How can I print a barcode?

A standard desktop laser, inkjet or dot matrix printers can be used to print a barcode. However, if you require large quantities of barcodes printed each day and the barcodes must be printed on application specific media, then the most cost-effective manner of printing barcode information would be to use a dedicated barcode printer. The most common dedicated barcode printer technology used today is Thermal Transfer. Today Thermal Transfer technology provides the most cost effective and best performance for printing barcodes.

Direct Thermal:
Direct Thermal technology is the same as that used in older fax and copier machines. The printer uses a print head consisting of tiny heating elements usually between 100 to 300 per inch. As a print command is made the Direct Thermal printer passes a chemically treated paper under the print head. As the paper passes below the print head tiny heating elements contained in the print head apply heat in dot patterns to the paper. The heat induces a chemical reaction on the paper to create tiny dots. Collectively, the dots appear as bars and other requested characters and symbols.

Thermal Transfer:
Thermal Transfer technology uses a print head similar to that used in Direct Thermal technology. However, the difference from Direct Thermal is that a chemically-coated paper media is not used to create an image. Instead, a specially coated ink ribbon with thermal transfer ink is used to create the barcode or image. The tiny heating elements contained in the print head heat patterns on the ink ribbon passed under the print head, thereby, forcing the ink to release from the ribbon. The ink then cools and adheres to media and creates an image on the label or tag. The ribbon is rewound after a single pass.