Thermal wax printer - Definition and Overview

Thermal wax transfer printers function by adhering a wax-based ink onto paper. As the paper and ribbon travel in unison beneath the thermal print head, the wax-based ink from the transfer ribbon melts onto the paper. When cool, the wax is permanent. This type of thermal printer uses an like-size panel of ribbon for each page to be printed, regardless of the contents of the page. Monochrome printers have a black panel for each page to be printed, while color printers have either three (CMY) or four (CMYK) colored panels for each page. Unlike dye-sublimation printers, these printers cannot vary the dot intensity, which means that images must be dithered. Though not bad, the printouts from these printers cannot compare with modern ink jet printers and color laser printers. Nowadays, this type of printer is rarely used for full-page printing, and is now commonly employed for industrial label printing due to the waterfastness and speed. These are also highly reliable printers, thanks to the small number of moving parts. Printouts from these printers are sensitive to abrasion, as the wax ink can be scraped or rubbed off, or smeared.