Application
Direct thermal paper has a heat-sensitive coating that darkens under the printhead, so it needs no ribbon or ink. It is the usual material for shipping labels, scale weighing, expiry dates and warehouse tickets.
The print lasts weeks or a few months: heat, direct light and solvents darken or erase it. For identification that must be readable for years, use thermal transfer.
Typical uses
- Shipping and parcel labels
- Weigh-price on scales
- Expiry and lot on refrigerated food
- Warehouse tickets and vouchers
- Sample identification
- Retail price labels
Summary specification
- Material
- Direct thermal paper · direct thermal paper with heat-sensitive coating, with or without top coat
- Adhesive
- Permanent acrylic; freezer grade for the cold chain; removable for pricing.
- Printing
- Direct thermal on Zebra, TSC, Honeywell, Bixolon and similar printers; optional flexo pre-print.
- Finish
- No finish.
- Sizes
- Standard: 50 × 25, 100 × 50, 100 × 100 and 100 × 150 mm; any custom size with its own die.
- Presentation
- Rolls with 1" (25 mm) or 3" (76 mm) core and 4" to 8" diameter; fanfold for industrial printers.
- Standard or reference
- GS1 for scannable barcodes
Heat-sensitive paper for ribbon-less label printers. For short-life identification: logistics, weighing, expiry.
Related guide
How to specify roll labels: size, gap, core, outer diameter, unwind direction 1 to 8 and labels per roll, with the pictogram for each position.
Roll label specificationIndustries that use it
Logistics and warehousing, refrigerated food, retail, laboratories and parcel services.
All industries
