Thermo-rewritable material

Other materials:

Rewritable cards feature at their core a PET thermal recording material, bonded to a plastic. In manufacturing Data ReWrite cards, Databac can add the thermal printing material to a number of plastics including PET, PVC, ABS and composite materials for required levels of durability.

How does it work?

The thermal recording material contains Leuco dye and a developer substance When heated to around 170°C, followed by a quick cooling process, the dye reacts with the developer to a melted state, in such a way that the dye becomes visible. To erase the print, the material is heated to a lower temperature, typically around 120°C, followed by a slow cooling process, which realigns the dye molecules to their original state where they are no longer visible.

Depending on the printer used, the erase/print process takes just a few seconds, with excellent resolution of image. The rewritable element of Data ReWrite cards can be printed in black, red or blue, also depending on the printer.

Rewritable printing technology is being successfully used in loyalty cards, patient ID, travel passes and, increasingly, RF tags.

Rewrite technology is also being brought into office environments, where A4 sheets of rewritable paper can be printed using a special A4 rewrite printer, to produce internal forms and other documents which can be erased and reprinted or, in essence, recycled.

» Find out more about Data ReWrite cards.