Thermal printing system
US5389959A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | May 20, 1994 |
| Grant date | Feb 14, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 20, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB41J2/475
- WIPO fieldTextile and paper machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
There is disclosed a thermal printer system having a multiple channel laser print head which focuses closely spaced spots of laser light energy onto a dye donor element which moves at constant velocity relatively past the print head. These laser light spots respectively print multiple lines of an image a swath at a time by heat transfer of pixels or subpixels of dye from the dye donor element to a receiver element. A light source (such as an arc lamp) applies to the dye donor element one or more precisely positioned spots of light energy which elevate the temperature of the dye donor element substantially uniformly within a zone coincidently with and closely surrounding the laser light spots. The shape, the position and the power absorbed within the zone from the light source are carefully controlled. Thus the temperature within this zone is held to a substantially uniform value slightly below the vaporization temperature of the dye to be transferred from the dye donor element. In this way the linearity and fidelity of a printed image are substantially improved, and "printing artifacts" such as banding and streaking are reduced.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.