Wax-Resin Barcode Ribbon

CW-20 is our standard wax-resin grade. In the grade table it is listed for coated paper, light synthetic labels and polyester (PET) labels. It is not listed for polypropylene, which starts at CW-22, and it is not listed for HDPE, which is CW-25 only.

TSC describes standard wax-resin as the tier that prints at lower heat and higher speed than the premium tiers and suits everyday labelling that needs more than wax. That is the role CW-20 plays in our range: the grade to start with when a paper label is handled, stacked or wiped, or when the label is a light synthetic.

The next grade up, CW-22, is the premium wax-resin. The label list changes in one place that matters: CW-22 is listed for polypropylene as well as coated paper and polyester. If you print on PP, start at CW-22. If your labels are coated paper, light synthetic or PET, test CW-20 first, and step up only if the print fails your own rub and wipe test.

If you need a full resin ribbon, note that CW-20 is wax-resin, not resin. Resin is a harder polymer ink that bonds to synthetic labels and needs the most heat and the slowest speed. Our resin grades are CW-28, CW-33 and CW-66, and they are for synthetic labels such as polyester and polypropylene that must resist chemicals or abrasion.

Wax-resin needs more heat than wax but less than resin. Zebra puts wax-resin at moderate print speeds, and TSC notes that the higher temperature is what improves print adhesion. When you set up CW-20, begin at the darkness you would use for wax, then raise it in small steps and slow the speed if the barcode does not verify. Stop at the lowest setting that works, because Zebra warns that too high a darkness can burn through the ribbon and wear the printhead early.

Batch numbers, expiry dates and date codes are typical jobs for a grade like CW-20, and they are exactly the print that must still scan after handling. Do not judge the ribbon by how black the print looks. Print a batch, rub it, wipe it with the cleaner used on your site, and scan the barcodes afterwards.

CW-20 is slit in widths between 25mm and 160mm and in lengths from 50m to 600m, on half-inch or 1-inch cores with notched cores available, inside or outside wound. Tell us your printer model, label material and width, and we confirm the winding and size.

Standard sizes have no minimum order and are dispatched the same day. A free sample is available, so you can run CW-20 on your own labels before you order volume, and MSDS is available on request.