NIR, or Near Infrared, direct thermal paper labels are constructed from a bright white ultra-smooth direct thermal paper facestock. This stock produces high contrast black near infrared images and has a special topcoat that protects against abrasion and moisture. Direct thermal NIR paper labels use a general purpose permanent acrylic adhesive that can be applied to surfaces above +25°F, and has a service temperature range of -65° to +200° Fahrenheit. These labels are ideal for applications involving high speed scanning and sorting systems, such as UPS or FedEx distribution systems.

DirectPrint thermal labels use a special thermally-reactive coating on the label surface that reacts with the heat from a barcode printer's printhead during the printing process to produce the text, barcodes, and graphics on the label. This characteristic of direct print labels makes thermal transfer ribbons unnecessary for this type of printing. It is recommended that before ordering any labels you verify the printer configuration.