Paper Facts
First the Basics:
As you probably know, paper is usually made from wood pulp. The pulp is mixed with fillers and stuff and a whole bunch of water and poured onto a huge machine known as a Fourdrinier. It has been made this way since 1763 when the Fourdrinier brothers invented the machine. Click HERE for an education in paper making.
Paper has a number of characteristics that determine its ability to do a particular job. Among these are basis weight, caliper (thickness), finish, moisture content, brightness, and opacity. There are also a bunch of different types of paper.
Most roll applications what they do at MAX International - use some form of what is known as "bond" papers. Bond papers used in printers with ribbons are called "form bond" or "tablet" depending on the finish of the sheet.
Paper can also be coated with a variety of substances that affect its ability to be printed or written upon. Printing papers use a coating designed to keep the ink on the surface and the edges of the image sharp. This is referred to as a "passive" coating.
But there are other coatings that have particular impact on various roll applications. These are known as "active" coatings. The most common of these active coatings are:
To tell you more, we have to talk a little about the applications that the rolls MAX International makes are used in. Here is a short list of the most popular applications. Click on each one for more information on where each one is used and the advantages and disadvantages of each.
There are a whole lot more applications for rolls. If you want more information, see below.
Roll Applications
Point of Sale
Types of POS applications
- Cash Registers
- Gas Pumps
- Food stamps
Critical Paper Issues
- Shelf life
- Moisture
- Temperature
- Core size
- Width & diameter specifications
- Footage
- Caliper & finish
Critical printer technology issues
- Mechanical issues
- Maintenance issues
- Supplies replacement
- Cost of supplies
- Inventory
- Storage
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Credit Verification
Types of Credit Verification applications
- Restaurants
- Small retailers
- Food stamps
- Kiosks
Critical paper issues
- Legibility
- Shelf life
- Moisture
- Temperature
- Core size
- Width & diameter specifications
- Footage
- Caliper & finish
Critical printer technology issues
- Mechanical issues
- Maintenance issues
- Supplies replacement
- Cost of supplies
- Inventory
- Storage
Automatic Teller Machines
Types of ATM applications
- Bank transactions
- Cash dispensers
- Free-standing kiosks
- Off-track betting
- Casinos
Critical paper issues
- Footage
- Shelf life
- Moisture
- Temperature
- Core size
- Width & diameter specifications
- Jam prevention
- Caliper & finish
Critical printer technology issues
- Security
- Space
- Mechanical reliability
- Maintenance ease
- Supplies inventory
- Cost of supplies
- Supplies storage
Printers
Now there are all sorts of types of printing out there, including the kind that MAX International uses to put those pretty logos, like yours, and sense marks and such on their rolls (that's called "flexographic"). But that's not what I'm going to tell you about.
The kinds I'm going to talk about are used in those roll applications. And there are only two principal types: "impact" and "direct thermal."
Impact Printing
Impact printing is exactly what it sounds like. Something solid like a key or a small needle (dot matrix) either hits a piece of fabric or other material that has been saturated with or coated by some form of ink (i.e. a ribbon) or provides enough pressure to activate a special coating (carbonless and self-contained).
Printing With Ribbons
Using a ribbon usually means that you can use an inexpensive grade of paper such as form bond or tablet.
These grades tend to be available in colors as well as white.
The paper also can be easily printed both front and back with marketing material, return policies, phone numbers or any other information your customers would find useful.
Multiple plies can be used using a carbonless coating on mated sheets. Click HERE for a diagram of carbonless.
In most applications a ribbon is still required to image the first ply of a multiply roll, but the coatings will transmit the image from the impact to subsequent plies.
Advantages of Using Ribbon technology
1. Inexpensive single-ply paper consumables
2. Flexibility of visual impact of receipt (ribbons can be made with color; the pins can be programmed to execute simple line graphics
3. The shelf-life of the paper is maximized (although paper may change color, imageability is determined by the ribbon not by chemical coatings)
4. Technology tends to less expensive up front to purchase
5. When using carbonless papers, once the plies have been separated, neither ply can image without ink.
Disadvantages of Using Ribbon technology
1. More complex maintenance
- a. Ribbons require changing
- b. Printheads require regular cleaning
2. More downtime due to maintenance
3. Less able to withstand wide-ranging weather conditions
4. Will not operate without ribbon
5. Carbonless for multiple plies increases cost substantially
6. Greater inventory management required matching ribbons to paper
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Ribbonless Impact Printing
Ribbonless impact printing uses the same technology for equipment, but uses one of the specialty coatings on the paper to create an image instead of a ribbon.
Single ply ribbonless or carbonless is known as self-contained. HERE is what it looks like in 1ply. This is true ribbonless printing. It, too, can be combined with subsequent plies. THIS is a diagram of self-contained-coated-back.
Advantages of using Ribbonless technology:
1. No carbon is necessary for multiple plies nor must several copies be printed to obtain duplicate images.
2. Consumable maintenance is reduced because there are no ribbons to change.
3. A plain or uncoated sheet (e.g. a deposit slip) may be placed in front of the self-contained paper and imaged by a ribbon.
Disadvantages of using Ribbonless technology:
1. Coatings on the first ply (true ribbonless) can create maintenance problems with the print heads.
2. Consumables substantially more expensive than plain paper or even mated carbonless.
3. Self-contained remains active even out of the printer and other pressures can obscure the image.
Direct Thermal Printing
Direct thermal is a specialty form of ribbonless technology. It utilizes a heat-sensitive coating that, when brought in contact with a thermal printhead generates a deep black image. HERE is what a thermal printhead looks like. Thermal printers and papers come in a variety of heat sensitivities designed for specific applications.
Advantages of Direct Thermal printing:
1. There are few moving parts in a thermal printer, thus minimizing things that can go wrong.
2. There is no variation of the image from the beginning to the end of a roll.
3. In most cases the printhead does not move, again minimizing maintenance.
4. The maintenance cost and cost of replacement printheads are low.
5. Will perform in any climate or atmosphere conditions.
Disadvantages of Direct Thermal printing:
1. Heat-sensitive paper is more expensive than bond or carbonless papers.
2. Susceptible to image fading without proper handling and storage.
3. Does not have the "feel" of "plain" or "bond" papers.
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