Why Thermal Printer Print Heads Wear Out And How To Extend Print Head Life

As media is fed past the print head, small resistor elements, know as dots are heated by applying an electric current to them.  The heat from the dots is then transferred to either the direct thermal media or a thermal transfer ribbon.  The heat from the dot pattern produces the text, barcode or image on the label.  Because the dots must be heated and cooled very rapidly, and there is friction as the media passes against the print head, the print head will eventually wear out.  As the print head ages, the output will become lighter or sections of dots may stop heating and cause voids in the print.

There are some simple steps you can take to prolong the life of thermal label printer print heads. 

Clean the print head regularly, as described in the User’s manual. Dirty print heads produce less than optimal output and residue from the printing process can cause uneven heating or dissipation of heat by the dots. 

Follow the recommendations for Paper Type and Media in the users manual.  Using the wrong types of media causes additional mechanical and thermal wear on the print head. 

Use the lowest print speed setting that produces acceptable results.  Again this helps reduce mechanical wear on the print head. 

Try to run prints a room temperature where possible.  Lower ambient temperatures require more energy to be sent to the dots to produce the print.  Excessive heating and cooling of the print head dots will shorten the print head's life. 

Use the lowest contrast setting you can.  Higher contrast means more heat to the print head.  Higher heat translates to a shorter life span. 

If your printer has a print head pressure adjustment, use the lowest setting possible.  This will reduce the amount of friction the print head sustains during printing. 

Make sure you are not printing off of the media.  Thermal printers are designed to use the transfer of heat from the print head to the print media as the primary cooling method.  If the dots on the print head are not printing on media, they are not cooling properly. 

Be aware that pre printed labels may have been printed with inks that contain abrasive particles.  A main component in white ink is titanium dioxide, which is used as a grinding agent in some industries.  Also, labels printed with non-standard topcoats or varnishes will impact print head performance in a number of ways.  Possibly requiring higher heat setting or leaving trace residue on the print head.  Most manufactures will also produce custom preprinted labels.  This is the best option when buying preprinted labels, as you know that the materials used are compatible with your printers.