Direct thermal technology uses a thermal print head to heat thermal reactive paper creating black marks. Thermal transfer that uses the same type of thermal print head but instead of heating the paper directly, it heats an inked ribbon. The ink on the ribbon is a wax based and when it is heated, will transfer to the paper pressed against it. The APR430 and APR530 are thermal transfer printers that are reconfigurable as direct thermal based on the application. The APR331 is a direct thermal printer and requires direct thermal paper.