Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Disappearing Ink on Thermal Paper?

Posted by Cliff on from the today's-receipts-tomorrow's-contracts dept.

dpippenger asks: "A few days ago my rear projection TV made a soft clicking noise and the color balance suddenly went a bit blue. The set was only about 3 months old and I neglected to get the in store warranty. I decided to try and cash in on the 1 year manufacturers warranty which only required an original sales receipt as documentation. I quickly opened up my file cabinet and retrieved the receipt in question. I was fairly upset to find the sales receipt was printed on a slippery thermal paper (pretty common these days) and after only 3 months was noticeably degraded. The paper was discolored slightly and important blocks of text like the model number were just gone. After some conversation at the TV repair shop they finally accepted it as proof of warranty. The problem is this receipt is my only evidence of warranty for an entire year. I have to wonder what the receipt will look like in another 9 months and if it will be unacceptable as proof of purchase next time I need repairs. Have any other readers had a similar experience or have tips on preserving these thermal receipts?"

4 of 89 comments (clear)

  1. Re:duh by NickDngr · · Score: 4, Informative

    You seem to be forgetting that a critical part of the laminating process is extreme heat. That would just turn the whole thing solid black.

    --
    Yoda of Borg am I! Assimilated shall you be! Futile resistance is, hmm?
  2. Re:duh by itwerx · · Score: 3, Informative

    Mod parent up as funny!!!

    Or maybe troll...

    (If you don't get it, think about how thermal paper is printed, and how hot a laminator gets! :)

  3. Photocopy receipts by FattMattP · · Score: 3, Informative

    I always photocopy receipts so that I have another copy. I then take the original and staple it to the photocopy and file it away with the manuals and warranry information.

    --
    Prevent email address forgery. Publish SPF records for y
  4. Restoring faded thermal receipts by schwazie · · Score: 3, Informative

    I've had this problem more than once, and with a bit of luck and some intuition found a method to restore the thermal "image".

    By gently heating the receipt at a distance with a hair dryer, I have been able to cause the original images to reappear. Note that too much heat will cause the entire receipt to darken, so you may want to test temperatures/distances on a blank area, such as the corner of the receipt.

    Generally, a hair dryer on medium heat at a distance of 12" or so, waved slowly back and forth, can restore the original thermal image in under a minute. Your mileage may vary.