How long do thermal print outs last before they become unreadable?

[Ice Tea]

How long do thermal print outs last before they become unreadable?

I've seen comments of people saying they start to fade after 6 months but i can't ever remember seeing that happen to a receipt or postage label?

 

[Haze]

Seems like a completely bizarre question

But I have things like till receipts that are years old and still look like new

 

[Ice Tea]

Seems like a completely bizarre question

http://www.barcodewarehouse.biz/GenPage.aspx?srcPage=/StaticPages/directvsthermaltransfer.htm&pgTitle=Direct vs Thermal

direct thermal

Direct Thermal printers work by using the heat of the print head, to cause a reaction in the coating of the label paper

Pros - There are no ribbons used in the printer so many customers find it a very easy and cost-effective solution to implement. Just load the labels and go. The primary benefit is an overall lower cost since a ribbon is not required.

Cons - The printing is not as crisp as that of thermal transfer application and there is a much shorter shelf life to the printed label. After a period of 6 months the barcode will start to fade and the label will start to blacken. The labels created with direct thermal printers can not be exposed to direct sunlight, high temperatures or heavy industrial lighting.

Summary - Direct thermal printing is an inexpensive way to print labels that are for temporary use such as shipping labels or in high turnover inventory solutions.

 

[Rroff]

We use them in the warehouse at work - they aren't reliable after a few months - while some will be still almost as new a few years later some will become unreadable after just a few months.

 

[Ice Tea]

Thanks Roff

I was reading about A4 thermal printers and the users feedback seems to vary from fading out to turning black after a few months to a few years so i'm guessing it depends what quality paper / labels you buy and how you store it but i can't remember seeing it myself but as i don't keep receipts or postage labels that long to notice so i thought it best to ask.

Maybe i'll go back to my plan of a Mono Laser printer.

 

[Rroff]

Mono laser printers can end up costing a lot more on consumables if you are printing a lot but if you actually need longer term durability that might limit options.

 

[Ice Tea]

We rarely print anything these days maybe occasional and email or an address label so i thought a thermal printer might be an option but i was pretty shocked by the price and the complaints of durability , not that we keep anything that long but i didn't like the thoughts of spending £300 on something that has a shelf life of a poke and a hope.

 

[Rroff]

Not a recommendation as such but I bought a Samsung SL-M2026 for incidental use when they were £30 - held up surprisingly well on just the included toner which has a lot lower rating for number of prints than the replacement ones. It wouldn't stack up despite the low initial price for more frequent use though as the cost per-print ends up way more expensive than the higher end lasers they use in the office.

 

[Ice Tea]

Yeah £30 as opposed to £300 is the obvious way to go for occasional use.

Shame really as thermal printers are really compact in comparison but i never expected them to be so expensive and £300 is the cheap end for a A4 printer.

 

[Haze]

Why on God's earth would you want one for normal printing lol, strange fokes about, just get a laser, I have a nice Brother one

 

[Ice Tea]

Because they make them for normal printing and they are ridiculously small in comparison to a compact laser.

But sadly as it turns out ridiculously expensive.

 

[Rroff]

Why on God's earth would you want one for normal printing lol, strange fokes about, just get a laser, I have a nice Brother one

If you are printing stuff like assignment labels, etc. in a warehouse then they are vastly cheaper "per page", faster and a lot more convenient generally especially if you are doing a lot of day to day movements, etc. where you don't need them to last years.

 

[d_brennen]

The receipt I got with my Switch (from Game, February) is practically blank. It was folded in one of their leaflets and left in a drawer

I suppose it's handy for retailers to dodge returns

 

[Rroff]

It is quite weird as I've found items buried in the depth of the warehouse at work with labels (from direct thermal printing) that are still fine after years and years and others that have come back through after only a few weeks and you can barely make out any details.

 

[Holst1981]

It is quite weird as I've found items buried in the depth of the warehouse at work with labels (from direct thermal printing) that are still fine after years and years and others that have come back through after only a few weeks and you can barely make out any details.

Paper quality probably has some impact on the life of the print.

Temperature and UV levels might make them fade faster.

When we got burgled we had to look at some old receipts, most were pretty illegible after 3 years although some were ok for much longer. They were all stored in a dark cupboard the worse I had to take a guess at the some of the details as I couldn't see a thing.

Now I take a digital photo of any that are important.

Keeping receipts made getting burgled much easier to sort out.

 

[Haze]

If you are printing stuff like assignment labels, etc. in a warehouse then they are vastly cheaper "per page", faster and a lot more convenient generally especially if you are doing a lot of day to day movements, etc. where you don't need them to last years.

Exactly, for business use, not home printing documents, every once in a while

 

[Ice Tea]

Seems like a completely bizarre question

Why on God's earth would you want one for normal printing lol, strange fokes about

Exactly, for business use, not home printing documents, every once in a while

Isn't that the entire point of the thread to find out from users that understand , own or use the technology to see if it's a viable solution?

If you find it strange that someone would use a printer as a printer then shouldn't you contact companies like Brother that are now selling compact A4 thermal printers designed for light duty printing and inform them that you find them bizarre?

 

[Haze]

Isn't that the entire point of the thread to find out from users that understand , own or use the technology to see if it's a viable solution?

If you find it strange that someone would use a printer as a printer then shouldn't you contact companies like Brother that are now selling compact A4 thermal printers designed for light duty printing and inform them that you find them bizarre?

No, using them for home printing once in a while is, I am pretty sure when 99% of the population is sat at home thinking "what home printer should I buy" thermal printer does not even cross their mind for a second

 

[Ice Tea]

The Brother range is designed for occasional use hence why they are marketed for fixed or mobile use , What difference does it make if it's plugged into your laptop while staying at a hotel or plugged in at Home?

Everyone else in this thread understood what i was asking , Only you think it's odd that someone would use a Printer as a Printer.

 

[Ice Tea]

Anyone else think that's ridiculously slow considering they cost 10x the amount of a Mono laser printer?