Information on Thermal Printers and Other Ink Cartridge Options
Want more information about thermal printing technology? Turn to a wiki page to get all of the basic info that you need to decide whether or not this type of technology is right for your business. A thermal printer does not have an ink cartridge that must be replaced frequently, but they do have some other expenses that you will need to consider.
Thermal printers use heat to create an image on paper. These printers do not require ink cartridges to operate. However, they do require special paper that is of a certain thickness so that the image can be properly burned into the paper. A lot of businesses are turning to these types of printers for receipts. While they may seem like a good buy initially, they can end up costing you just as much money as any other type of printer over time.
Since the paper must be thicker for these printers it is more expensive. And the thicker paper also causes a lot of build up to accumulate on the thermal print head. This will often result in obscured print outs where you will be able to see some of the lines but not all of them. This can be a pain when you are printing receipts out and the price is missing.
These printers require a lot of maintenance to keep them clean and running at their peak efficiency. While you might not constantly have to replace their ink, you will have to consistently maintain them in order to continually get high quality prints.