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भारतीय मानक IS 17568 : 2025

Indian Standard

थर्मल पेपर — विविवि

( पहला पनु रीक्षण )

Thermal Paper — Specification

( First Revision )

ICS 85.080

 BIS 2025

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BUREAU OF INDIAN STANDARDS
मानक भवन, 9 बहादरु शाह ज़फर मार्ग, नई ददल्ली - 110002
MANAK BHAVAN, 9 BAHADUR SHAH ZAFAR MARG
NEW DELHI - 110002
[Link] [Link]

August 2025 Price Group 6

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Paper and Paper Products Sectional Committee, CHD 15

FOREWORD

This Indian Standard (First Revision) was adopted by the Bureau of Indian Standards after the draft finalized by
the Paper and Paper Products Sectional Committee had been approved by the Chemical Division Council.

Thermal paper is a special paper type that is manufactured with specialty coating that aids in inkless printing. On
application of heat to the coated paper, a clear image is formed on the paper with no requirement for ribbons or
inks. The coating usually turns black on heating. Thermal paper is the key component of thermal paper printing,
which is considered one of the most economical printing technologies owing to its low energy consumption and
low maintenance cost.

Thermal printing is used in various applications such as point of sales solutions for the printing of invoices, ATM
and credit card slips and parking tickets, labels as well as print solutions for specialized applications, for example
Railway/bus tickets/aviation/waterways/healthcare and other similar application.

There is no ISO standard on this subject at present. The Committee responsible for development of standards on
paper and its products has developed this standard based on indigenous practices.

This standard was first published in 2021. With the gradual development of the technology, capacity and usage
of the product, a need was felt to modify the standard and in this revision, the standard has been technically
updated with two types of materials, namely, thermal coated and top coated. Generally, the thermal coated is
suitable for all type of applications except where a longer image durability is necessary with limited applications.

This standard contains 6.3 and 7.1 which call for agreement between the purchaser and the supplier.

The composition of Committee responsible for formulation of this standard is given in Annex B.
For the purpose of deciding whether a particular requirement of this standard is complied with the final value,
observed or calculated, expressing the result of a test or analysis shall be rounded off in accordance with
IS 2 : 2022 ‘Rules for rounding off numerical values (second revision)’. The number of significant places retained
in the rounded off value should be the same as that of the specified value in this standard.
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IS 17568 : 2025

Indian Standard
THERMAL PAPER — SPECIFICATION
( First Revision )

1 SCOPE Sl Characteristic Requirement Method

No. of Test,
This standard prescribes the requirements, methods Ref to
of sampling and test for thermal paper.
(1) (2) (3) (4)
2 REFERENCES 2
ii) Cobb60, g/m , 25 IS 1060
The standards listed in Annex A contain provisions, Max (Part 5/
which through reference in this text, constitute Sec 4)
provisions of this standard. At the time of
publication, the editions indicated were valid. All
standards are subject to revision and parties to 6 REQUIREMENTS
agreements based on this standard are encouraged to
6.1 General
investigate the possibility of applying the most
recent edition of these standards. The paper shall be of uniform formation, thickness
3 TERMINOLOGY and substance. The paper shall be evenly finished
and free from holes, specks, creases, discolouration
For the purpose of this standard, the definitions and other blemishes when examined visually
given in IS 4661 (Part 4) and IS 4661 (Part 5) shall without any aid.
apply.
6.2 The paper shall also comply with the
4 TYPES requirements given in Table 1, Table 2, Table 3
and Table 4 when tested in accordance with the
Thermal paper shall be of two types: method referred to in col (4) of Table 1, Table 3
a) Thermal Coated — Paper coated with a and Table 4.
thermal sensitive formulation on one side,
which when placed in a thermal printer will 6.3 Grammage
generate legible thermal image/transaction
The nominal grammage of both types of finished
document as determined by the input; and
thermal paper shall be 48 g/m2, 55 g/m2, 65 g/m2 or
b) Top Coated — Paper coated with a thermal above as agreed to between the purchaser and the
sensitive formulation on one side along supplier. Further, when tested in accordance with
with a protective coat over the thermal coat, IS 1060 (Part 5/Sec 5), no single test result shall vary
which when placed in a thermal printer by more than ± 5 percent from nominal grammage.
shall generate a legible thermal Further, mean of 10 test results shall not vary from
image/transaction document. The top coat nominal grammage by more than ± 2.5 percent.
shall protect deterioration of the thermal
image due to exposure to moisture, water, 6.4 Thickness
plasticizer and solvents.
The uniform thickness of finished thermal paper
5 BASE PAPER FOR THERMAL PAPER shall not be less than 55 μm, when tested as per
IS 1060 (Part 5/Sec 3).
The base paper used for thermal paper shall conform
the following requirements: 6.5 The thermal paper shall be declared by the
manufacturer to be free from Bisphenol A (BPA)
Sl Characteristic Requirement Method and its analogues. To prevent contamination from
No. of Test, packaging, it is recommended to opt for suitable
Ref to BPA free packaging options.
(1) (2) (3) (4)
7 PACKING AND MARKING
i) Residue (Ash) 12 IS 1060
on ignition at (Part 8/ 7.1 Packing
525 °C, Sec 1)
Thermal paper may be supplied in reams or rolls as
percent, Max
agreed between the purchaser and supplier.

