Fanfold vs Rolls of Thermal Labels

Thermal transfer / direct thermal label printers from manufacturers such as Zebra, Datamax, Printronix, Intermec or SATO are able to print on fanfold stationary as well as labels in roll format. Because these printers use friction feed, rather than tractor pin feed, no sprocket holes are needed.

Fan fold stationary is usually positioned behind or below the printer and fed in to the printer through a slot at the back or in the base of the printer. There are some advantages of using fan-fold stationary with thermal transfer / direct thermal barcode label printers instead or labels in roll format.

Fanfold labels do not need cores so cost is slightly lower than roll labels, and it’s often possible to get more labels in each carton, because fanfold labels are more densely packed and fit better in rectangular cartons. Benefits for busy or high volume label printing applications include reduced cost and less frequent empty carton replacement.

For thicker stocks such as ticket or cardstock fanfold stationary of often preferred because it stays flat, unlike rolls which cause memory-effect curl on cardstock.

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Why fan fold labels are better than labels on a roll (infograph)