Driven by the continuous progress and application of modern technology, the printing technology is also constantly evolving. As a common and widely used printing method, inkjet printing is used to print files, photos, and other types of images. At the same time, thermal paper is widely used in areas such as receipts, bills and labels. However, a common question is: can inkjet printing be used on thermal paper?
Thermal paper is a special kind of paper, its printing principle is to apply heat to the surface of the paper through the thermal printing head, thus activating the thermal coating on the paper at a specific temperature, producing images or text. Unlike inkjet printing, the thermal paper printing process requires no ink, which makes it have advantages such as fast, low cost and low noise.
However, inkjet printing and thermal printing are two completely different techniques. Inkjet printing sprays ink particles to form images, while thermal printing relies on a special coating of thermal paper. This means that there may be some problems with printing on thermal paper using a traditional inkjet printer.
First, the inkjet ink may not be effectively absorbed or infiltrated when contacting the thermal paper, because the thermal paper surface usually does not have an absorbent layer. This may cause a blur or inaccurate color of the printed images.
Secondly, the special coating of the thermal paper is designed for thermal printing, which can trigger a color reaction at a certain temperature. However, the heat generated by inkjet printers may not reach the temperature required for the thermal paper to achieve normal printing results.
Therefore, using conventional inkjet printers directly on thermal paper may not be technically feasible. However, some specially designed inkjet thermal hybrid printers have appeared in the market, and they can achieve better printing effect on thermal paper by combining inkjet and thermal technology. These hybrid printers use special inkjet jet heads and suitable ink to produce clear, accurate images on thermal paper.
Also, if you still want to use thermal paper on a regular inkjet printer, an alternative is to use thermal transfer paper. Thermal transfer paper is a special type of paper that can be printed by an inkjet printer and then transferred to the thermal paper through a thermal transfer printing process. This method can achieve the effect of printing on thermal paper to some extent, but requires additional steps and consumables.
Overall, the use of traditional inkjet printers directly on thermal paper may face some technical limitations. If you need to print on thermal paper, it is best to choose a specially designed inkjet thermal hybrid printer or consider using thermal transfer paper as an alternative. When selecting printing equipment and materials, it is recommended that you consult a professional or supplier to ensure that you have the best printing results.