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IS 17568 : 2025

Packages of rolls shall contain rolls of the size and Regulations framed there under, and the
(width) and mass of the paper packet as agreed products may be marked with the Standard Mark.
between the purchaser and the supplier. The final
packing should protect the thermal paper from heat 8 SAMPLING
light and humidity. Representative samples for the test shall be drawn as
7.2 Marking prescribed in IS 1060 (Part 1).

7.2.1 Each package shall be marked with the 9 CRITERIA FOR CONFORMITY
following information: 9.1 Tests
a) Product — thermal paper (BPA free);
From each of the rolls, selected from the lot (see 8),
b) Type — thermal coated/top coated; one sheet shall be taken out at random. These sheets
shall constitute the sample. The sheets selected shall
c) Grammage of the paper;
first be tested for general requirements given in 6.1.
d) Thickness/calliper of paper; One test piece shall be cut from each sheet
selected for each of the characteristics mentioned
e) Paper size specifications: For rolls, specify
in 6.2 and 6.5.
the width in millimetres (mm) and length in
metres (m). For reams, specify the width 9.2 The roll for testing the thermal imaging
and length in millimetres (mm); characteristics shall be drawn from the lot with a
f) Month and year of manufacturer; minimum width of 55 mm and length of 15 m.

g) Manufacturer’s name or recognized/ 9.3 A sheet/reel not meeting the relevant

registered trade-mark; and requirements for anyone or more characteristics
shall be considered defective.
h) In addition to above, each reel/package
shall be marked as per the requirement of 9.4 A lot shall be declared as conforming to the
the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 and the requirements of this specification if the number of
rules. defective sheets found, does not exceed the
acceptance number. This acceptance number is zero
7.2.2 BIS Certification Marking for the requirement of substance and for all other
The product(s) conforming to the requirements of requirements depends upon the size of the sample
this standard may be certified as per the conformity and shall be equal to zero if the size is less than 13
assessment schemes under the provisions of the and one if the size is greater than or equal to 13.
Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016 and the Rules

Table 1 Requirement for Thermal Paper — Thermal Coated Paper Properties

(Clause 6.2)

Sl No. Characteristic Requirements Method of Test, Ref to

(1) (2) (3) (4)

i) Tensile index, Nm/g, Min

a) MD 40
IS 1060 (Part 5/Sec 6)
b) CD 20
ii) Tear index, mN. m2/g, Min
a) MD 3.5
IS 1060 (Part 6/Sec 1)
b) CD 4.0
iii) Opacity, percent, Min 80 IS/ISO 2471
iv) Brightness, ISO, percent, Min 80 IS 1060 (Part 4/Sec 13)
v) Gloss at 75o , Min, thermal coated side 40 IS 1060 (Part 5/Sec 12)

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IS 17568 : 2025
Table 1 (Concluded)
Sl No. Characteristic Requirements Method of Test, Ref to

(1) (2) (3) (4)

vi) Smoothness (Bendtsen) ml/min, Max

a) Thermal Side 50 IS 1060 (Part 5/Sec 20)
b) Reverse Side 100
vii) Wax pick, Min No pick on 8A 8 of IS 1060 (Part 3)

Table 2 Requirement for Thermal Paper — Image Density

(QR code/barcode scannable from a distance of 600 mm generated through thermal printer)
(Clause 6.2)
Sl No. Characteristic Requirement

(1) (2) (3)

i) Image density using densitometer ≥ 1.2

ii) QR code/barcode scannable distance, 270 mm

Min(mm)

iii) QR code/barcode generated by thermal DPI - 203

printer Speed — 10 inches/sec to 14 inches/sec
dots/mm - 8 dots/mm

Table 3 Requirement for Thermal Paper (Thermal Coated)

(Thermal image — Optical density and durability properties)
(Clause 6.2)
Sl No. Characteristic Requirements Method of Test, Refer to

Before Ageing After Ageing

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

i) Heat resistance 1.20 1.00 Condition the paper image in oven at
60 °C for 24 h. Calculate image density
before and after conditioning on
densitometer.
ii) Moisture resistance 1.20 1.00 Condition the paper image in humidity
chamber at temperature of 40 °C and
relative humidity of 90 percent for 24 h.
Calculate image density. before and
after conditioning on densitometer.
iii) Light resistance 1.20 1.00 Condition the Paper image in light
resistance tester at 5 000 Lux for 100 h.
Calculate image density. before and
after conditioning on densitometer.

