Thermal Label Printers | Direct Thermal & Thermal Transfer Printers

A Wide Selection of Thermal Label Printers

Durafast Label Company is one of Canada's leading suppliers of industrial, desktop, and mobile printer products. We carry major thermal label printer brands from Zebra, Datamax, Honeywell, Toshiba TEC, Printronix, and many more! Whether you need to print labels in a factory, warehouse, office, restaurant, shop, or on the road, our comprehensive range of thermal transfer and direct thermal label printers is sure to suit your needs.

Direct Thermal vs Thermal Transfer Label Printers

Direct thermal label printers are often used to print paper shipping labels, receipts, and other labels that don't require high-quality graphics and text. They work by heating a thermal printhead that interacts with heat-sensitive direct thermal labels to produce an image. There's no need for separate ink or a ribbon, making direct thermal printers an economical choice. However, direct thermal labels are prone to fading.

If you need a more durable label that won't fade or want deeper blacks, thermal transfer printers are often a better choice. This type of printer uses heat to transfer ink from a ribbon onto the label material, creating sharp text and graphics that are more durable than direct thermal labels. Thermal transfer ribbons come in several formulations, enabling you to choose the level of durability to best suit your requirements.

Industrial Thermal Label Printers

Industrial thermal label printers are designed for high-volume, low-label-cost applications. They can print labels continuously at high speeds -- up to 12 inches per second. Industrial models typically include built-in cutter mechanisms for automatically cutting the printed labels from the roll as they are printed. Because of their high usage, industrial thermal label printers typically feature heavy-duty designs. We have industrial thermal label printers with widths ranging from two to eight inches and resolutions from 203 to 600 dpi.

Desktop Thermal Label Printers

Desktop thermal label printers are designed for general-purpose labeling. They typically print labels at slower speeds than industrial units. Expect speeds between four and seven inches per second. Resolutions of 200 to 300 dpi are common. Desktop thermal label printers tend to be relatively compact with small designs that allow them to fit on most office desks, counters, and tables.

Mobile Thermal Label Printers

Mobile thermal label printers are the smallest of the three types. They're typically designed to be carried by one person. These printers are popular for labeling on the go or in warehouses, manufacturing plants, and other environments where you don't have an easy way to set up or access a printer.

Mobile thermal label printers often feature slower print speeds and lower resolutions (typically 203 dpi) than their counterparts because they print smaller labels and in lower quantities. This is a trade-off that makes sense for many environments. Print widths range between two and four inches and print speeds tend to fall between four and five inches per second.

There are two common ports found on mobile printers: Serial and USB. These port formats allow you to connect the device either directly to your computer or through a docking station, which gives you an easy way to print labels when working in offsite locations.

Tape-based Thermal Label Printers

Another type of thermal label printer is the tape-based printer. These printers are usually inexpensive and easy to use, making them a popular choice for companies of all sizes. Tape-based thermal label printers are commonly used for mobile applications like patch panel labels, wire markers, and heat shrink tubes.

DuraFast Label Company has a large selection of industrial, desktop, mobile, and tape-based thermal label printers. Whether you need thermal labels for warehousing and logistics, manufacturing, healthcare, retail, environmental, or general-purpose labeling, we have the printer for you from leading brands like Zebra, Honeywell, Datamx, Sato, Honeywell, Intermec, Printronix, Godex, Toshiba TEC, Seiko, Dymo, Brother, and many more.