Two-sided thermal wrap around label

#Various embodiments relate to direct thermal printing and, in an embodiment, but not by way of limitation, direct thermal printing labels for objects and containers.

#Two, or dual-sided, direct thermal printing of documents such as transaction documents and receipts is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,784,906 and 6,759,366. In dual-sided direct thermal printing, the printers are configured to allow concurrent printing on both sides of thermal media or image elements moving along a feed path through the printer. In such printers a direct thermal print head is disposed on each side of the media along the feed path. In operation each thermal print head faces an opposing platen across the media from the respective print head.

#In direct thermal printing, a print head selectively applies heat to paper or other media comprising a substrate with a thermally sensitive coating. The coating changes color when heat is applied, by which “printing” is provided on the coated substrate. For dual-sided direct thermal printing, the sheet media substrate may be coated on both sides.

#FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic of an example embodiment of a dual-sided imaging direct thermal printer.

#FIG. 2A illustrates an example embodiment of a first side of an image element in the form of a label.

#FIG. 2B illustrates an example embodiment of a second side of the label of FIG. 2A.

#By way of example, various embodiments of the invention are described in the material to follow with reference to the included drawings. Variations may be adopted.

#Background material applicable to direct thermal printing and related media production and their common features are generally described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,803,344, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

#FIG. 1 shows a schematic of a dual-sided imaging direct thermal printer 10 useable for, inter alia, dual-sided, single pass printing of transaction receipts, tickets, labels, or other documents and image elements at time of issue. The printer 10 operates on print media 20 which is double-sided thermal paper, e.g., comprising a cellulose or polymer-based substrate coated on each side with heat sensitive dyes as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,784,906 and 6,759,366. Multi-color printing capability can be provided on both sides of the document by using two or more dyes with sensitivity to different temperatures on a side where multi-color printing is desired. Substrates and heat sensitive color changing coatings for direct thermal printing media are generally well known in the art. Dual-sided direct thermal printing can be facilitated by a media 20 which includes dyes sensitive to different temperatures on opposite sides of the media 20, and/or by use of thermally resistant substrates to inhibit thermal printing on one side of the media 20 from affecting the coloration on the opposite side of the media 20.