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IS 17568 : 2025

Table 4 Requirement for Thermal Paper (Top Coated) — Climatic Durability

(Clause 6.2)
Sl No. Characteristic Image Density (Image Loss) Method of Test, Refer to

Before Ageing After Ageing

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

i) Heat resistance 1.40 1.20 Condition of the paper image in oven at

60 °C for 24 h. Calculate image density
before and after conditioning on
densitometer.
ii) Humidity resistance 1.40 1.20 Condition of the paper image in a
humidity chamber at temperature of
40 °C and relative humidity of
90 percent for 24 h. Calculate the
image density before and after
Conditioning on densitometer.
iii) Light resistance 1.40 1.20 Condition the paper image in light
resistance tester at 5 000 Lux for 100 h.
Calculate the image density before and
after conditioning on densitometer.
iv) Water resistance 1.40 0.95 Immerse the paper image in
demineralized water at 27 °C ± 1 °C
and (65 ± 2) percent relative humidity
for a minimum of 3 h. Calculate image
density before and after immersion on
densitometer.
v) Oil resistance 1.40 1.00 Immerse the paper image in 25 percent
(Ethanol) ethanol solution for 20 min. Then
remove it from the solution and keep it
for 24 h water at 27 °C ± 1 °C and
(65 ± 2) percent relative humidity.
Calculate image density. before and
after treatment on densitometer.
vi) Plasticizer resistance 1.40 1.10 Keep the paper image in the plastic bag
with plasticizer under the load of
60 g/cm². Then keep the image for
24 h water at 27 °C ± 1 °C and
(65 ± 2) percent relative humidity after
removing it from the plastic bag.
Calculate image density before and
after exposure on densitometer.

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IS 17568 : 2025

ANNEX A
(Clause 2)
LIST OF REFERRED STANDARDS

IS No. Title IS No. Title

IS 1060 Methods of sampling (Sec 12) : 2021/ Measurement of
and test for paper and ISO 8254-1 : specular gloss — 75
allied products: 2009 degree gloss with a
converging beam,
(Part 1) : 2022 Test methods for TAPPI method (first
general purpose revision)
(second revision)
(Sec 20) : 2018/ Determination of
(Part 3) : 1969 Methods of sampling ISO 8791-2 : roughness/smoothness
and test for paper and 2013 (air leak methods) —
allied products, Part III Bendtsen method
(Part 4) Methods of test for (Part 6) Methods of test for
paper, board and pulps, paper,

(Sec 13) : 2020/ Measurement of (Sec 1) : 2014/ Determination of

ISO 1974 : 2012 tearing resistance —
ISO 2470-1 : diffuse blue
2016 reflectance factor — Elmendorf method
Indoor daylight (Part 8) Methods of test for
conditions (ISO paper, board, pulps
brightness) (first and cellulose
revision) nanomaterials,
(Part 5) Methods of test for (Sec 1) : 2025/ Determination of
paper and board, ISO 1762 : 2019 residue (ash content)
on ignition at 525 oC
(Sec 3) : 2014/ Determination of
ISO 534 : 2011 thickness density and IS/ISO 2471 : Paper and board —
specific volume 2008 Determination of
opacity (paper
(Sec 4) : 2024/ Determination of backing) — Diffuse
ISO 535 : 2023 water absorptiveness reflectance method
— Cobb method (first
revision) IS 4661 Paper board pulps and
related terms —
(Sec 5) : 2021/ Determination of Vocabulary:
ISO 536 : 2019 grammage (first (Part 4) : 2022/ Paper and board
revision) ISO 4046-4 : grades and converted
(Sec 6) : 2014/ Determination of 2016 products (third
ISO 1942-2 : tensile properties — revision)
2008 Constant rate of (Part 5) : 2022/ Properties of pulp,
elongation method ISO 4046-5 : paper and board (third
(20 mm/min) 2016 revision)

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[Link]

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IS 17568 : 2025

ANNEX B
(Foreword)
COMMITTEE COMPOSITION
Paper and Paper Products Sectional Committee, CHD 15

Organization Representative(s)

Central Pulp & Paper Research Institute, Saharanpur DR ASHISH KUMAR (Chairperson)

BILT Graphic Paper Products Ltd, New Delhi SHRI DEEPAK SHARMA
SHRI BHUSHAN AWATE (Alternate)

Central Pulp & Paper Research Institute, Saharanpur DR SANJAY TYAGI

SHRI ALOK KUMAR GOEL (Alternate)

