Method of operating a thermal printer
US6019527A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 15, 1997 |
| Grant date | Feb 1, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 15, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB41J17/12
- WIPO fieldTextile and paper machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
In a thermal printer in which ink is transferred from a single-use thermal print ribbon to a substrate such as packaging material by energizing selected print elements of a thermal print head (22), a first print run is executed by energizing only a group of print elements in registry with one half of the ribbon width so that ink is depleted from only one half of the ribbon, and a second print run is executed by energising the same group of elements using the same ribbon but with the ribbon supply and take-up spools interchanged in order that ink is depleted only from the other half of the ribbon. This allows printing on comparatively narrow printing areas using ribbon which is at least twice the width of the printed area without undue ribbon wastage and with reduced ribbon breakage frequency compared to the breakage frequency with a ribbon of a width nearer to the width of the printed area.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.