Can Thermal Paper Be Used in a Regular Printer?

When your business prints out a lot of receipts, you want to choose a paper product and a printer that yields quick printing and visual clarity. There are thermal paper and thermal printer combinations and regular paper and regular printer combinations you can use to produce receipts and other printouts. However, can you use thermal paper in a regular printer? Here’s what the two types of paper and printers consist of and whether you can use your regular printer with thermal paper added to it.
How Does Thermal Paper Differ From Regular Paper?
There are a few ways that thermal paper differs from regular paper. First, thermal paper has a chemical coating on it that gives it a shiny, slick consistency. Also, thermal paper is often thinner than regular paper and can be used to print receipts or barcode labels. So, can you use thermal paper in a regular printer? Before diving into this topic, you should first understand the differences between a thermal printer and a regular printer.
How Do a Thermal Printer and Regular Printer Differ?
A regular printer is often of the inkjet variety. This type of printer uses ink cartridges to produce the printed product. In the alternative, a thermal printer uses heat to print. The heat reacts with the chemical-coated paper and creates images on the paper. Due to these two distinct methods of printing, you may think that regular paper should be used in an inkjet printer and thermal paper should be used exclusively in a thermal printer. In general, this is true.
Can You Use Thermal Paper With Your Regular Printer?
Even though you could use thermal paper in a regular printer, it’s wise not to do so. You should use the thermal paper in a thermal printer. The differences in the paper consistency and thickness make it ideal for printing with heat and not with an inkjet cartridge. The thermal paper is designed to react to heat and, therefore, should only be used in a thermal printer for best quality results. On the bright side, there are often cost-saving benefits to using a thermal printer, as this type of printer may have a lower operating cost than a regular printer where you can go through a lot of inkjet cartridges.
Paper Planet Offers Thermal Paper Solutions
When you’re ready to stock up with thermal paper for your thermal printer, Paper Planet offers the solutions you need. When you buy thermal paper from Paper Planet, you’ll be getting quality-tested products to help you achieve your business goals. In addition, Paper Planet offers BPA-free products, so you can rest easy using these items in your daily business dealings.
Contact the Paper Planet team today to stock up on thermal paper and other point of sale supplies!