Wax Resin Thermal Transfer Ribbon
What is a Wax/Resin Thermal Transfer Ribbon?
A wax-resin thermal transfer ribbon is a specialised printing ribbon designed for creating high-quality labels and barcodes. It consists of a blend of soft wax and hard resin, which allows for excellent print durability. This combination makes prints more resistant to scratching, rubbing, and chemicals compared to standard wax ribbons.
A wax resin ribbon is a premium blend of wax and resin, ensuring a harder print than wax thermal ribbons. It offers better resistance to smearing and is ideal for semi-gloss paper and some synthetic materials. Wax-resin ribbons, also known as hybrid ribbons, are a type of thermal transfer ribbon used in barcode and label printing. They are a combination of wax and resin materials, which makes them more durable and resistant to wear and tear compared to standard wax ribbons. This makes them suitable for applications requiring more durable and long-lasting labels, such as outdoor labelling, shipping and logistics, and asset tracking.
More than just a Ribbon
When you choose TSC Genuine Supplies, you’re not just purchasing high-quality ribbons — you’re also supporting a greener planet. For every purchased ribbon box, we plant a tree.
Trees are the foundation of a thriving, healthy planet. They regulate climate, improve air quality, promote soil health and support biodiversity by providing natural habitats for a wildlife. These green giants play a crucial role in water management, efficient energy consumption, provide economic benefits through ecotourism and contribute to mental and physical health.
In our mission for sustainable future, we partner with Treecelet who’s mission is to significantly enhance the planet‘s green cover and support thriving ecosystems. Through this partnership with Treecelet, we plant mangrove trees in coastal Kenya restoring biodiversity, generating income streams, stabilising coastlines and local communities threatened by poverty.
Each purchase contributes to the creation of lush forests, thriving wildlife, and happier communities.
TSC Genuine Supplies WAX/RESIN Thermal Transfer Ribbons:
Why are Wax/Resin Thermal Transfer Ribbons the ideal choice for Print & Apply & High-Speed Packaging?
Wax-resin thermal transfer ribbons are the first choice for in-line print-on-packaging due to their exceptional durability and resistance to scratching, rubbing, and chemicals, ensuring legible prints in harsh conditions. They produce sharp images and barcodes essential for accurate scanning and are versatile enough to work on various substrates, including paper and synthetic materials. These ribbons enhance efficiency by requiring higher temperatures for ink transfer, which improves print adhesion in high-speed applications. Additionally, they offer a cost-effective balance between quality and price, consistently delivering reliable performance and reducing print failures. Lastly, wax-resin ribbons meet regulatory labelling needs, ensuring product traceability throughout the supply chain.
What’s the difference between Standard Wax/Resin (SWR) and Premium Wax/Resin (PWR)?
The main differences between SWR and PWR ribbons lie in their formulation, print quality, durability, and intended applications.
Here’s a breakdown of these differences:
STANDARD Wax/Resin (SWR) | HS MEDIUM Wax/Resin (High-Speed) | PREMIUM Wax/Resin (PWR) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| FORMULATION |
Typically consist of a lower percentage of resin and a higher percentage of wax. This makes them more cost-effective but less durable. SWR prints at low temperatures and high speeds with excellent edge definition and image density. It performs well on the various inks used on spot-coated and flood-coated labels, eliminating the tendency for the label to slip during the printing process. | Medium range wax-resin ribbon with excellent smudge and scratch resistance as well as outstanding durability against a variety of common chemicals. HS is capable of printing in a broad area of heat settings and high speeds, supporting up to 18ips with excellent edge definition and image density. | Formulated with a higher resin content, resulting in enhanced performance characteristics, including better print quality and durability. PWR provides superior scratch and smudge resistance on paper and synthetic substrates and provides durability comparable to resin ribbons on select labels. PWR has the capability of printing in a broad area of heat settings, allowing for better efficiency. |
| PRINT QUALITY |
Provide decent print quality for basic labelling needs but may not achieve the same level of sharpness or detail as premium options. | Medium range with ability to print high density barcodes and other variable information. | Offer superior print quality, producing sharper images and finer details, making them suitable for high-resolution printing, barcodes, and graphics. |
