thermal printers don\u2019t actually apply anything to the paper. Instead, the paper itself is what makes the image appear.<\/p>\n<p>A typical printer needs to have its ribbon or cartridge replaced when the ink or toner runs out. Since a thermal printer isn\u2019t applying a substance to the paper, only the paper itself needs to be replaced. This makes them easier and cheaper to operate.<\/p>\n<p>Thermal printers are all around us. They\u2019re used to print airline tickets, retail receipts, shipping labels, bank slips, and much more. Many fax machines in the 1990s also used thermal printing technology, but have since been upgraded to laser or inkjet.<\/p>\n<p>Businesses like thermal printers because they are compact, easy to move around, print quickly, and are cleaner and cheaper to operate. If you\u2019ve ever wondered how UPS prints out your shipping label so quickly, that\u2019s thanks to a thermal printer.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Do_Thermal_Printers_Work\"><\/span>How Do Thermal Printers Work?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>There are mainly two types of thermal printers: \u201cdirect thermal\u201d and \u201cthermal transfer.\u201d We\u2019re specifically talking about <em>direct<\/em> thermal printers here.<\/p>\n<p>Thermal <em>transfer<\/em> printers use ink in the form of ribbons (rolls of ink-coated material). The ribbon is heated up in specific spots, which melts the ink-substance onto the paper.\u00a0<em>Direct<\/em> thermal printers do not require any form of ink or toner.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-715837 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/thermal-printer-head.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"355\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Thermal_printing\" data-credittext=\"\u00a9 Raimond Spekking \/ CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Thermal printer head <span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Thermal_printing\">\u00a9 Raimond Spekking \/ CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A direct thermal printer is equipped with a \u201cthermal head\u201d that generates heat. This thermal head heats up the special paper in specific spots as it rolls through. Each spot that gets heated up reveals the dye impregnated in the paper.<\/p>\n<p>Since the paper itself is what contains the dye, the quality of the prints can be somewhat limited. Most thermal paper only contains black dye, which is good for printing basic things like recipes and bullet journals. The prints also fade over time, so they\u2019re not great for long-term projects.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-715826 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/HP-zink-printer.jpg\" alt=\"HP Sprocket Select\" width=\"650\" height=\"323\" data-credittext=\"HP\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">HP Sprocket Select Zink printer <span class=\"imagecredit\">HP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>One exception is a printing technology called \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Zink_(printing)\">ZINK<\/a>,\u201d which stands for Zero INK. Like other direct thermal printers, Zink printers use thermal paper. However, \u201cZink Paper\u201d has several heat-sensitive layers with cyan, magenta, and yellow dyes embedded.<\/p>\n<p>By precisely controlling the temperature and length of the heat pulses, Zink printers melt the different layers to reveal their colors. A short burst of high heat activates the yellow, a long burst of low heat activates cyan, and now, that \u201cpixel\u201d appears as green. Pretty cool.<\/p>\n<p>Another thing that affects quality is the DPI (dots per inch) of the thermal head. The more \u201cdots\u201d across the head that can be heated up, the higher the resolution will be. A basic thermal printer could have 200 to 300 DPI, while a Zink printer is going to be much higher than that.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_You_Buy_a_Thermal_Printer_for_Personal_Use\"><\/span>Can You Buy a Thermal Printer for Personal Use?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-715824 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/amazon-alexa-printer.jpg\" alt=\"amazon alexa thermal printer\" width=\"650\" height=\"376\" data-credittext=\"Amazon\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amazon Sticky Note Printer <span class=\"imagecredit\">Amazon<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Thermal printers aren\u2019t just for business use. While it\u2019s true that thermal printers are mainly used by businesses, there are plenty of great consumer options. A lot of these printers are for label making, but they can do other cool things, too.<\/p>\n<p>A brand named \u201cPhomemo\u201d has a line of <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/stores\/page\/C9AB8D84-9B78-4C81-81E0-1889717073B5?tag=hotoge-20\">mini thermal printers<\/a> that can connect to phones and tablets over Bluetooth. They cost anywhere from $50 to $90, depending on the quality you want.<\/p>\n<p>Amazon even has an Alexa-enabled \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Phomemo-Printable-Self-Adhesive-Portable-Bluetooth\/dp\/B07PRCH1ND?ref_=ast_sto_dp&amp;tag=hotoge-20\">Sticky Note Printer<\/a>\u201d that uses yellow adhesive-backed thermal paper. They advertise it as a tool for printing shopping lists, to-do lists, and puzzles.<\/p>\n<p>The aforementioned <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/s?k=zink%2Bprinter&amp;i=electronics&amp;ref=nb_sb_noss&amp;tag=hotoge-20\">Zink printers<\/a> are priced similarly to the Phomemo printers, but the paper is quite a bit more expensive. These are great if you want to print full-color photos straight from your phone.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>Are these thermal printers going to replace your inkjet or laser printer? Probably not, but they can serve a useful purpose. The fact that you never have to worry about ink or toner is a huge benefit. As long as you have paper, you can print. Who said printers couldn\u2019t be cool?<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>Stop Buying Inkjet Printers and Buy a Laser Printer Instead<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/715794\/printing-without-ink-or-toner-how-thermal-printers-work\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Printing Without Ink or Toner? How Thermal Printers Work&#8221; Phomemo People don\u2019t think of printers as \u201ccool\u201d gadgets. They\u2019re kinda boring and infamously unreliable. On top of that, they require pricey toner to print anything. Did you know there are printers that don\u2019t need any ink? They\u2019re called \u201cthermal printers.\u201d You\u2019ve probably seen a thermal&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":195705,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/thermal-printer-hero-1.png?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-195704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195704","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=195704"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195704\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/195705"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=195704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=195704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=195704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}