Thermal printers are not the usual type of printers that can be found out home. Offices do have them in the form of fax machines and multipurpose printers. Thermal printers are also gaining popularity as point-of-sale checkout printers in supermarkets and other sales outlets.
How do thermal printers work? There are two ways by which the thermal printing process operates, but they have only one main component, which is heat. In older machines, the thermal printing process requires the use of heat-sensitive paper. A roll of such paper is placed in a container provided in the machine, with the end of the roll fed into a slot.
The thermal printing process used in newer thermal printer models is slightly different in that they now require ribbon cartridges. In this modified thermal printing process, the ribbon cartridge that contains ink with the consistency of crayon or wax is inserted into the printer. Whenever the thermal printer is used, paper is fed into the slot between the printer head and the platen roller. Upon application of heat, the ink in the ribbon cartridge melts and sticks onto the paper. (more…)