Thermal transfer type color printer
US5982404A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 27, 1996 |
| Grant date | Nov 9, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 27, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB41M5/41
- WIPO fieldTextile and paper machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A thermal transfer type color printer of this invention has four ink ribbons sequentially arranged from a first order to a fourth order along a conveying direction of a printing medium, and four printing heads respectively arranged in accordance with the four ink ribbons. Each of the printing heads melts and transfers ink included in each of the ink ribbons to the printing medium by heating the ink ribbons while each of the ink ribbons comes in contact with the printing medium. While the printing medium is conveyed, the ink of each of the ink ribbons is transferred to the printing medium so that a color image is formed. In this color printer, a melting viscosity of the ink of an ink ribbon used at a later stage is set to be lower than that used at a previous stage.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.