ITP04 Thermal Printer Introduction

The working principle of a thermal printer is to generate images or text by heating thermal paper. It doesn't require traditional ink or toner; instead, it uses special thermal paper that undergoes a chemical reaction when heated, revealing the pattern.

1. Thermal Paper:

Thermal printers use special paper coated with a layer of chemicals that change color, usually turning black, when exposed to heat. If you lightly scratch thermal paper with your fingernail, the friction generates heat, causing the paper to turn black.

2. Thermal Head Heating:

Inside the printer, there is a thermal print head that contains many small heating elements. Based on the image or text to be printed, the heating elements on the print head rapidly heat the corresponding areas of the paper.

3. Heating Causes Paper to Change Color:

When the heating elements of the thermal print head come into contact with the thermal paper, the heated areas of the paper turn black, forming text or images. This is why thermal printers can only print in black and white, and cannot print in color.

4. No Consumables Required:

Thermal printers do not need ink, toner, or ribbons—only thermal paper. This makes them a cost-effective printing solution.