The uses and dangers of thermal paper

Thermal paper is not new to the world market. It has been in use for many years. Thermal paper can be easily recognized by its special fineness and by being impregnated with certain chemicals that change color when exposed to heat. These are the characteristics that differentiate thermal paper from other types.

Thermal paper is widely used in thermal printers. It finds its gigantic usage particularly in cheap and lightweight devices. These include adding machines, credit card terminals, and cash registers. Thermal paper generally requires a protective coating. This is due to the need to reduce fade of the thermal image caused by exposure to ultraviolet light, grease, water, oils, shortening, fats, plasticizers and the like.

The coating also helps improve print head wear. Not only this, but it reduces or eliminates thermal coating residue on thermal print heads. In addition, this coating provides better anchorage of flexographic printing inks that are applied to the thermal paper, thus focusing heat from the thermal print head onto the active coating. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, thermal transfer, laser printing, electrophotography, and, to a lesser extent, inkjet printing began to eliminate warehouse and industrial barcode applications. TP due to increased durability. However, thermal paper made a comeback.

Thermal paper has had a rough ride in the market with many ups and downs. It is now widely used for sales receipts, gas pumps, cash registers, car rental receipts, and many others. Therefore, it is a good deal to invest in TP as it is a prospective industry that promises good returns on your investment.

The pioneers of the thermal paper industry were the companies named NCR Corporation and another named 3M. Although 3M’s technology was more durable, its cost made NCR the market leader in thermal paper over time. Demand for TP increased with the invention of the thermal print head in 1965 by Texas Instruments. It was in 1969 when a computer terminal with a thermal printer was introduced on the market under the name of Silent 700.

Over time, as the barcode system became more and more popular, the value and use of thermal paper increased even more. Many big names in the industry are now heavy consumers of thermal paper for label applications. As recently as 2006, NCR Corporation’s Systemmedia division introduced two-sided thermal printing technology now known as 2ST. It has also given rise to thermal paper.

Despite all of its cost-effectiveness and usage, health experts have shown great concern about thermal paper. They claim that TP contains a high proportion of bisphenol A which can cause endocrine disruption. Therefore, special care must be taken when using TP. Children must be especially supervised so that, under no circumstances, do they chew or swallow the thermal paper. If they do, medical help should be sought immediately.