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Ribbon Selection
| Thermal transfer printing is the technology of choice for producing high quality labels. Designed especially for label printing, IntelliBar thermal transfer ribbons produce sharp, high-contrast, long-lasting label images with excellent bar code scannability. |
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As shown in the diagram below, thermal transfer ribbons consist of three important elements: a protective backcoating, a synthetic film, and the thermal transfer ink. Proper backcoating is important. It extends the life of the print head. The backcoating provides lubrication to prevent the ribbon from sticking to the print head during printing operations. It also dissipates heat and static and protects the print head from abrasion from the film. The backcoating must be properly formulated to prevent a backcoating deposit buildup on the print head. The film is manufactured to ensure its smoothness, high heat resistance, high thermal conductivity, high tensile strength, and chemical resistance. The film also provides important protection for the print head against abrasion from the label or tag media being printed. Ink formulations are important because each is designed to create the best printed image on a different and particular kind of media.
IntelliTech manufactures three categories of thermal transfer ribbons based on ink formulations: wax, resin and wax/resin. Each is manufactured with high quality materials to exacting specifications to fit particular operating conditions and purposes. The chart below provides a general guideline for selecting ribbons. |
Ribbon Selection Guide
| Application | Ribbon Type | Label Type |
| For economical print images at medium to high speed printing. | Express Wax | Coated or uncoated paper stock |
| For economical, yet more durable print images at medium print speeds. Used in environments where the printed image requires some smudge and scratch resistant capability. | Dura Wax | Coated label and tag stock. Also for use with smooth uncoated stocks. |
| For harsh environments where the printed image requires smudge and scratch resistant materials. Prints at low to medium speeds. | Rugged Resin | Excellent on synthetic label stock and coated paper. Not recommended for uncoated paper stock. |
| Highest performance ink formulation for permanent printed images. Suitable for harsh environments. Smudge proof and highly scratch resistant images. Solvent, heat and wash proof. Requires low speed printing. | Dura Resin Plus | Excellent on synthetic label stock. Not recommended for coated or uncoated paper stock. |
| A hybred wax and resin ink formulation blend that provides smudge proof and scratch resistant images on a wide variety of materials at medium to high print speeds. Available in a broad selection of color monochromatic standard and process color inks. | Dura Wax/Resin | Excellent on paper, polypropylene, polyester and polyethylene label stock. |
The following table will help you determine the the ribbon and media combination for your particular requirements. It provides information about performance characteristics and compatibilities based on average experiences. This information should be used as a guideline only as ribbon/label performance is also dependent the specific label material, print speeds, print head energy levels, print head position, environmental conditions and other factors. |
<Top> Ribbon and Media Performance Guidelines
| | Uncoated Paper | Coated Paper | Polypropylene | Polyester |
| | Print
Quality | Smudge &
Scratch
Resistance | Print
Quality | Smudge &
Scratch
Resistance | Print
Quality | Smudge &
Scratch
Resistance | Print
Quality | Smudge &
Scratch
Resistance |
| Express Wax | *** | ** | **** | ** | *** | * | *** | NR |
| Dura Wax | ** | *** | **** | *** | *** | *** | *** | ** |
| Rugged Resin | ** | * | **** | *** | **** | *** | **** | ** |
| Dura Resin Plus | NR | NR | * | ** | *** | **** | **** | **** |
| Wax/Resin | | | | | | **** | | |
| Rating | Print Quality | Smudge & Scratch Resistance |
| **** | Excellent | No change to printed image |
| *** | Good | Slight effect to printed image |
| ** | Fair | Some effect to printed image |
| * | Marginal | Noticeable effect to printed image |
| NR | Not recommended | Not recommended |
<Top> Wax RibbonsIntelliBar wax ribbons produce crisp text, clear graphic images and sharp, high contrast bar codes at an economical price. Wax ribbons are lower in cost and print at higher speeds than resin ribbons. If your label will not be exposed to rough handling or scanned with a contact scanner, a wax ribbon may be the choice for you. Wax ribbons are designed for many of the most common bar code applications, such as carton shipping labels, product/inventory identification, and work-in-progress tracking. They are effective on coated labels and tags, and often perform well on smoother, uncoated paper stocks. Wax ribbons are not recommended for use with synthetic facestocks. IntelliBar offers two wax ribbons for the IntelliBar printers: Express WaxTM and Dura WaxTM.
Express Wax Ribbons are designed specifically for medium to high speed label printing, up to 12 inches per second (ips) for high volume productivity. They provide excellent high speed print quality, even with complex labeling formats, producing excellent graphics and bar code scannability. These ribbons can be used for labels that will not be exposed to harsh environments or abrasion. They are excellent on coated and some uncoated paper stock but should not be used on synthetic stock.
Dura Wax Ribbons produce excellent high-density bar codes in both normal and rotated orientations (picket fence and ladder). They provide very good smudge resistance and good abrasion resistance. Dura Wax ribbons produce economical labels for printer speeds up to 8 ips. They are more smudge and scratch resistant than Express Wax ribbons and are excellent for use with coated label and tag stocks and work well with smooth uncoated stocks. Dura Wax ribbons provide good to fair results on synthetic stock. Resin RibbonsRResin ribbons produce printed images that have excellent smudge resistance and very good to excellent scratch resistance. Images printed with resin ribbons last as long as the label material itself. These ribbons are recommended for use in exposure to harsh environments, where rough handling is expected and where archivability is required. IntelliTech offers two kinds of resin ribbons for IntelliBar printers: Rugged ResinTM and Dura Resin PlusTM.Rugged Resin Ribbons have excellent compatibility with a wide range of thermal transfer printing stocks (coated paper, labels and tags, polyesters, polypropylenes and polyimides) but are not recommended for uncoated paper stock. They provide super image durability, are suitable for harsh enviornments, are resistant to scratches and will not smudge or smear. They are recommended for printer speeds up to 8 inches per second.
Dura Resin Plus Ribbons ribbons are recommended for permanent bar codes because they provide excellent durability in harsh environments. These ribbons are recommended for extended outdoor or extreme industrial uses and where chemical resistance is required. They have excellent scratch and smudge resistance and are unaffected by washing with strong detergents or solvents. Dura Resin Plus ribbons are recommended for use on highly durable synthetic label and tag stocks (polyesters, polypropylenes, and other plastics.) They are not recommended for coated or uncoated paper stock. They are recommended for printer speeds up to 4 inches per second. Wax/Resin RibbonsWax/Resin ribbons provide a performance compromise between wax and resin inks. They offer a higher performance print image than wax inks at faster print speeds and a lower cost than a pure resin ribbon. Wax/Resin inks a highly smudge and scratch resistance image. Wax/Resin ribbons can print on a much broader selection of media than either wax or resin inks. IntelliTech offers Dura Wax/Resin ribbons in a wide selection of colors.
Dura Wax/Resin Ribbons Dura Wax/Resin Color Ribbons offer vivid monochromatic and process color images and are capable fast print speeds up to 8 ips. They provide excellent print images with exceptional durability on paper, polypropylene, polyester and polyethylene in addition to other types of media.
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