Can a thermal printer print in colour or on plain paper?
Black only, special paper only? What your thermal printer can do, and the pre-printed label trick.
We get asked this a lot: "Can my label printer print my logo in colour?" The answer depends on the technology.
Direct thermal: black, and only on thermal paper
A direct thermal printer uses no ink and no ribbon. The print head heats a special paper that turns dark where it gets hot. That means two things:
- it prints in black. A few two-colour papers (black and red) exist, but they're rare and expensive;
- it can't print on plain paper. Without the heat-sensitive coating, nothing appears.
That covers most shipping label printers, and our own thermal labels.
Thermal transfer: one colour at a time
A thermal transfer printer uses an inked ribbon, so it can print on non-thermal paper and plastic too. The colour is whatever the ribbon is: usually black, but red, blue, green and white ribbons exist. It's still one colour per pass, though, so no photos or gradients. The full comparison is in direct thermal vs thermal transfer.
The answer: a pre-printed logo
To get colour, combine the two:
- we print your logo, brand colours and fixed text in full colour on labels on a roll;
- you add the variable data in black with your thermal printer: address, barcode, batch, date, price.
Just leave a white area for the thermal print, and choose thermal paper if your printer is direct thermal.
Take a look at our printed labels and tell us about your project through the quote request.
FAQ
Can a thermal printer print in colour?
Not in direct thermal mode, which prints black. Thermal transfer prints one colour at a time, the colour of the ribbon.
Can I use plain paper in a thermal printer?
Not in a direct thermal printer, which needs heat-sensitive paper. A thermal transfer printer with a ribbon can print on plain paper.
How do I get a colour logo on thermal labels?
Have the logo pre-printed in colour on the labels, then add the variable data in black with your thermal printer.
