Method for quality improvement of printing with a thermotransfer print head and arrangement for implementation of the method

US7609284B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Francotyp-Postalia GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Olaf Turner · Berlin, DE
• Ratmund Nisius · Berlin, DE
• Frank Reisinger · Oranienburg, DE
• Sabine Roth · Berlin, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 21, 2007
• Grant date: Oct 27, 2009
• Expiry date: Apr 27, 2028

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G07B2017/00556
• WIPO field: Textile and paper machines
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

In a method and apparatus for improving the printing with a thermotransfer print head, an energy value is calculated before the printing process according to different types to be implemented when a dot is to be printed. Energy values also are calculated for the heating elements at the ends of the row of heating elements of the high-resolution thermotransfer print head, so as to activate these heating elements even though in heating phases no dot to be printed at the border external to the barcode image. Additionally, those heating elements that do not lie in the two border regions of the heating element row are also activated for a limited time duration, the aforementioned time duration directly preceding the printing of a barcode image. A microprocessor calculates the energy values and is connected with a pixel energy memory for non-volatile buffering of the data that are transferred into a print data controller and are converted into a print pulse duration.