Ink ribbons are designed to print on a wide range of materials, such as paper, plastic, metal or fabrics. In the printing process, the ink melts from the ink ribbon with the help of the printhead, and sticks to the printing medium. They also go by the names: ribbons, TTR, thermal transfer sheets, etc.
Four (4) types of ink ribbons are used, depending on the printing substrate we desire and the color of the ribbon. Specifically, the types are:
- WAX
- WAX / RESIN
- WAX / RESIN NE
- RESIN
Ink ribbons can have two (2) types of convolution, be it IN (colorant on the inner side of the ribbon) or OUT (colorant on the outter side of the ribbon), depending on the printer specs.
In order to make the best choice of ink ribbon for a certain application, we have to have knowledge of the following parameters:
- Printer type
- Size and type of the tube
- Unwinder direction
- Width of printing material
- Substrate (material) type