Thermal printer

A thermal printer (or direct thermal printer) produces a printed image by selectively heating covered thermochromic paper, or thermal paper as it is normally known, when the paper passes in excess of the thermal print head. The coating turns black in the areas where it is heated, producing an image. Two-color direct thermal printers are able of printing both black and an additional color (often red), by applying heat at two dissimilar temperatures. Thermal transfer printing is a connected method that uses a heat-sensitive ribbon instead of heat-sensitive paper.