Abstract: A film package including sheets of imaging media or film sandwiched between upper and lower stiffeners and enclosed by an envelope. Adhesive strips secure the stiffeners together at overlapping tabs formed on opposite sides of the stiffeners. The stiffeners with the film sheets are removed from the envelope by opening one side of the envelope. The adhesive strips also have tear strips for allowing removal of the upper stiffener after the package has been placed in a drawer of a printer with the aid of offset tabs on the stiffeners which indicate and assure proper orientation. A notch in the corner of the lower stiffener allows a signal to be passed to indicate whether the upper stiffener has been removed. The lower stiffener is also apertured to receive a signal for indicating whether any film sheets remain on the stiffener while in the drawer of the printer.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for feeding single sheets of laminated thermographic print media are disclosed. The apparatus includes a traveling vacuum roller reciprocatable between pickup and discharge positions under suitable control so as to engage an end of the sheet near the pickup end and roll the sheet thereabout to a selected first angular position and then releasing the sheet end at such position. The vacuum roller continues to engage the sheet and applies a vacuum to engage the other end of the sheet so as to carry it to a second angular position and then releasing the sheet by releasing the vacuum as the roller approaches the discharge position. A wrapping roller engages the vacuum roller for directing the end of the rolled sheet towards the discharge after releasing it. A lift mechanism near the discharge position lifts the vacuum roller as it approaches the discharge.