Thermal printers are devices that use heat to print. They’re typically used in retail stores, restaurants, and bars, where receipts must be printed quickly and easily.
Thermal printing is the most common type of printing in industrial applications.
It uses a special paper containing heat-sensitive dyes that change color when heated to about 50 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit).
The printer heats this paper and prints onto it using an inkjet or laser print head.
Let us discuss the advantages and disadvantages of thermal printers | Benefits and Drawbacks of Thermal Printers with their types, uses, and examples.
What is a Thermal Printer?
Thermal printers are considered to be a type of Non-Impact Printer.
Thermal printers are printers that use a special ink that becomes visible when heat is applied.
The heat comes from a print head which the paper passes under, and the ink on the paper turns white as it cools down again.
A thermal printer applies heat to specific areas on the surface of the paper where ink particles are embedded.
This causes them to bubble up and become visible through their reflection - this process is known as "thermal printing".
A thermal printer is a printing device that uses heat to transfer ink onto paper or plastic.
The process works by heating the print head, then transferring the ink onto your document.
Because the ink stays on the surface of your material and doesn’t soak in, it’s easy to remove when you’re done with it.
This makes it popular among businesses that need to print out things like receipts from cash registers or invoices from customer orders.
They can tear off their copy when they’re done with it rather than cleaning off all traces of ink manually.
They use heat to transfer images onto the paper or plastic surface, which means no ink, is required.
Thermal printing is faster than other printers— up to 180 characters per second!
This makes it great for printing receipts from customers who have paid by card or cash.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Thermal Printer | Pros & Cons of Thermal Printer in Tabular Form
| # | Thermal Printer Advantages | Thermal Printer Disadvantages |
| 1 | They are inexpensive. This is the main advantage of thermal printers. | They are difficult to repair. |
| 2 | They are compact in shape and size. | As they are small in size, therefore, can be easily misplaced. |
| 3 | They are noiseless printers. | They have limitations. They cannot print color outputs. |
| 4 | They are efficient and durable. | Their outputs could be of higher quality. |
| 5 | They are fast printers. | The printouts are low in quality, so the outputs are usually distorted. |
| 6 | They are long-lasting printers as limited moving parts are used while manufacturing. | The papers used in thermal printers are expensive. |
| 7 | Due to its compact size, therefore, can be used as a mobile device. | Due to high temperatures, print heads are usually damaged easily. |
| 8 | They are user-friendly printers and can be easily used and utilized. | They are not common printers. |
| 9 | They are speedy printers. | The continuous printout cannot be obtained like dot matrix printers. |
| 10 | It’s a reliable technology that works well in harsh conditions such as extreme heat or cold weather. | The main disadvantage of thermal printers is that they cannot print on glossy paper because it requires heat from the printing head, which will damage any surface where it touches (such as plastic). |
| 11 | They are portable. | Thermal printers are much more complex in design than standard inkjet models and therefore require some knowledge about how they work before using them properly. |
| 12 | They are environmentally friendly. | The primary disadvantage of a thermal printer is that it cannot print on labels or CDs. |
Advantages and Disadvantages of Thermal Printer With Image
5 Characteristics of Thermal Printers
- Thermal printers are compact in shape and size.
- They can be connected via Bluetooth.
- They are inexpensive compared to other printers.
- They use batteries for power.
- They do not use cartridges and toners for printing.
Different Types of Thermal Printers
- Barcode Applications
- Patient Identification
- Receipt Printing.
- Ticket Printing.
7 Uses of Thermal Printers
- Small Shops.
- Shopping Malls.
- Departmental Stores.
- Buses.
- Restaurants.
- Medical Stores.
- ATMs.
People Are Also Reading
- Is a Printer an Input or Output Device
- Top 10+ Characteristics of Inkjet Printers
- Advantages and Disadvantages of Laser Printers
- Advantages and Disadvantages of Dot Matrix Printers
- Advantages and Disadvantages of Impact Printers
- Differences Between Thermal Printers and Dot Matrix Printers
- 10+ Characteristics of Laser Printers
- 8 Different Types of Scanners
- Examples of Dot Matrix Printers
- Soft Copy Output Devices of Computer
- Hard Copy Output Devices With Examples
- 7 Advantages and Disadvantages of Plotters
- Differences Between Impact and Non-Impact Printers
- Characteristics of NON-Impact Printers
- What is a Printer and Different Types of Printers
- Advantages and Disadvantages of Supercomputers
- Top 10+ Advantages and Disadvantages of Hyper-V
- Computer Basic Tutorials
Different Printers With Their Uses in Tabular Form
| Sr.No | Printer Name | Uses |
| #1 | Laser | Laser printers are used in printing stationery, brochures, labels, leaflets |
| #2 | Dot-Matrix | The dot matrix printers are capable of printing multiple sheets at once. They are used in the billing section of offices and businesses. |
| #3 | Thermal Printers | They are used in railways reservations, restaurants, ATMs, credit card swipes, malls, etc. |
| #4 | Photo Printers | Photo Printers are used for printing photos and images in high quality and are used by professionals. |
| #5 | Inkjet Printers | Inkjet printers are used to produce printouts on a variety of objects such as Envelop, T-shirts, visiting cards, invitation cards, etc. |
Frequently Asked Questions [FAQs] on Thermal Printer Pros and Cons
What is a Thermal Printer Used for?
They are used in printing receipts and shipping labels.
Does the Thermal Printer Need a refill?
No, they do not use cartridges and ribbons.
Can Thermal Printer Print on Normal Paper?
They work only with thermal printers.
How long do Thermal Prints last?
They have considerably low life.
Is Thermal Printing Cheaper?
Yes
Two Types of Thermal Printers?
Thermal transfer and Direct thermal
Can Thermal Printer Print Color?
No, The Thermal Printer Prints black Color Prints.
Can Thermal Printer Print on Normal Paper?
No, Thermal Printers Works Only on Thermal Papers.
Get In Touch
I have also written and compiled some articles on computers and telecommunications, and please go through them.
I hope you will like reading it.
All the questions and queries related to the Advantages and Disadvantages of Thermal Printers | Drawbacks and Benefits of Thermal Printers are answered here.
If you have any questions about the Pros and Cons of Thermal Printers.
Don’t hesitate to contact me, and if you feel to add, remove or update anything from the article, please let me know in the comment section or via email.
I will be more than happy to update the article. I am always ready to correct myself.
Please share this article with your friends and colleagues; this motivates me to write more related topics.
!!! Thank You !!!