Flexible film is today’s fastest-growing category of packaging, finding uses in a wide range of products. As a digital technology designed for flexible film, Thermal Transfer Overprinting offers many advantages over alternatives.
Like any technology, it’s helpful to understand how it works before delving into optimization. The main elements of a TTO printer are the printhead, the inked ribbon, and the roller, or a flat platen for intermittent applications. The printhead consists of small heating elements within a ceramic unit. Elements are individually heated to form the characters.
When in operation, the printhead descends, squashing the ribbon and the packaging film against the roller, moving in the same direction as the packaging. The heating elements related to that code content heats up on the printhead, melting the ink on the ribbon, which allows it to be transferred onto the packaging film before the printhead returns to its start position within the TTO coder.