Toray Lumirror F57 PET Film is a 4.5 micron thermal transfer ribbon base with excellent heat stability, built to avoid wrinkles during wide printing such as plain paper fax
Lumirror now has several ribbon bases, and they are easy to mix up. Toray Lumirror F57 PET Film is the one aimed at wide printing, where heat across a broad ribbon makes wrinkles the main risk.
How the Ribbon Bases Compare
- F53: the plain world standard ribbon base, 3.5, 4.5, and 5.7 um, for bar code, fax, word processor, and color ribbon.
- F531: the same thicknesses with an anti-stick backcoat, specially designed for bar code ribbon.
- F552: an adhesion promoted base for dye diffusion ribbon at 4.5 and 5.7 um.
- F57: a single 4.5 um grade, with the datasheet highlighting heat stability to avoid wrinkles during printing, for wide printing such as plain paper fax.
The lesson from the datasheets is that the four are not interchangeable. The ink system, the width of the ribbon, and whether a backcoat is already on the film all point to a different member of the family.
What “Heat Stability to Avoid Wrinkles” Means
According to its datasheet, F57 is a type for thermal transfer ribbon with excellent heat stability to avoid wrinkles during the printing process, and its property is excellent thermal dimensional stability. Wide ribbons are more likely to wrinkle because heat acts over a broad area and any uneven movement shows (a general explanation, not from this datasheet).
The Numbers the Datasheet Gives
- Thickness: 4.5 um
- Tensile strength: about 295 MPa in MD and about 245 MPa in TD (ASTM D882)
- Elongation at break: about 100 percent in one direction and about 120 percent in the other, based on the figures visible (ASTM D882)
- Heat shrinkage at 150°C for 30 minutes: about 2.0 percent in MD and about 0.2 percent in TD (ASTM D1204)
- F-5 value: about 115 MPa in MD and about 105 MPa in TD (ASTM D882)
- Coefficient of friction: about 0.50 static and 0.45 dynamic (ASTM D1894)
The shrinkage figures are the point. TD shrinkage of about 0.2 percent is very low, and for a ribbon the cross-width direction is where wrinkles form. The F-5 value is generally the stress needed to stretch the film by 5 percent (a general explanation), and about 105 to 115 MPa means the film resists stretching under printer tension. Note that MPa is force per unit area, so at 4.5 um the total load the film carries is tiny, and tension control matters.
Where It Is Used
The datasheet lists thermal transfer ribbon for wide printing, like plain paper fax. The datasheet does not describe the exact process or ink, so test samples first.
What the Datasheet Does Not Say
- The values are typical data under specific test conditions and are not limiting specifications, as the datasheet itself notes.
- Only one thickness is offered, and no surface roughness, haze, backcoat information, or thickness tolerance is listed.
- Some elongation figures could not be matched to a direction. Some numbers are approximate. Please check the official datasheet for exact values.
Quick Answers
What is Lumirror F57?
A 4.5 um thermal transfer ribbon base with excellent heat stability to avoid wrinkles during printing.
What application does the datasheet list?
Thermal transfer ribbon for wide printing, such as plain paper fax.
Can I buy Toray Lumirror F57 PET Film from Jinlu Film?
Yes. Jinlu Film supplies Toray Lumirror F57 PET Film. If you prefer a comparable-specification alternative, including domestic options, we can offer those as well, together with datasheets and samples so you can test them on your own line.
More PET Film Guides
- Toray Lumirror F531 PET Film: an anti-stick back coated ribbon film
- Toray Lumirror F53 PET Film: the world standard ribbon base film
- Toray Lumirror X53 PET Film: an anti-static clear film without coating
- Toray Lumirror S15A PET Film: a one-side pretreated film for adhesive tape
- Toray Lumirror S105 PET Film: a one-side corona treated S10
Sourcing Ribbon Base Film
Jinlu Film supplies Toray Lumirror F57 PET Film, along with comparable ultra-thin polyester film grades, including domestic alternatives, for wide thermal transfer ribbon applications. Tell us your ribbon width, printing method, and thickness, and contact us for technical data, samples, or a factory quote.
Source: Toray’s publicly available Lumirror F57 technical data sheet (typical values). Please refer to the latest official version. Lumirror, Toray, and related names are trademarks of their respective owners. This article is an independent explanation for reference only.
