When it comes to printing, thermal paper, and carbonless paper are both popular choices. But do you know the differences between them? This article will explain the differences between thermal paper and carbonless paper and answer any questions about these products, so you can make an informed decision on which one best suits your needs. First, let’s examine each type of paper. Then, we’ll look at how they’re different from each other and how you can decide which one is right for your needs.
How Carbonless Paper is Made
Carbonless printing was invented by a French inventor in 1906. He designed carbon copy paper because he wanted to find a way to make it easy for multiple people to read documents made with copies. Carbonless printing, also known as thermographic printing, uses less ink and helps conserve energy.
To print on a sheet of carbon copy or thermal paper, an image is first printed on a sheet of transparent Mylar or plastic called a stencil; that sheet of plastic is then laid over another page on which ink will be placed.
What is Thermal Paper?
Thermal paper is a special type of paper that changes color when exposed to heat, like that from a printer or copier. It’s often used in receipt printers for cash registers and other point-of-sale equipment. The reverse side of thermal paper (called thermal backs) is often coated with an adhesive to help secure it in place while printing.
It can be used as backing on tickets and labels, as well. Even though it looks similar to waxed invoice stock or carbonless copy paper, it works quite differently—it’s much more sensitive!
The Difference Between Carbonless and Thermal Paper
In today’s business world is becoming increasingly common for businesses to print receipts. Receipts are used for many reasons: to keep track of sales and purchases or verify food or beverage orders. More often than not, receipts are printed using a machine called a receipt printer.
However, some businesses have turned back time and still print their receipts using carbonless paper (carbon-based) instead of thermal paper (thermal transfer). The question is: is there a difference between these two types of receipt papers? Does one perform better than another under certain conditions? Let’s look at how each type of receipt works and see what factors make them different from one another.
We’ve already discussed that both types of paper using ink. But when you look closer, you’ll notice that they differ in more ways than appearance and cost. Most importantly, carbonless paper transfers its ink chemically to your hands, while thermal paper uses pressure or heat.
On top of that, you may also have noticed that thermal papers tend to be glossy due to an additional layer that serves as an anti-static protection mechanism for plastic cards like credit cards or debit cards.
Therefore, if you need your receipt to be glossy enough so as not to leave any streaks on your customers’ hands after they hold onto their receipts while they wait in line at retail stores. Then make sure your printers are capable of printing with multiple gloss levels is important!
How can you tell if your printer uses Thermal Paper vs. Carbonless?
First, thermal paper and carbonless paper are used interchangeably because they’re both thermal media types. Technically, there is a difference between Thermal Paper and Carbonless Paper, but it’s so minute that you should consider them the same when shopping for printers.
Thermal Paper is designed for receipts and tickets to be used once or twice before being thrown away. When you need something to last a little longer, use Carbonless Paper instead!
Takeaway Tips from this Guide to Using Thermal Paper
Thermal paper is used in various industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, transportation and logistics, wholesale distribution, retail and wholesale. It’s estimated that 40 percent of all print jobs processed worldwide are done on thermal printing devices.
For businesses using thermal printers in their operations (or considering using them). It’s important to know what to look for when buying carbonless copy paper or any other type of thermal print media. Of course, choosing a reliable supplier of quality blank paper products is essential. But so are some other factors you may not think about immediately.
These tips can help you determine which papers work best for your operation. Here are four tips to keep in mind as you choose your thermal print media:
- Does It Work With Your Printer? When selecting thermal paper, make sure it works with your printer and POS system. This includes looking at compatibility between printer types (thermal versus impact) and printer models (if purchasing new equipment). If there’s no direct compatibility between brands or models, ask if compatible printers exist within each line.
- Are There Different Paper Types Available? Although most suppliers carry multiple types of carbonless paper, not every product is created equal—and knowing how each one works can make a big difference when running an efficient business operation.
Conclusion
No, despite their similarity in name, carbonless paper and thermal paper are different types of paper. Carbonless (aka NCR) paper is made from recycled material and doesn’t require ink or toner to print on it. As a result, these papers tend to be thicker than your standard sheet of printer paper. On the other hand, thermal papers don’t require ink but use heat to activate printed images. When used with a special type of receipt printer called an impact printer consumers can generate printed receipts using only heat and no ink/toner.
