Thermal Images

What Thermal Images does

Thermal Images is a privately held US-based specialty supplier of thermal transfer printing consumables and equipment, operating as a division of NovaVision, LLC since 1998 and headquartered in Bowling Green, Ohio. The company sells a dual-brand portfolio of thermal transfer ribbons (Armor positioned as cost-effective and Zebra positioned as premium, each in wax, wax/resin, and resin formulations, plus color variants), a range of thermal labels (paper, direct thermal, Kimdura/polyester specialty, color, and tags), thermal printer hardware packages, and a custom-label Service Bureau for buyers who prefer not to print in-house. Underlying technology is conventional thermal transfer printing (heat and pressure transferring ink from ribbon to substrate) with no proprietary software stack, APIs, or digital platform beyond a standard e-commerce storefront.

The company monetizes primarily through one-time consumables and hardware sales via direct channels: a website shopping cart, toll-free phone sales, and email ordering, with tiered volume pricing and a discounted/closeout channel. A recurring services layer exists in the form of paid technical support ($75/hour for customers, $150/hour for non-customers) bundled free for 90 days with printer packages, and the Service Bureau generates custom-printing revenue with no minimum order quantity. The customer base is horizontally segmented across shipping/logistics, retail, manufacturing/inventory, and outdoor/industrial use cases, and is distributed throughout North America and the Caribbean with no named enterprise anchors disclosed. Distribution is direct-to-customer via FedEx, UPS, and LTL freight; the firm holds BBB A+ accreditation under its NovaVision parent and UL/CSA recognized ribbon certifications, and is privately funded with no venture or private equity investment disclosed.

Name

Thermal Images

Legal name

Thermal Images

Website

https://thermalimages.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Labeling & Thermal Printing Supplies

NAICS

Printing (32311), Packaging and Labeling Services (561910)

SIC

Printing Trades Machinery & Equipment (3555)

akta.pro primary industry

Thermal & Label Printers (HDACAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Receipt, Label & Card Printers (Thermal/Impact) (HDACAKAD), Direct-to-Container & Digital Printing (Inkjet/Laser) (IMALAKAF)

Keywords

• Thermal transfer ribbons
• Thermal labels
• Barcode printers
• Custom label printing
• Industrial labeling supplies

Headquarters

HQ city

Bowling Green

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Thermal Transfer Ribbons Sales: Sale of wax, wax/resin, and resin thermal transfer ribbons. Products include Zebra and Armor brand ribbons. Revenue is one-time per transaction with volume-based pricing and bulk discounts.
2. Thermal Labels Sales: Sale of thermal transfer labels, direct thermal labels, specialty labels (Kimdura, polyester), color labels, and thermal tags. Available in standard and custom sizes with volume pricing.
3. Thermal Printer Hardware Sales: Sale of thermal printer packages with accessories. Includes free 90-day technical support.
4. Service Bureau / Custom Printing: Custom thermal label printing service for producing finished labels with custom imprints, colors, serial numbers, barcodes, and holographic features. Offers both stock and custom configurations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Thermal Images supplies thermal transfer ribbons, blank and pre-printed thermal labels, and thermal printers (including Armor and Zebra branded equipment), and operates a custom label printing service bureau that produces labels to customer specifications for barcode, shipping, compliance, and product identification applications.

Product overview

Thermal Images operates as a thermal printing supplies e-commerce platform offering a complete portfolio of consumables and hardware for thermal transfer and direct thermal printing. The product line comprises two major ribbon brands—Armor (cost-effective) and Zebra (premium market leader)—each available in wax, wax/resin, and resin formulations, plus color ribbons. Label offerings include thermal transfer paper labels, direct thermal labels, Kimdura/specialty synthetic labels, color thermal labels, and thermal tags. The company also sells thermal printer packages with bundled technical support, and operates a service bureau for custom-printed labels. Products serve applications including shipping labels, pricing tags, inventory tracking, barcodes, asset tags, and outdoor signage. Pricing is offered at tiered discounts for full case quantities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Thermal Transfer Ribbons Thermal transfer printing ribbons (wax, wax-resin, resin formulations) used in thermal barcode and label printers to produce durable, scannable labels. Sold to businesses with installed thermal printer fleets for shipping, inventory, compliance, and product identification applications.
• Thermal Labels Blank and pre-printed thermal labels in common sizes for barcode, shipping, compliance, and product identification applications. Used with thermal transfer printers across manufacturing, warehousing, and logistics operations.
• Thermal Printers Thermal transfer barcode and label printers, including equipment from Armor and Zebra brands, sold to businesses that need on-site thermal label printing for shipping, inventory, and compliance workflows.
• Custom Label Printing Service Bureau Custom thermal label printing service that produces labels to customer specifications, including variable data, sequential numbering, and pre-printed formats. Targets businesses needing short-run or custom labels without investing in their own printing equipment.

Quantifiable outcome

• BBB A+ Rating - BBB Accredited Business

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• NovaVision, LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThermal Images is a division of NovaVision, LLC. NovaVision is headquartered in Bowling Green, Ohio and is also the parent company for security holograms and holographic labels business. Thermal Images operates from the same facility as its parent company.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Zebra Technologies: Dominant OEM of thermal printers and a major vendor of Zebra-brand ribbons and labels (sold by Thermal Images). As the category leader and broad supplier of barcode/Mobility solutions, Zebra is both a critical supplier and the largest direct competitor.
• Brother Industries: Broad imaging and printing OEM whose QL and TD-series thermal label printers compete in the same small-format label printer category sold by Thermal Images in its printer packages.
• Honeywell Productivity Solutions: Through its Productivity Solutions segment (including the legacy Intermec portfolio), Honeywell sells thermal printers and barcode/RFID labeling hardware and services that overlap with Thermal Images' printer packages and consumables.

Direct peers

• Brady Corporation: Industrial identification and labeling specialist that sells thermal transfer ribbons, labels, and printers to manufacturing, safety, and compliance customers—directly overlapping Thermal Images' core consumable and hardware catalog.
• DYMO (Newell Brands): Sells desktop thermal label printers and consumables (LabelWriter, LabelManager) to retail, SMB, and office buyers—an adjacent brand competing for the same end-user thermal printing spend.
• OnlineLabels.com: Direct-to-SMB e-commerce retailer of blank and custom thermal, inkjet, and laser labels, including thermal transfer and direct thermal SKUs—competitive with Thermal Images in SMB-focused label ecommerce.
• SATO Holdings: Thermal printer OEM and label solutions provider serving retail, logistics, and industrial markets—directly comparable to Thermal Images in thermal hardware and consumables for shipping and compliance labeling.
• Avery Products (Avery Dennison): Sells printable thermal and laser labels (including direct thermal label sheets) to small businesses and consumers through e-commerce and retail—closely comparable to Thermal Images' label, color thermal, and tag offerings.
• Barcodes, Inc. Value-added reseller of thermal printers, ribbons, labels, and barcode/RFID supplies serving SMB and enterprise buyers via phone and online channels—directly comparable distribution profile to Thermal Images.

Emerging players

• ID Label Inc. Specialty converter of custom thermal transfer and barcode labels, including outdoor and industrial grades—comparable to Thermal Images' service bureau business in custom thermal label production.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Thermal Images