We've found a great resource for name badges and anything related to personal identification needs - BadgeStuff.com. They carry ID card products and supplies, tracking products, biometric devices, and many POS solutions.
One of the best resources on their site, however, isn't something they sell - it is their extensive FAQ on ID badge and ID card printers.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Thermal vs. Ink Jet
One of the major considerations to make when purchasing a portable printer is that of thermal vs. ink jet. We might as well be asking you to choose between the Yankees and the Red Sox, right? People really do get just as worked up by the printing technology as they do over their sports teams. But we digress - and instead provide a quick guide for the uninitiated.
Thermal
Thermal printers can work one of two ways - they can operate like an 80's fax machine, using heat-sensitive paper, which is marked with a small heating device. The other way they can work is via thermal transfer. These printers work a lot like a typewriter, using heat and pressure to transfer images from a ribbon to the page.
Ink Jet
Ink jet portable printers function very much like your desktop ink jet printer - small cartridges of liquid ink, spray very fine drops through a nozzle to create images.
The tradeoffs?
Thermal and thermal transfer printers hold their advantage in weight - they can be very small. The smallest thermal printer weighs only about 15 ounces, while the smallest thermal transfer printer weighs just about a pounds. In contrast, ink-jet printers start at about 2.5 pounds.
But on the other side of the coin, ink jet printers generally produce much better output than thermal transfer and thermal models. Ink jets can produce fairly good images, especially if very smooth paper is used. Thermal transfer printers can often leave horizontal bands on dark areas, and of course thermal printers require a special type of paper.
Thermal
Thermal printers can work one of two ways - they can operate like an 80's fax machine, using heat-sensitive paper, which is marked with a small heating device. The other way they can work is via thermal transfer. These printers work a lot like a typewriter, using heat and pressure to transfer images from a ribbon to the page.
Ink Jet
Ink jet portable printers function very much like your desktop ink jet printer - small cartridges of liquid ink, spray very fine drops through a nozzle to create images.
The tradeoffs?
Thermal and thermal transfer printers hold their advantage in weight - they can be very small. The smallest thermal printer weighs only about 15 ounces, while the smallest thermal transfer printer weighs just about a pounds. In contrast, ink-jet printers start at about 2.5 pounds.
But on the other side of the coin, ink jet printers generally produce much better output than thermal transfer and thermal models. Ink jets can produce fairly good images, especially if very smooth paper is used. Thermal transfer printers can often leave horizontal bands on dark areas, and of course thermal printers require a special type of paper.
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