Thermal transfer printing is a printing method that uses heat and a thin ribbon to print on a surface. The thin ribbon is melted by the heated printhead to form the image and text. The melted ink from the ribbon is absorbed into the surface and the printed image becomes part of the media. This method creates a glossy permanent high-quality print that does not smudge and is impervious to heat and moisture. Thermal printing has unmatched image quality and durability results compared to any other on-demand printing techniques.