Century Pulp and Paper Mills, Nainital SHRI SANJAY KUMAR YADAV
SHRI HEM CHANDRA JOSHI (Alternate)

Chandpur Enterprises Ltd, Chandpur SHRI DEVESH KUMAR SINGHAL

SHRI DHAWAL SINGHAL (Alternate)

Consumer VOICE, New Delhi SHRI M. A. U. KHAN

DR RAJIV K. JHA (Alternate I)
SHRI H. WADHWA (Alternate II)

Directorate of Printing, Ministry of Urban Development, SHRI LAZAR SAGAYA RAJ

New Delhi SHRI KSHITIZ MOHAN (Alternate)

Directorate General of Quality Assurance, Ministry of SHRI D. K. PUJARI

Defence, Kanpur SHRI K. I. SINGH (Alternate)

DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, New Delhi SHRI RAJESH RAWAT

Federation of Paper Traders Association of India, SHRI DALIP BINDAL

Mumbai SHRI DEEPAK KUMAR JAIN (Alternate)

Federation of Paper Converters of India, New Delhi SHRI SUSHIL KUMAR SINGH
SHRI VISHAL KAPIL (Alternate)

Government of Indian Stationery Office, Kolkata SHRI BISHAMBER DHAR

SHRI RAKESH SUKUL (Alternate)

Gujarat Paper Mills Association, Vapi SHRI PRABHAT RANJAN

SHRI KANU MEHRA (Alternate)

Indian Agro and Recycled Paper Mills Association, DR B. P. THAPLIYAL

New Delhi DR ANIL NAITHANI (Alternate)

Indian Newsprint Manufacturers Association, New Delhi SHRI VIJAY KUMAR

SHRI L. SURESH (Alternate)

Indian Institute of Packaging, Mumbai DR TANWEER ALAM

SHRI RISHU GAUTAM (Alternate)

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IS 17568 : 2025
Organization Representative(s)
Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee DR DHARM DUTT
DR VIBHORE KUMAR RASTOGI (Alternate I)
DR KIRTIRAJ K. GAIKWAD (Alternate II)

Indian Paper Manufacturers Association, New Delhi SHRI BISWARANJAN DASH,

SHRI ROHIT PANDIT (Alternate)

Indian Recycled Paper Mills Association, New Delhi SHRI R. C. RASTOGI

JK Paper Ltd, New Delhi SHRI SUSANTA NAYAK

SHRI SAMEER MOHAPATRA (Alternate)

Kumarappa National Handmade Paper Institute, Jaipur DR SAAKSHY

National Test House, Ghaziabad SHRI DEBASISH SARKAR

SHRI AMIT DEV VYAS (Alternate)

NCERT, New Delhi SHRI DEEPAK JAISWAL

SHRI SUNIL SHARMA (Alternate)

Pulp and Paper Research Institute, Jaykaypur SHRI S. K. PRADHAN

DR NAVEEN KUAMR PADHY (Alternate)

Seshasayee Paper & Boards Limited, Erode DR P. MARIMUTHU

SHRI AROCKIASAMY (Alternate)

Shree Mangal (Trade) Enterprises, Kolkata SHRI NAROTTAM VYAS

MS BHAWNA VYAS (Alternate)

Tamilnadu Newsprint and Papers Ltd, Chennai SHRI N. K. PERIASAMY

DR F. AMJATH KHAN (Alternate)

Whale Stationery Products Ltd, New Delhi SHRI MUKESH GUPTA

SHRI ASEEM GUPTA (Alternate)

BIS Directorate General SHRI AJAY KUMAR LAL, SCIENTIST ‘F’/SENIOR

DIRECTOR AND HEAD (CHEMICAL) [REPRESENTING
DIRECTOR GENERAL (Ex-officio)]

Member Secretary
SHRI SACHIN S. MENON
SCIENTIST ‘C’/DEPUTY DIRECTOR
(CHEMICAL), BIS

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IS 17568 : 2025

CHD 15 : P8 Panel on Thermal Paper

Organization Representative(s)

Whales Stationery Products Ltd, New Delhi SHRI MUKESH GUPTA (Convener)

Association of Thermal Paper Manufacturers and Allied Industries, SHRI JUDE ALEXANDER
Mumbai

Bureau of Indian Standards, New Delhi SHRI VIRENDRA SINGH

Central Pulp & Paper Research Institute, Saharanpur DR SANJAY TYAGI

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should ascertain that they are in possession of the latest amendments or edition by referring to the website-
[Link] or [Link].
This Indian Standard has been developed from Doc No.: CHD 15 (27424).

Amendments Issued Since Publication

Amend No. Date of Issue Text Affected

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