Direct Thermal Labels

If you’re in the market for direct thermal labels, you’ve come to the right page. Our direct thermal labels are all high quality and very affordable. We ship our products right from our Ontario warehouse which allows us to reach anywhere in North America quickly.

What Are Direct Thermal Labels?

Unlike traditional inkjet printers, which place droplets of ink onto a label, a thermal printer uses heat to activate a chemical called leuco dye that is already within your direct thermal label. This chemical reaction causes the leuco dye to go from clear to black, which will then display your barcode or packaging information visibly.

The direct thermal printer has to use a direct thermal label because the printer has no ink cartridge. This means that you get to save money on buying ink, but the labels are slightly more expensive as they need leuco dye.

Are There Any Drawbacks to Direct Thermal Labels?

First and foremost, direct thermal printers are limited to black and white and cannot print colors. On top of this, direct thermal printing is best done in small quantities. When you are printing at a large scale, it may be better to use a traditional printer.

Next, one of the reasons direct thermal labels are more expensive is due to a lack of leuco dye. The chinese government has recently upped their environmental regulations and this has led to the temporary shutdown of thousands of production factories. As they get up to the new emission standards, hopefully the cost will go down, and the impacts on the planet will lessen.

What Direct Thermal Labels Are Right For Your Printer?

Finding the right labels will depend largely on your printer and your needs. Please reach out to us using our contact form and we’ll be happy to point you in the right direction