As legislative requirements and consumer awareness continue to expose the weaknesses of widely used 'limited-life' thermal paper receipts , a new chemical formulation from Finnish paper pioneers Jujo Thermal is set to overturn traditional expectations for durability.

The company's patented ‘secret recipe’ extends the life of a thermally-printed image significantly. This, coupled with a major investment in production capacity at Jujo Thermal's historic Kauttua facility in western Finland, means that the retail sector now has access to the high-quality durable thermal paper consumers have been waiting for.

The major advantages of thermal printing - including ease of use, reliability and a low maintenance overhead - have sustained its enduring popularity, but image fading has, until recently, posed major problems. Thermal printing relies on chemicals within the paper, which are activated by heat to form printed characters. But like many chemical reactions, the process is reversible. With care, a receipt might last five years: treated more casually - which is the norm - it may well be unreadable within a few weeks of printing. That's fine for the regular supermarket bill, perhaps - but it's little use as part of a guarantee, for example, or as evidence of expenditure for the tax and VAT authorities.

The use of durable paper in this traditional retail market removes the need for consumers to make permanent paper copies of receipts – something of growing concern to environmentalists – while at the same time meeting legislative requirements for original documentation to be retained.

"Affordable durable paper means that the days of hugely wasteful work-arounds like photocopying receipts for high-value items are now numbered", says Jujo Thermal’s Managing Director Christian Ivars. "Our philosophy is 'do it once, do it right'."

Extended life paper is only the latest in a long line of innovations for Jujo Thermal. The company already has a patent pending for its permanent thermal paper, which enables a far wider range of organisations to benefit from the highest level of reliability in demanding thermal paper applications in medical, banking, ticketing and betting applications. /ins



Background for editors:

Thermal paper is used in an ever increasing number of applications: point of sale receipts, admission, transport and lottery tickets, medical records, baggage tags, postage stamps, fax paper, delivery and food retailing labels – the list is long and growing. Its popularity stems largely from the low cost, reliability and ease of use of thermal printing technology, which uses as array of tiny, fast-acting heating elements to heat spots on the paper. As well as inexpensive, these printers are fast, and noise- and maintenance-free – characteristics which contribute to low cost of ownership and help to drive the global expansion of thermal technology.

Thermal paper consists of a base paper coated with a layer of heat-sensitive chemicals. This thermal layer incorporates three key components - colour former, colour developer and sensitizer. Heat from the thermal print head melts the sensitizer, and allows the colour former and colour developer to mix and form an image. Many thermal papers will also incorporate additional outer layers to protect against abrasion and the environment.

Despite this protection, however, a thermal image is vulnerable to heat, humidity and excessive light, and contact with plasticizers, oils, solvents, adhesives, water, and some printing inks. The durability of the image depend on the specific thermal chemistry used by the manufacturer, itso it is important to ensure that the characteristics of the thermal paper match the demands of the application.

Standard receipt (POS) and fax papers cover the largest share of world's thermal paper consumption, around 75%. The expected lifetime of printed image is generally five years in optimum
storage conditions, but any deviation from that optimum is likely to reduce its life. Exposure to any of the environmental factors mentioned above has a significant effect on image stability and it is possible for the printed information to vanish in a matter of few weeks.

Durable POS grades have been developed to solve the problem of image fading in applications where it is crucial to conserve the printed information over longer periods of time. These normally carry a guarantee of 10 years’ image stability, if stored correctly, but they also offer higher image stability in more demanding conditions. Durable POS grades are recommended for guarantee and fiscal receipts, discount coupons, tachometer papers, petrol station receipts and for all applications where the printout is to be kept for the medium to long term.

Ultra-resistant direct thermal grades offer an effectively permanent printed image, with a guaranteed lifetime of 25 years. This makes them valuable for applications where the printout is to be archived for an extended period – a medical chart, for example - or contains information which is highly valuable, as in lottery and tickets and betting receipts, or banking applications.



About Jujo Thermal:

Jujo Thermal Ltd. is among the world’s foremost producers of thermal label face materials for retail and logistics use. The company also offers a complete range of thermal papers for virtually all direct thermal paper applications from standard POS to the most demanding special end-uses. Jujo Thermal holds a strong market position in the business areas it operates in, built upon the company’s unique coating competence and excellent overall efficiency, which enable it to provide superior service to its customers. Jujo Thermal papers are available globally through an extensive sales network.

For more information, please visit www.jujothermal.com.



For more information please contact:

Roger Parmeter
Par Paper Services
39 Parkhurst Road, Horley, Surrey, RH6 8EU, United Kingdom
Tel: 1293-783 617
E-mail: roger@parpaperservice.freeserve.co.uk

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