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Bar-Coded Boarding Passes (BCBP) Implementation guide - IATA

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<strong>BCBP</strong> technical implementation<br />

codes on boarding passes<br />

Figure 40 - Printing techniques supporting 2D bar codes<br />

5.6.2. Thermal printers<br />

There are two thermal printing methods: ‘direct thermal’ and ‘thermal transfer’. Each method<br />

uses a thermal print head that applies heat to the surface being marked.<br />

• Thermal transfer printing uses a heated ribbon to produce durable, long-lasting images<br />

on a wide variety of materials.<br />

• No ribbon is used in direct thermal printing, which creates the image directly on the<br />

printed material. Direct thermal paper stock is more sensitive to light, heat and abrasion,<br />

which reduces the life of the printed material.<br />

Direct thermal printing uses chemically treated, heat-sensitive paper stock that blackens when it<br />

passes under the thermal print head. Direct thermal printers have no ink, toner, or ribbon. Their<br />

simple design makes thermal printers durable and easy to use. Because there is no ribbon,<br />

direct thermal printers cost less to operate than inkjet, laser, impact, and thermal transfer<br />

printers. Most mobile printers use direct thermal technology.<br />

In thermal transfer printing, a thermal print head applies heat to a ribbon, which melts ink onto<br />

the material to form the image. The ink is absorbed so that the image becomes part of the paper<br />

stock. This technique provides image quality and durability that is unmatched by other ondemand<br />

printing technologies. The specific label material and ribbon must be carefully matched<br />

to ensure print performance and durability.<br />

5.6.3. ATB Technical Specs<br />

The Association of European Airlines (AEA) manages the ATB technical specifications. The ATB<br />

specs define the concept of parametric tables or pectabs, which are used by all ATB printers and<br />

readers.<br />

The latest available ATB technical specs were amended in December 2007. Since 2002, the<br />

AEA specs enable users to add a PDF417 bar code to the boarding passes. All ATB printers that<br />

have upgraded their firmware to comply with AEA2002 can print the <strong>BCBP</strong> standard bar code<br />

(see fig. 39).<br />

Figure 41 - Example of direct thermal ATB printer that can print PDF417 courtesy of Intermec<br />

A future amendment of the ATB specs is discussed as we write this document. The amendment<br />

would enable a host system to request information from the device, such as type of printer or<br />

firmware.<br />

4 th edition - June 2009 - www.iata.org/stb/bcbp 57/128

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