Patent · US Expired

Color thermal printing method

US5680168A · kind A · utility

17Cited by
1References
16Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 17, 1996
Grant dateOct 21, 1997
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 17, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
  • CPC primaryB41M2205/04
  • WIPO fieldTextile and paper machines
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

A color thermal printing method capable of preventing a color registration shift and shading. A color thermosensitive recording sheet has cyan, magenta, and yellow thermosensitive coloring layers, respectively formed on a base in this order. A thermal sensitivity becomes lower the nearer the thermosensitive coloring layer is to the base. The thermosensitive coloring layer having a lower sensitivity is printed at an earlier timing to make the centers of three color print areas coincident with each other. According to a preferred embodiment, a preliminary pressed running section is provided in front of each print area. In the preliminary pressed running section, a thermal head is preheated and pressed against a color thermosensitive recording sheet. In order to reduce a change in the friction coefficient between the preliminary pressed running section and the print area, the heat energy for the preheating is set to a bias heat energy having a level just under a coloring energy. This bias heat energy having a level just under a coloring energy changes with color so that the preliminary pressed running section is set differently for each color. During the preliminary pressed running op…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.