7 uses of the Ribbon you never would never have thought of!

7 uses of the Ribbon you never would never have thought of!

There are several everyday uses for ribbon that you would not even think of. Thermal printing can be found from our bedrooms, on the labels of mattresses, bed sheets, towels and clothes, to the labels on car seat belts.

Sometimes when we think of printing, we imagine an entirely commercial use within offices and industries. However, printing permeates our lives, making it easier to understand a variety of information contained on all types of labels.

If you want to learn more about the uses of ribbons, read on. Check it out!

Take a look at what it is, why it was created, and examples of the uses of ribbon

An important part of the thermal transfer printing process, the ribbon is a type of coated plastic film. One side is coated with paint and on the other with silicone – which helps dissipate heat.

Also known as TTR (Thermal Transfer Ribbon) – it is responsible for transferring the information from the printer to the base. This occurs because, when it passes through the thermal head of the printer, it is heated, causing the pigment to detach from the ribbon.

It was created with the thermal transfer printer in 1981. These printers were developed to improve the printing of variable data, ensuring better cost-benefit and greater resistance. So, the use of ribbon is centred around various areas of industry, as you will see below. But, first, find out about the types of TTRs.

Find out about the types of ribbon

Ribbons can be classified into three types. Each one is intended for a different application. Check it out!

• Wax ribbon

Wax ribbons are made of polyester and a primarily wax compound, and are designed for some specific applications. Although they guarantee excellent quality printing of variable data and barcodes, the use of these ribbons is not suitable for all materials. They are not resistant to friction and high temperature. That is also why they are cheaper to buy. Nevertheless, the printing is carried out at high speed.

• Resin ribbon

This is a film composed mainly of resin. The print characteristics of these ribbons are: high resistance to friction, temperature, chemicals and industrial washing. Therefore, they are recommended for products that have to withstand bad weather conditions, such as, for example, heat, wind, and rain. They also have a high static dissipation capacity and generate high quality, durable images at a high speed.

• Mixed ribbon

As the name suggests, this ribbon contains the two materials above. It is more resistant than wax ribbon but less so than resin. It is therefore very suitable for printing on film or paper. Check out 7 uses of the ribbon that you would never have thought of.

We are in contact on a daily basis with various printing processes which involve the use of ribbons, often without even realising it. So we have prepared a list of 7 uses that you may not have even realised.

1. Pharmaceutical Industry: such as labels containing batch, manufacture date, expiry date and supplier information. These also serve for tracking data on raw materials, products and for security seals.
2. Trade and Retail: product identification in bakeries, stationery shops, jewellers, supermarkets, department stores, clothes shops, and others.
3. Textiles industry: labels with composition information, washing and drying instructions, among other legally required data. Also for barcodes.
4. Automotive industry: labels that are on the seat belts, engines and even those for stock control identification and parts storage in factories.
5. Cosmetics: labels and tags for beauty and personal care products such as shampoos, conditioners, lipsticks, nail polishes, lotions and more.
6. Appliances: voltage identification labels, electronic schematics and essential information on cookers, refrigerators and other appliances.
7. Food industry: labels and tags with nutritional information, production details and best before date. They are also used to identify frozen products.

So, we can see the importance of this product for the entire production chain, and these are just some of the many uses of ribbon. Due to their use in practically every market sector, ribbons play an important role for the economy. To receive further information about ribbons and thermal printing, please subscribe to our newsletter.