Standard POS grade thermal papers use dye and coreactant technology to form an image. The combination is slightly sensitive to ultraviolet (UV) light and may exhibit some image decline with extended exposure to office light or shorter exposure to intense UV light. The stability of the image will depend upon the degree to which the image was originally developed, the individual product design, the intensity of the UV light and the character of UV (percent of UV range in light source).Since standard POS grade thermal paper is sensitive to ultraviolet light, it must be stored properly to encourage fade resistance. Thermal documents should be stored in a dark place at a relative humidity between 45% and 65% and a room temperature below 77°F (25°C). If these conditions are met and the recommended equipment is used to create the thermal documents, the images should remain legible for at least five to seven years.
In addition to UV light, exposure to the following materials may lead to image degradation and should therefore be avoided:
- Organic solvents (i.e. Alcohols, Ketones, Esters, and Ethers)
- Cleaning Fluids
- Plasticizers
- Petroleum Solvents
- Wet-type diazo copy paper
- Carbon papers
- Castcoated papers
- Papers containing tributal phosphate
- Dissimilar thermal systems
- Carbonless papers
- Ammonia
- Certain Oils
- Water (prolonged exposure)
Thermal paper comes in a variety of grades. We offer a plethora of paper grades to meet your needs and combat image life issues. Just let us know how we can help you!