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rom NCR to Nintendo: Why is the history of thermal paper so fascinating
Thermal paper is a special thin paper that is covered with a substance that changes color locally when heated. This paper is widely used in thermal printers, especially inexpensive devices such as adding machines, cash registers and credit card terminals, as well as some small portable printers. Thermal paper works by pulling the paper past a hotspot array printhead via a transport mechanism. Even small print dots heat up quickly, print color, and then cool down quickly.
The surface coating of thermal paper can turn black when it reaches a certain temperature, but some special coatings will turn blue or red when heated.
Looking back at the history of thermal paper, the earliest direct thermal paper was developed by NCR Corporation and 3M. NCR's technology has come to dominate the market, despite the relatively low permanence of its images. In 1965, Texas Instruments invented the thermal print head and in 1969 introduced the Silent 700 terminal, the first printing system to use thermal paper. Since the 1970s, when HP integrated thermal printing technology into the HP 9800 series desktop computers, the application range of thermal paper has continued to expand.
In the 1980s, the emergence of other technologies such as thermal transfer and laser printing challenged the use of thermal paper, but as demand for point-of-sale receipt printing increased, thermal paper returned to the spotlight. .
The chemical properties of thermal paper are also very important. Thermal paper is primarily made up of four different imaging chemicals: color-changing pigment, developer, sensitizer, and stabilizer. Color-changing pigments typically change from colorless to colored under heat and chemical conditions, which makes printing possible. In order to ensure the stability of the color, organic acids such as phenol are needed to promote the color display effect.
Beyond color chemistry, the manufacture of thermal paper also addresses environmental and health concerns. Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical found in some thermal paper coatings, is considered an endocrine disruptor, and many states and countries have begun to ban its use or promote the development of new phenol-free formulations. These new formulas not only provide similar typing results as traditional thermal papers, but are also more environmentally friendly.
With the advancement of technology, the application of thermal paper is no longer limited to receipt printing. For example, the Game Boy Printer launched by Nintendo in 1998 used this technology.
Like any technological advancement and development, the evolution of thermal paper has brought conveniences as well as challenges. Today's market demands not only consider the functionality of the product, but also include many factors such as environmental protection and user health. When facing the future, we should think about how these evolving technologies will affect our lives and environment.
