DTP, Direct Thermal Poster Paper Rolls and TTP or Thermal Transfer Plus Poster Paper
There is a difference between the two and It's important to understand it.

Varitronics®, Fujifilm, Minnesota Western and even Lanier brand poster printers are direct thermal machines.  They each have three print heads that heat up and cool down - no ink or toner is ever used.  In the case of DTP, Direct Thermal Poster paper or AKA Standard poster paper, the paper itself is chemically coated.  As the print heads heat up the chemical reaction causes a color to image or appear - typically in a black or blue ink.  Because heat is used to image the color, if the poster were heat laminated, the entire poster would turn either black or blue depending on the imaging color.  DTP poster paper can be cold laminated, not heat laminated.

With TTP or Thermal Transfer Plus poster paper, an ink film is adhered to the paper substrate .  As the print heads heat up, the ink is melted or transferred to the paper or substrate below.  When the poster is completed, the ink film is pealed off, and the image is left.  This type of poster printer paper can be heat or cold laminated.

The real important difference is the cost of the poster paper and the poster paper colors.  Our DTP paper rolls are as much as $35 a roll less than Varitronics® dealer pricing.  Their TTP poster paper rolls cost as much as $64 a roll or more VS. our paper rolls.  Because of tight school budgets, more and more schools are not laminating or moving into cold laminations.  Besides the benefits of cold lamination - no electricity, no heat, no waste, etc. - it immediately cuts your paper cost in half.  

We have written an excellent sheet (Adobe PDF file) on the costs of TTP paper VS DTP paper called Breaking the Transfer Plus Habit.  The difference in price over 20 rolls of paper Vs just 17 rolls of our paper is enough to cover the cost of a Xyron 2500 laminator.  And by cold laminating rather than heat laminating, you'll never have to purchase the TTP paper ever again.

If you have any questions, feel free to call us at 800-321-5716.