| DURABILITY | Provide moderate resistance to smudging, scratching, and moisture but are less durable than premium ribbons. They are generally suitable for indoor applications. | Features excellent smudge and scratch resistance as well as outstanding durability against a variety of common chemicals. | Exhibit greater durability, provides superior scratch and smudge resistance on paper and synthetic substrates and provides durability comparable to resin ribbons on select labels. They are suitable for outdoor applications and harsher environments. |
| APPLICATIONS |
Commonly used for everyday labelling needs, such as shipping labels, product labels, and internal inventory tracking. Recommended applications: inventory & logistics, food & beverage, pharma & healthcare, horticulture, outdoors, textile. | Mainly used for applications needing excellent edge definition and image density. Recommended applications: food & beverage, health & beauty, inventory & logistics, outdoors, pharma & healthcare, retail. | Ideal for applications that require high-quality prints, such as retail labels, compliance labels, and barcodes that need to withstand handling and exposure to elements. Recommended applications: automotive, pharmaceutical, outdoors, retail, health & beauty, inventory & logistics. |
| COST | Generally, less expensive, making them suitable for high-volume printing where cost is a concern. | Medium range, for applications where both price and better resistance are required. |
Higher in price due to their enhanced features and performance, but can offer better value in terms of print quality and durability for critical applications. |
In summary, choosing between STANDARD, MEDIUM and PREMIUM wax/resin ribbons depends on the specific needs of your printing application, including desired print quality, durability, and budget considerations.
Application
Suitable for printing on coated paper and synthetic materials like polypropylene or polyester, making it ideal for labelling in industries like retail, logistics, and healthcare. This type of ribbon is often used in environments where labels need to withstand more wear and tear than those printed with wax-only ribbons but don’t require the extreme durability of full resin ribbons.
Where are Wax/Resin Ribbons typically used?
Shipping Labels:
Commonly used in logistics and shipping industries for labelling packages, boxes, and pallets.
Product Labels:
Ideal for labelling products in retail, including price tags, barcodes, and product information labels
Barcode Printing:
Suitable for printing barcodes that need to be scanned, often used in inventory management and tracking systems.
Healthcare Labels:
Used for labelling medical supplies, specimen containers, and patient identification wristbands, where moderate durability and legibility are essential.
Asset Tracking:
Utilised for labelling assets in various industries, including manufacturing and IT, to track equipment and inventory.
Food Packaging:
Employed for labelling food products with
information such as expiration dates, nutritional information, and barcodes, while ensuring compliance with regulations.
Event and Ticketing:
Used for printing event passes, wristbands, and tickets that require temporary durability.
Promotional Labels:
Ideal for promotional stickers and labels that
require good print quality for graphics and text.
Retail Pricing:
Commonly used for price markdowns, sales tags
and promotional displays in retail environments.
Logistics and Warehousing:
Employed in warehousing for labelling bins,
shelves and inventory items, facilitating efficient tracking and management.
These applications leverage the wax-resin ribbon's advantages of producing high-quality prints that can withstand moderate handling and environmental factors, making them suitable for various industries and use cases.
Why Choose TSC Genuine Supplies Ribbons?
Benefit from different sizes available directly from stock!
Order any time: our Ribbons are ready for immediate dispatch with minimum order quantity of just one box!
Choose from the most complete range of Thermal Transfer Ribbons' formulations with wax, wax-resin and resin!
Go safe in food packaging! TSC ribbons are approved for food contact marking/coding and comply with GHS regulations.
Go sustainable with a green choice of all halogen-free TSC Ribbons!
Plant a tree.. or a forest! With our project Trees For Tomorrow - for each purchased ribbon box!
Contribute to the creation of lush forests, thriving wildlife, and happier communities!
Looking for another Thermal Transfer Ribbon?
Genuine Supplies Catalogue
Our Genuine Supplies Catalogues are exclusively available for our Partner Portal Account holders. Please note you will only be able to download these catalogues if you are logged in to your account.
To log into your account, please click here.
To request a Partner Portal account, please click here.
Download Euro Catalogue Download USD Catalogue Download GBP Catalogue