Thermal printers are the typical ticket or POS printers found in the vast majority of businesses, restaurants, shops, etc. These have many advantages, among which is the use of thermal paper rolls that allows lower printing costs, reliability and, ultimately, quality.
How a thermal printer works
Thermal printers are impact free printers, they are basically use for monochrome printing. They have internally electronic chips and circuits that receive orders from the computer and store the data to print them:
- The thermal printer receives the command from the computer of what to print.
- The thermal printer stores the receive data in an internal RAM memory also call Buffer .
- An electromechanical mechanism accommodates the blade according to the specifications sent by the computer.
- Internally they have a system that by means of a beam of light, forms the image on a special tape.
- The tape passes over the sheet and is press on it, by means of heat, the ink is fix to the sheet.
- This is repeat until the store data is complete. Depending on the thermal printer model, it can send the signal to the computer that it has finish printing.
Definition of thermal printer
It is a high-speed electromechanical device, which has the function of receiving digital information from the computer; For by means of heat, a beam of light and an ink tape, to capture it on the sheet, (there is also a variant in which the beam of light records directly on special paper without the need for tapes). It basically prints in black, although there are currently some on the market that have the ability to print in 2 or 3 colors, it is use for printing purchase receipts.
Thermal Printer is an application of Videojet Inkjet Printer.
Types of thermal printers
There are currently two types of printers on the market, impact-free and impact-free; a description of them is display. Thermal printer falls into the second classification:
+ Impact: at first, thermal printers work in a similar way to typewriters, with a mechanism that pushes an element against an ink ribbon and this in turn against the sheet, generating the print characters,
+ Free of impact: they are the newest generation of printers, in these there are no blows against the sheet, but the characters are print on the sheet by means of heat on a special paper or with a special tape.
Parts of a thermal printer
1.- Tray: Space assign to place the special paper roll.
2.- Cover: Protects the interior from dust and allows the printing process to be view.
3.- Output tray: It is responsible for removing the sheet once print.
4.- Panel: It has LED indicators for the status of the printer (on, sheet jam, in process, etc.), as well as function buttons (on, ticket, etc.)
5.- Covers: They protect the internal circuits and give the printer aesthetics.
6.- Ports: They are use to communicate with the computer.
7.- Power connector: Provides electricity from the plug.
8.- Support: Allows you to place the printer in the most convenient way.
