White Stone Technologies: ribbons

WST sells a premium line of Thermal Transfer Ribbons that provide outstanding results while protecting and prolonging printhead life. All listed ribbons are black and are wound with the ink side out (CSO-coated side out). All Godex printers are capable of running single-colored ribbons which are available on special order. All ribbons are single pass and are consumed at a 1 to 1 ration with the labels. Thus it is easily to know the number of ribbons required to print a given quantity of labels.

It is understandably confusing to have 3 different types of ribbons, especially when they are all black! While all three ribbons are made of the same film and are coated with lubricants to protect the printhead, the ink coatings are different to give the print different properties. All ribbons are resistant to fading and all are waterproof.

WAX RIBBONS
(see spreadsheet)

Wax ribbons use a wax coating, not unlike a crayon. They are the most commonly used ribbon and the least expensive. They print on most all thermal media, but do not have the same resistance to smudging that the Resin and Wax/Resin ribbons have. For most applications we recommend wax.

WAX/RESIN RIBBONS
(see spreadsheet)

Wax/Resin Ribbons are more durable ink than Wax, they are a combination of Wax and Resin. They also print on most thermal media. These ribbons are more expensive and should be used in situations that require greater abrasion resistance than the normal label. They are also a good choice for printing on film materials like Vinyl.

RESIN RIBBONS
(see spreadsheet)

Resin ribbons were developed for situations where extreme durability is required; Rating plates, circuit board labels, high-temperature labels, etc. They are formulated to work best with polyester labels. They do not print well on paper and are mediocre on some films. Their durability makes them idea for specialized applications. They are the most expensive ribbons of the three and should not be considered for ordinary shipping labels.