LABELS, STICKERS AND THERMAL PRINTING

This section is all about DIY sticker printing and re-purposing thermal printers. Thermal printers are a kind of printer that use heat, instead of ink and paper. They are most commonly used in retail (as receipt printers and bar-code/label printers) however they are deceptively easy to use and can be repurposed for you own DIY creating needs.

They are easy to get hold of, cheap to use and relatively easy to maintain.

Thermal printers are perfect for creating embellishments and ephemera to accompany/enhance publications and your work.

Thermal label printers are essentially just budget sticker printers, and stickers are a really good (usually expensive/inaccessible) way to make printed work look and feel more exiting.

Receipt printers can also be really useful for printing tip ins, belly bands and other accessories for books/zines (see embellishing section).

I have put together a digital copy of my handout that explains how to source, install and use thermal printers. There is a link to it below;

To give you an idea of what sort of things you can make using these printers here are a few pictures of the printers in action as well as labels/other bits that have been made by myself, colleagues or in workshops.