Thermal-transfer printing uses a ribbon to print information on labels.
The heated print-head is used to melt the ink coating of the ribbon, transferring it to the label. Since the label itself is not reactive, the print produced by this method is much more stable and a lot more durable. The ribbon is typically composed of either resin or wax, or a combination of the two.
Thermal-transfer labels are usually made from a thermoplastic film, but can be made of paper material as well.
Thermal-transfer printing is the most widely used printing process in the world for printing of high-quality barcodes.