Everything You Need to Know About Thermal Labels, Coatings and Printing

Label Facestock

Coated papers remain the worldwide choice for most labelling applications, representing 36% market share, with direct and thermal transfer papers claiming an additional 24% for variable data printing. The PSL market is dominated by 2 types of coatings, economy or top coated.  

• Economy coatings – these materials are not top coated, typically provide no resistance to scratches and are recommended for short lifecycle products such as till receipts and food labels.
• Top coated grades – these top coated thermal materials include a barrier topcoat which help to protect against scratches, improve the stability of the print and are designed for longer lifecycle applications such as warehouse inventory or logistics labelling.

Thermal Coating Capabilities

One of Smith & McLaurin’s key differentiators is in our ability to thermally coat face stock, including standard laminates, by thermally coating the face and/or liner using either our economy or semi-resistant thermal coatings. Not only that, our ability to add thermal coatings to a rainbow of colours during manufacturing sets us apart from our competitors. These materials are tried, tested and trusted by our loyal customer base and are used across a broad spectrum of applications including logistics, healthcare and retail.

Benefits of Top Coated Label Materials

There are a host of benefits associated with top coated thermal labels, including:

• Sharp and clear print image – the top coating provides better anchorage from inks, resulting in sharper print results
• High image resistance – materials protective top coating reduces fading of thermal images
• Protect against contamination from fats, grease, solvents and similar

Thermal Printing Process

Thermal printing uses a non-impact electronic print process which uses heated elements in a digitally-controlled thermal print head to create a darkened image on thermally coated paper. The special heat-sensitive chemical coating on the label substrate simply darkens under the action of the heating elements.

Thermal Transfer Printing

This is a very similar indirect printing method to direct thermal printing, where a heat sensitive ribbon replaces the heat sensitive thermal paper. The printing works via an electronically controlled print head which transfers variable data – including bar codes and the likes – to the label face material via heat sensitive printer ribbon placed between the printing head and the face material. Direct thermal labels can also be printed in thermal transfer printers by simply removing the filmic ribbon.

Speak to Our Experts

If you would like to discover more about our thermal coating capabilities, contact our team of experts and they will guide you from initial discussions through to final application to ensure your requirements are met.