Printing term
Thermal transfer(TT)
Printing by melting a wax, wax/resin or resin ribbon onto the facestock. Produces durable, scan-stable barcodes suited to long-life logistics, chemical and asset labels.
Related material
See how thermal transfer is specified in a real construction, with full technical data and a downloadable datasheet.
Thermal transfer paper →Related printing terms
- Die-cuttingCutting the facestock and adhesive to the label shape without cutting the liner. Correct cut depth depends on face and liner caliper; too deep strikes the liner and causes web breaks on the applicator.
- Direct thermalPrinting by heating a thermally reactive coating on the facestock — no ribbon. Cheap and simple, but images fade under heat, UV, oil and plasticisers, so it suits shipping and short-life labels.
- FlexographyRotary printing from flexible photopolymer plates using UV or water-based inks. The dominant process for long label runs because of low unit cost and inline die-cutting.
- LaminationA clear film applied over the printed label for scuff, moisture, chemical or UV protection. Adds cost and caliper, but is often cheaper than moving to a fully synthetic facestock.
- MatrixThe waste web of facestock and adhesive stripped away after die-cutting, leaving the labels on the liner. Poor matrix stripping is usually a cut-depth or adhesive-cold-flow problem.