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The symptoms of poor print quality of barcode labels are:

• Light print or faded image
• Partially missing print or cut off
• Broken bars or lines in a barcode
• Poor or low barcode ANSI grade
• White lines in the print

It is important to identify the causes of your print quality issues to ensure you can put in a solution for hassle free barcode labelling. Most printing quality issues for barcode labels can be caused by three factors:

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Poor Quality Media:

Print quality is a product of proper printer setup and use of compatible media for the application. When ribbon is used for thermal transfer printing it must be compatible with the labels to ensure that the printer meets the requirements the user is expecting. Proper matching of the labels and ribbons also assures the pressure and darkness settings don’t have to be at the extremes to print acceptably. Direct thermal (no ribbon) labels must be approved for thermal printing application since it does not come in direct contact with the print head.

Printer Configuration:

The proper configuration of a printer goes a long way when it comes to print quality of barcode labels. Printer setup includes properly adjusting the printhead pressure, setting the appropriate darkness level, and optimising the print speed. In addition regular maintenance assures the printer is operating at an optimal level.

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Printing Methods:

There are two thermal printing methods: direct thermal and thermal transfer. Each method uses a thermal printhead that applies heat to the surface being marked. Thermal transfer printing uses a heated ribbon to produce durable, long-lasting images on a wide variety of materials. No ribbon is used in direct thermal printing, which creates the image directly on the printed material. Direct thermal media is more sensitive to light, heat and abrasion, which reduces the life of the printed material.

The printer uses a single row of heating elements in a printhead assembly that is pressed against a rubber roller called a platen. The printhead elements are heated as the ribbon (if used) and labels pass as they are pressed together to produce the image. Any factors that affect the transfer of heat being applied by the elements will result in print image problems (assuming the labels and ribbon are properly matched for the application).

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• Printhead Maintenance – Failure to properly clean the printhead elements can result in an insulating build-up that prevents heat transfer. This can also lead to element failure.
• Printhead Pressure – The pressure must be sufficient to maintain a constant pressing of the printing media while the element heat is transferred. This pressure must be evenly distributed across the width of the label so the image transfer is at the same intensity.
• Burn Temperature – The darkness must be set high enough to meet the print darkness needed for the image transfer but not so high as to result in image spreading or burning of the ribbon carrier. Barcodes require that the bars and spaces are of equal width and increasing the darkness beyond those required can result in space width reduction and barcode scan failures
• Print Width – The print width value determines the maximum width the printer will print. Most often it is set to the full width and the label format determines the printed area based on the image location. Applications and drivers may set a print width and reduce the printable area based label size. This is not a problem unless one attempts to print outside the previously restricted area. Check the LCD Display if this occurs to see if the print width was changed.

If you are having print quality issues that you’re finding hard to resolve, you can contact us to talk to a barcode printing expert about your issue.

ADC Barcode is involved in the supply of barcode scanners, barcode label printers, barcode verifiers and label applicators. We also provide custom software, EPOS systems & hardware, RFID and wireless networking technology amongst other professional services. Get in touch now and obtain more information.