Thermal Transfer Overprinters (TTO)

Thermal Transfer Overprinting (TTO) is a technology that creates messages in resolutions up to 300dpi by pushing a ribbon into contact with a substrate using a printhead.

The printhead is made up of a series of miniature print elements under a ceramic coating and a layer on the thermal printer ribbon is covered with a coloured wax and/or resin mixture. The mixture on the ribbon melts as small areas of it come into contact with the elements that are heated, this transfers and adheres colour to the surface of the substrate as it moves under the printhead.

Thermal transfer printers, functional in either continuous or intermittent printing modes, can print at high-resolution print quality and on fast moving production lines. They can print a series of messages, including pricing, date and time coding, barcodes, QR codes, logos, ingredients’ lists or even marketing messages.

The unique design of our TTO products delivers a clean and user-friendly operation, ideal for coding on a range of substrates including plastic films, flat packaging, label stock, plastic and foil.