Can You Use Regular Paper in a Thermal Printer?
Nowadays, thermal printers have completely changed the printing industry thanks to their effectiveness, affordability, and speed. They are very well-liked in the e-commerce sector for printing shipping labels, but they are also useful in other industries like healthcare, retail, and logistics.
However, the question "Can you use regular paper in a thermal printer?" sparks debate in the printing sector. Although many people would like this to be feasible, it is actually not. The only media that can be utilized in a thermal printer is thermal paper. For more helpful information, keep reading this blog post!
Difference Between Thermal Paper and Regular Paper
Thermal papers include substrate, base, and active layer, along with chemicals that are heat-sensitive and react with heat to produce an image or text. For added protection against text or picture fading, some thermal sheets may contain extra layers. On the other hand, regular papers do not have heat-sensitive chemicals on their surface and depend on conventional ink to generate images and text. In addition, regular papers are also comparatively thin and transparent, in contrast to thermal papers. The two main varieties are matte and glossy.
Another significant distinction is that these two have different print lifespans. Thermal papers are the ideal option for individuals who desire durable prints. Thermal head prints can last for decades, in contrast to ink cartridge prints. Meanwhile, normal papers are more prone to moisture damage and other external sources, making them less suited for applications exposed to harsh circumstances.
Can You Use Regular Paper in a Thermal Printer?
As mentioned earlier, normal paper cannot be used in thermal printers as this type of paper relies on conventional ink cartridges. Nevertheless, thermal printers employ contemporary thermal printing technology, which is only suitable for printing on papers that have thermal chemistry compounds on their surfaces.
So how about using thermal paper in a regular printer? You can do that, but it is not a good idea. This might harm the printer and cause a fire risk since the thermal paper can catch fire due to the heat the printer produces. Further, because conventional printer print heads are not made to handle the reactive chemicals contained in thermal paper, the chemical coating on thermal paper might harm those print heads.
Final Thoughts
To sum up, you cannot use regular paper on a thermal printer since the printing head of a thermal printer heats thermal paper that has been chemically impregnated to produce images or texts. For accuracy and cost-efficiency, normal papers can only be printed with regular printers, whereas thermal papers can only be used with thermal printers. POS Paper is pleased to serve as your authorized source for the best thermal paper on the market. Contact us today for additional information about our products and services.
