The security and thermal paper market in China is a significant and growing segment of the specialty papers industry, driven by the expansion of organized retail, the banking sector, and the need for anti-counterfeiting measures. Thermal paper holds a dominant position in the China specialty papers market, leveraging its exceptional print quality and efficiency in high-volume applications such as receipts, labels, and tickets . It is widely utilized within retail, banking, and logistics, where fast printing speeds and durability are essential.

Thermal paper is a thermosensitive recording material on which print is obtained by the application of heat energy, without an ink ribbon . The most common type of thermal coating is the dye-developing type system, where three main color-producing components—colorless dye, a color developer, and sensitizer—are reduced to very small particles and incorporated into a coating formulation . Images are formed on the coated surfaces by the application of heat to melt and interact these materials . Thermal paper demand remains robust, driven by the expansion of organized retail in emerging markets and the continued necessity for physical transaction receipts and shipping labels.

Security and Thermal Paper: China Thermal Paper Market Report

Security features are increasingly integrated into thermal paper to prevent counterfeiting of printed commercial documents such as sales transaction records and receipts . Near-infrared fluorescent (NIRF) compounds can be incorporated as a security feature, providing a unique mode of security through the unique wavelength of radiation to which the compounds respond . These NIRF dyes and pigments can be incorporated in the thermosensitive coating or on a separate top coating or back coating, without causing premature reaction of the thermosensitive coating components.

The market for security paper also includes banknote stock, which is a high-margin, specialized segment. The integration of advanced security features, such as security threads, watermarks, and optically variable inks, is critical for this application . The demand for security and thermal paper in China is expected to continue growing, supported by the expansion of the retail and banking sectors, as well as increasing regulatory requirements for product tracking and authentication.