Differences Between Thermal Printer And Laser Printer

Thermal printers work on the principle that a semiconductor heating element is installed on the printing head. After the printing head is heated and touches the thermal printing paper, then the desired pattern can be printed. The principle is similar to thermal fax machine.

Advantages:

Because it uses heat to create the image, direct thermal printers don't require ink, toner, or ribbons. One of the benefits of this technology is the low maintenance costs — with fewer moving parts and pieces, there are fewer things that can go wrong. They're incredibly easy to operate and maintain.

Disadvantages:

While there are many upsides to using a direct thermal printer, users should be aware of some constraints. Firstly, that the printed area will fade over time. Because the paper is heat-sensitive, additional heat or excessive light could cause the entire paper to darken. This could make the text unreadable and the barcodes unscannable. For this reason, direct thermal printing isn't recommended for long-term use. Another limitation with direct thermal printers is their ability to only print in black and white. Where barcodes are fine with only black and white information, it doesn't allow for colored logos or graphics.

Laser printers are a printing output device which combines laser scanning technology and electronic photography technology.

Advantages:

Laser printers have the advantages of fast printing speed, high imaging quality and low noise.

Disadvantages:

Laser printer has high voltage circuit and high temperature circuit, so the electronic radiation and thermal radiation have a certain impact on the human body, should pay attention to pregnant women and children's protection or away from these devices. In the printing process, high temperature heating will bring out some powder and ink particles, which is not good for breathing; Plus, it's relatively expensive to use.