What impact will thermal transfer ribbon technology have on the thermal paper market?

In recent years, thermal transfer ribbon technology has quietly entered the stage of printing history; how much impact thermal transfer ribbon technology will have on the thermal paper market:

1.) Introduction of Thermal Transfer Ribbon

The thickness of the thermal transfer carbon ribbon is only a few μm, and the film is coated with a release layer, a protective layer and a dye. The carbon ribbon eliminates the generation of static electricity during the thermal transfer process to reduce the absorption of paper scraps and dust and extend the life of the thermal print head. Thermal transfer ribbons are not only used in fax machines, but also in special-purpose printers.

At present, many thermal transfer ribbons are used in railway computer automatic ticketing, lottery machines, cash registers and label barcode printing. Taking railway computer ticketing as an example, according to the calculations of relevant persons in the industry, more than 5,000 stations across the country undertake this business, requiring tens of thousands of ticket printers, and more than 1 billion tickets are printed every year. It can be seen that the market demand for thermal transfer ribbons is very large, and many companies have aimed at this opportunity and achieved gratifying development.

2.) The Application of Thermal Paper in My Country

Domestic thermal paper has also been used in communication fax, medical equipment and output printing for more than 20 years. In the late 1980s, in order to produce domestic thermal paper as soon as possible, domestic companies tried to purchase foreign patented technologies and produce them by themselves. At present, the domestic thermal paper produced in Shandong, Changshu and Wuxi is small in scale and low in level, so Japanese products are still the main products in the domestic thermal paper market.

3.) Why Fax Machines are “Depressed”

There are roughly three reasons for the “depression” of fax machines: First, bisphenol A is a color developer for thermal paper, which is harmful to the human body during production or use. Considering environmental protection factors, people began to develop new products to replace them. With the advancement of science and technology, thermal transfer carbon ribbon fax machines, inkjet and laser fax machines using ordinary paper were introduced in the world several years ago. Secondly, thermal paper has high retention requirements and short time. It cannot be exposed to moisture and heat. The retention period is about 3 years before use, and only half a year or one year after use. Therefore, important data information of users has to be copied and retained, which is very inconvenient. Third, human beings have entered the era of network economy and information, and the use of computers has penetrated into all fields. APEC reporters without exception use computers to send articles, from text, photos to voices can be quickly transmitted. It is no wonder that fax machines are now more Subject to “depression”.

Market Analysis: At present, thermal paper still has a certain customer base in China, and there is a certain sales volume in the market. Due to the slow update of our equipment, it will continue to follow the life of ordinary fax machines for a long time. In addition, thermal paper is not only convenient for communication and faxing, but also convenient for recording medical equipment, such as electrocardiogram, various types of monitors, B-ultrasound, and various terminal printers. There is still a certain market. However, from the perspective of development, with the advancement of science and technology, the upgrading of equipment, and after entering the WTO, the relationship with foreign countries will be closer, the distance between domestic and foreign will gradually shrink, and the amount of China thermal paper will also show a downward trend.