GlossaryLabels and printing
Thermal printer
A printer that uses heat instead of ink to print labels, the standard choice for 4x6 shipping labels.
A thermal printer prints by applying heat to the label. Direct thermal printers use heat-sensitive labels and need no ink, toner or ribbon, which makes them the usual choice for shipping labels. Thermal transfer printers use a ribbon and produce longer-lasting prints, for example for product or asset labels.
Most shipping label printers print 4x6 inch labels from rolls or fan-fold stacks and accept PDF or printer languages such as ZPL. Direct thermal labels can fade with heat and sunlight over time, which is not a concern for a package in transit.
Learn more in our Shipping software articles.
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