What are Wax, Wax/Resin and Resin Ribbons? What is the difference between them?
Answer: The thermal ink mixture on the ribbon used for thermal transfer printers consists of 3 components: carbon ink colorant, wax (Wax) used to melt the ink and resin (Resin) used to increase the adhesion of the ink mixture on the printing material.
Wax Ribbon: When the Wax content in the ink mixture is much higher than the Resin content, we have a wax ribbon.
Resin Ribbon: If in the ink mixture, Resin is the majority, only a small part is Wax, we have a Resin Ribbon.
Wax/Resin Ribbon: If in the ink mixture, Resin content is higher than Wax, but not the majority, we have a Wax/Resin Ribbon.
The basic difference between these 3 types of ribbon is:
RIBBON WAX: Melts at low temperature, average adhesion to printed materials. Depending on the composition of the resin mixed inside the Wax Ribbon, the quality of the ribbon changes. RibbonWax has average scratch resistance and solvent resistance. Often used to print on paper labels kept indoors or in dry places. Suitable for use in supermarkets, bookstores, small warehouses, and low transportation. Should not be used to print on fabric, leather, or metal paper. Using Wax ribbon can lower the print head temperature to increase the life of the print head.
RIBBON WAX/RESIN: Melts at a higher temperature than Wax Ribbon, and has higher adhesion. Highly resistant to scratches, abrasion, chemicals, and solvents. Withstands temperature and humidity for a long time while maintaining image quality. Used to print on shipping labels, packaging labels, labels of pharmaceutical products, frozen products, metallic paper, synthetic plastic paper, etc.
RIBBON RESIN: The highest melting point of the 3 types, but the adhesion and durability are also the highest because the Resin content in the ink is the majority. Resin Ribbon has the ability to withstand abrasion, scratches, chemicals, and solvents very well. Withstands the harshest environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, pressure, etc. It is a high-quality ribbon used to print industrial materials such as fabric, leather, synthetic plastic and outdoor product labels, frequently transported, in conditions of high pressure, temperature, freezing, etc.