Thermal Transfer Ribbon for Honeywell Printers

Honeywell desktop, industrial and Datamax printers take different ribbon

Honeywell's printers fall into three ribbon groups. The PC series are desktop printers. The PM, PD and PX series are industrial printers. The Datamax E-Class, M-Class and I-Class are older printers now under Honeywell, which Honeywell lists as discontinued and which are covered further down. The group your printer belongs to decides the core, the roll length and whether you get a choice of winding.

In short, the desktop PC42t is the restrictive one, taking ink-out ribbon only, while the industrial PM, PD and PX models take ribbon wound either way on a 1 inch core.

PC42t, PC42t Plus and the 75m ½ inch roll

The original PC42t is the stricter printer. Honeywell's guide says it can only use ribbon that is ink out, 30mm to 110mm wide, on a 1 inch core. The guide gives a maximum roll diameter of 68mm and does not state a roll length.

The PC42t Plus is also coated side out, but it comes in two versions. One takes a 1 inch core with rolls up to 300m. The other takes a ½ inch core with 75m rolls. Both take ribbon from 30mm to 110mm wide. The two versions look alike, so check the core of your current roll before you order, and if a site runs both, label the shelves by core so the rolls do not get mixed.

Do not confuse the PC42t with the PC23d. The PC23d is a direct thermal printer and takes no ribbon.

Honeywell PC43t, and the older Intermec PX4i and PX6i

The PC43t is the thermal transfer printer in Honeywell's PC series of compact desktops. Its data sheet lists two ribbon rolls: 91m on a ½ inch core, or 300m on a 1 inch core. Check your core before you reorder. The data sheet does not state which side of the ribbon is inked, so we confirm the winding against your old roll or a photo of it. The PC43d and PC23d beside it are direct thermal and take no ribbon.

The PX4i and PX6i are older Intermec industrial printers. Honeywell's data sheet gives a 1 inch core and a roll up to 80mm in diameter, approximately 450m, in wax, mid-range or resin types. It states neither the winding nor the ribbon width, so send us the width of your old roll with the printer model.

PM, PD and PX industrials: ink in or ink out on one core

The PM43, PM45, PD45S and PX940 are built around a 1 inch core and take ribbon coated on the inside or the outside. Honeywell's data sheets treat this as part of the printer rather than an accessory: the PX940 lists a ribbon spindle for ribbon coated side in and out, and the PD45S lists inner or outer carbon. Honeywell names no optional part for either winding, so you can order whichever winding suits your stock.

Rolls on these models are limited by diameter rather than by a fixed length. Honeywell gives a maximum roll diameter of 80mm, which it describes as about 450m. The PX940 and PD45S take ribbon 51mm to 110mm wide. The compact PM43c and PM45c take smaller rolls, 61mm in diameter and 229m long.

Datamax E-Class, M-Class and I-Class ribbon

The Datamax range now sits under Honeywell. The E-Class Mark III is a desktop printer. It takes 110m rolls on a ½ inch core, or 300m rolls on a 1 inch core when Honeywell's ribbon core adapters are fitted, and ribbon from 25mm to 110mm wide. The M-Class Mark II takes a 1 inch core, widths from 25mm to 114mm and rolls of 300m or 450m. The I-Class Mark II takes a 1 inch core and rolls up to 600m. All three accept ribbon coated inside or outside, with no optional part for the winding itself. If you run one of these, send us the model and we match the roll.

Finding the right ribbon for your Honeywell model

Start with the old roll: width, length, core size and which side carries the ink. Then find your model in the table above. If the roll has no label, measure the core. A core about 25mm in diameter is 1 inch, and one about 13mm in diameter is ½ inch.

For the PC42t the core is the deciding check, because the Plus comes in two sizes. For the PM43 and PM45 check the roll diameter as well as the length, since Honeywell specifies both, and the compact PM43c and PM45c use smaller rolls. Honeywell's guides for the PC42t and PM43 each include a ribbon specification if you want to confirm a figure before ordering.

Wax, wax-resin or resin on a Honeywell PM43, PX940 or PC42t

On a Honeywell printer, as on any other, the label decides the grade. Wax suits paper labels that stay dry. CW-11 and CW-12 are the wax grades, and CW-12 is listed for matte, semi-gloss and coated paper.

Where coated paper labels get scuffed, stacked or wiped, move to wax-resin. Printer makers place it between wax and resin: a harder print, better resistance to scratching and chemicals, a little more printhead heat and a moderate print speed. CW-20 and CW-22 are listed for coated paper, CW-25 for coated paper in harsh conditions, and CW-30 for heavy-duty coated paper. For polyester labels the wax-resin options are CW-20, CW-22, CW-25 and CW-30, and for polypropylene CW-22, CW-25 and CW-30.

For cold storage, CW-30 works from -40°C to +80°C. Test the whole cycle on your own labels: print, freeze, bring to room temperature, then scan. For polyester, polypropylene, polyimide and film that need the toughest print, CW-28 is the resin to test, and CW-33 if the label also goes through sterilisation.

Ordering ribbon for a Honeywell printer

Tell us the printer model and version, because a PC42t and a PC42t Plus are not the same roll. Add the label width, the core size, inside or outside wound, the roll length and the number of rolls. Standard sizes have no minimum order, and we send a free sample so you can try the ribbon on your own printer. We slit widths from 25mm to 160mm and lengths from 50m to 600m on ½ inch or 1 inch cores, notched if your printer needs it, and MSDS is available on request.