Portable Thermal Printers, Defined

A thermal printer is a printer that creates an image on paper by heating specially coated paper. This specially coated paper turns black in the preferred locations (spelling out text, showing pictures/images, etc) when the paper is heated at the time it crosses the thermal printer head.

While most thermal printers can only produce a black and white image, some can also produce an extra color, typically red, by using a second temperature of heat to darken another layer of coating on the thermal paper. However, there is currently no way to produce a full-color image using a thermal printer.

All thermal printers include the thermal head that generates heat, a rubber roller to feed the paper into the machine, and a spring to press the thermal head against the heat-sensitive paper. Thermal transfer printing is similar to thermal printing, except it utilizes a heat-sensitive ribbon versus special paper.

They are faster and quieter than dot matrix printers or even inkjet and laser printers. Plus, a thermal printer does not require the purchasing of ink, unlike most other types of printers. When the printer runs out of paper, it is very easy to change out the roll, making it ideal for busy situations where the printer will be used frequently.

Thermal printers also come with software to control the printer. Once the printer receives the signal to print, the print head heats up to create a specified pattern as the paper rolls across it, producing the required image.   When it presses against the heat-sensitive paper, the heat activates the dye by heating acid in the paper above its melting point, causing it to mix with the dye. Once the paper has cooled, it will quickly solidify, making the ink pattern permanent.

While this technology was used in many 1990’s-era fax machines, this technology these days allows the production of smaller, portable thermal printers. Printing of barcodes and receipts are examples of uses of a portable thermal printer. Often found as part of a Point of Sale system, a portable thermal printer is generally used for retail applications.

Thermal printers can also be found at ATMs and voucher printing stations, and there are even portable thermal printers these days that fill a need to a portable traditional computer printer. Check out the different types of portable thermal printers.