Thermal Transfer Ribbons and Hot Print Film: what they are and how to choose them
It represents the most important element to guarantee excellent print quality, while providing the best protection for the print head.
Every day, in every production sector traceability through the overprinting of variable data, more or less unique, it becomes increasingly relevant, not only for the choice of the end user, but also for the choice of the right partner who can help create the marking in the most suitable way for our product - production chain.
TTR - Thermal Transfer Ribbon
​
If you have a TT printer, whether benchtop or inline, the correct choice of ink will help youobtain a product that complies with the regulations of your sector, barcode reading degree, variable data strength, quantity of
variable data printable in a given space, but above allcompliance with the expectations of your production chain and your end user.
TT ribbons are plastic films coated with micrometric layers of pigments which are activated by electrical impulses emitted by the TT printer head.
​
The advantages of using ribbon printable materials over thermal materials are the protection of the printing plant and the fact that the bond, which is created between a well-selected tape and its adhesive support,provides far superior printing performance in terms of durability and resistanceto many other printing technologies available on the market.
Alkam helps you expertly mix the variables of this equation to obtain efficient and effective labels.
​
Hot Print Film
Hot printing films are plastic films coated with micrometric layers of glues and pigments which, activated by the temperature and pressure of the printing clichés, transfer images and alphanumeric lines onto the final support.
The two macro categories of this product are data printing and graphics.
Also in this case Alkam will be at your side in choosing the product best suited to your needs, whatever they may be.
​
Ribbon Check:
Optimize your Ribbons for Free
​
The Ribbons must be set up effectively, so as to perform their function best.
​
Some of the most common errors in the design and construction phase they risk compromising the work done and the investment made.
​
What are these errors?
​
One of the most common mistakes is choosing the Ribbon without considering the printing system with which it will be used.
​
Another mistake that is often made, always in the design phase, is do not have a sample of the material on which the Ribbon will be printed.
In general, for it to be truly effective it is necessary to work directly on the material and the final application surface, so as not to have any surprises.
​
Once printed it is essential to understand if the receptor material will be subjected to stress such as scratching, high temperatures, contact with solvents and what are the life expectancies.
​
The last very common mistake is not analyzing specifically the sector of operation.
​
In fact, some sectors require compliance with certain quality standards and are subject to specific regulations.
​
Alkam's Ribbon Check Service
​
We have developed a free service for the optimization of your Ribbons, in qualitative terms, but above all in economic terms, allowing you to save money in your production cycle.
​
The most common requests from companies that turn to Alkam for Ribbons, in fact, revolve around this last point, asking for example, a personalized service in order to have rolls of dimensions optimized for their needs, in such a way as to limit machine downtime.
​
Do you know what the advantages of having an optimized Ribbon are?
​
-
The safety of consistency of the quality of the printed data.
-
Compatibility with the various requests of the customer or of the sector during the printing and post-printing phases.
-
The optimization of the variable data printing phase, in order to reduce the costs relating to the entire labeling phase (which does not mean cheaper Ribbons, but the possibility of optimizing the process and reduce the overall cost of the function).
​
