Commemoration is necessary, quarrel is even more necessary! The bill with the words missing can be brought back to life with this trick

I love watching movies and I have the habit of collecting movie ticket stubs. For me, movie ticket stubs are a testimony to my past film and television journey and life.

But one day, when I opened the box containing my movie tickets, I saw this:

Where are the words? What movie was this photo of? What year was this photo of? My memory seems to be missing a piece...

Is there any way to make these words see the light of day again?

Thermal paper is good, but it is not clear

In addition to the movie ticket stubs we collect, we may also face other similar situations in our daily lives. For example, when you need to take the receipt to negotiate with the merchant, you find that the words on the receipt are gone; or when you need to settle the paper bill with your ex, the words are gone again...

In fact, movie tickets, supermarket receipts and other documents are usually printed on thermal paper. This printing method does not require additional ink, but instead applies a color-developing substance to the paper, and then locally heats the coating to make the writing appear.

There are two key ingredients that make thermal paper colorable: one is the leuco dye, which is a color-changing dye that is initially colorless; the other is the developer, which reacts with the leuco dye when heated, causing it to change its structure and become colored.

There are many kinds of leuco dyes, and one commonly used in thermal paper is crystal violet lactone, which reacts with an acidic developer to produce color.

It doesn't take a very high heating temperature to make the thermal paper coating react. Even the frictional heat from a fingernail running across the paper can cause the color to change - we often see restaurant staff using this method to mark the dishes that have been served on the receipt.

Thermal paper printing is cheap and fast, and the required printing equipment is also small, so it is very popular among businesses. However, the colored substance generated by this method is not very stable, and it will always slowly change its structure again and return to a colorless state.

Can it be kept from fading?

The wish is good, but the fading of thermal paper can be said to be an inevitable trend of chemical reaction. The fading can be slowed down by improving the coating formula and storage conditions, but it is still not enough to completely prevent fading.

If you want to preserve thermal paper for as long as possible, please pay attention to the following points:

Avoid moisture and do not allow paper to come into contact with water, grease or organic solvents.
Store in a dark place, especially away from direct sunlight.
Keep away from high temperatures, the storage temperature should not exceed 25°C.

But perhaps the most important thing is to accept that thermal paper will eventually fade. Even if stored properly (even sealed in the refrigerator), the writing on thermal paper may only last for a few years.

If the information on the paper is really important, it is better to take a photo or scan it for archiving as soon as possible.

If the words are lost, can they be found again?

Can you make completely faded thermal paper visible again? Yes, it is possible, and the method is very simple.

To make the thermal paper recolor, we need a safe heating source, such as an electric iron or a hair straightening electric heating plate. Turn on the heating source, hold the faded thermal paper with tweezers, put the back of the paper on the heating surface, and heat it carefully.

After a while, you will see that the thermal paper has turned darker. Against the dark background, the original printed area is now lighter, and the content of the writing will be revealed. This method does not guarantee that the writing will be displayed clearly, but the effect is good in many cases.

Be careful to avoid burns during operation, and never use open flames. The words that appear after heating can remain stable for a period of time, but the color will still fade slowly, so remember to take photos and save them after the words appear.

Why does the part with the original printed words look whiter than the surrounding area after the whole part is heated and discolored? I haven't found a clear explanation for this. I guess it's because the local coating melts when the words are printed, and the surface structure and light reflection are changed.

It seems that the words on my treasured movie tickets will eventually fade away, which is a sad thing. But on second thought, the wonderful memories engraved in my mind will not disappear so easily, because it is an audio-visual feast that I have personally experienced.

References

[1] https://graphictickets.com/receipt-paper-why-it-fades-and-how-to-restore-it/

[2] https://pandapaperroll.com/thermal-paper-fades-restore/

[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhV6WD2gScc

Author: Window Knocking Rain

Editor: Li Xiaoqiu

Cover photo source: taken by myself

Guokr (ID: Guokr42)

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Source : Guokr