Battle of the printers: Thermal transfer or laser printer?

Selecting between thermal transfer or laser printers for your lab is a crucial decision that can impact patient safety, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. Important factors come into play when making the decision, including cost considerations, print quality and durability, and environmentally friendly factors.

Let’s take a look at some of these areas to empower you to choose the right fit for your lab. 

1. Is your decision influenced by your budget? 
Make sure to think about the total cost of ownership for each printer. This can include capital cost, operating expenses, and maintenance and support costs. 

• • • Capital Cost: The capital cost of a laser printer is significantly higher than a thermal transfer printer. 
      
    • Operating Costs: Thermal transfer printers do require ribbons that need to be changed out periodically. While laser printers do not require ribbons, the purchase of replacement ribbons will never offset the extra cost of a laser printer.  
      
    • Laser printers also require special cassettes designed specifically for laser printers. A standard cassette will not print or print extremely light on a laser printer. Laser cassettes can be more costly due to an additive required during manufacturing to make them laser compatible.  
      
    • Maintenance and support: While maintenance for both printers is minimal, anything that does need to be repaired or replaced with a laser printer can be as high as $15,000. Support costs can vary depending on warranties or service agreements available. 
      

2. What colors and varieties of cassettes or slides are needed? 
Certain colors of laser cassettes and laser compatible slides may result in lighter print, posing challenges with legibility and scanning. For all printers, ensure all cassette or slide colors desired are available, and verify that print is acceptable for the needs of the lab. Be willing to adjust to a more acceptable color if necessary. 

3. Do you use decal solutions or wax trimmers? 
Although laser printed cassettes can withstand most reagents, the ink is still susceptible to smudging or removal with some decals. It is essential to test any cassettes used with decal solutions to ensure the print can withstand all reagents used in the lab. The print from laser printers won’t melt off during paraffin trimming with a wax trimmer, as could happen with some thermal transfer cassettes. StatLab PiSmart thermal transfer cassettes help to prevent print damage by the use of patented raised pips on the corners of the print surface, protecting the print. 

Laser vs. Thermal Transfer printed on cassette: