Abstract: An optical scanning system for a printer includes an optical scanning unit having a deflector divided into a plurality of deflection regions to allow repetitive scanning of light emitted from a light source by rotation, the optical scanning unit for scanning light onto a photosensitive belt traveling around a plurality of rollers; a first photodetector installed at a position separated from the edge of the photosensitive belt, to be able to receivable light scanned beyond the edge of the photosensitive belt; a second photodetector installed a predetermined distance apart from the first photodetector, to be able to receive light scanned just beyond the edge of the photosensitive belt until the light hits the edge of the photosensitive belt; a scanning reference position signal generator for generating a scanning reference position signal at a point in time at which a signal output from the first photodetector in response to the reception of light, and a signal output from the second photodetector in response t

Abstract: A thermal recording system for recording an image or the like on a thermo-sensitive recording medium using a laser beam under a preheated condition of the thermo-sensitive recording medium. In the thermal recording system, a preheating means preheats the thermo-sensitive recording medium which has leuco dyes, a developer and light-absorbing dyes all provided on a support and which develops color in continuous tone at a density corresponding to the energy of applied heat, to a predetermined temperature less than a color-developing temperature. A heating-beam generating means allows the thermo-sensitive recording medium to be scanned with a laser beam emitted therefrom so as to heat the thermo-sensitive recording medium to a predetermined color-developing temperature. Thus, the heating-beam generating means can control the laser beam in a sufficient control range, thereby making it possible to record an image or the like on the thermo-sensitive recording medium with high accuracy.

Abstract: The thermal recording apparatus includes an image recording device and a light irradiation device. The image recording device records an image by heating imagewise a thermal recording material. This material includes a color forming agent and a developer and optionally a light absorption dye on a substrate and is colored at a density corresponding to an added thermal energy. The light irradiation device irradiates light containing an absorption wavelength of 400 nm to 700 nm of a color forming dye of the thermal recording material to the thermal recording material heated and colored by the image recording device. The apparatus can form an image with a high contrast at a high sensibility while a sufficient dynamic range is secured, and the stability of the formed image is also high.

Abstract: A printer with sheet preheating in which toner applied to a toner ribbon is heat-transferred onto a heat adhesive recording sheet, wherein: a heating member heats the recording sheet at a temperature within the range of predetermined temperatures before the heat transfer is provided. Accordingly, the heat adhesiveness of the recording sheet can be substantially constant regardless of the environment of circumferential temperature, and the variation in sensitivities due to the difference in environment to be used and the difference in the order of transfer can be reduced.

Abstract: Disclosed is a processing apparatus for a rewritable card having a printing layer made of a heat-reversible recording material on which erasing/printing processes of images are repeatedly performed while traveling the card in a processing direction. The apparatus comprises an erasing/printing device for performing erasing/printing processes with respect to the printing layer; a heating device for performing heating process with respect to the printing layer; a temperature measuring device for measuring at least one of the temperature of the rewritable card and the ambient temperature in erasing/printing processes; and a control device for controlling the erasing/printing processes by the erasing/printing device and the heating process by the heating device according to the temperature measured by the temperature measuring device.

Abstract: A printer with sheet preheating in which toner applied to a toner ribbon is heat-transferred onto a heat adhesive recording sheet, wherein: a heating member heats the recording sheet at a temperature within the range of predetermined temperatures before the heat transfer is provided. Accordingly, the heat adhesiveness of the recording sheet can be substantially constant regardless of the environment of circumferential temperature, and the variation in sensitivities due to the difference in environment to be used and the difference in the order of transfer can be reduced.

Abstract: A method of forming authenticated images on image areas of a receiver to form a series of viewable images such as postal stamps including moving a colorant donor element having a plurality of transferable colorants into transferable relationship with the receiver, the colorant donor element includes a representation of an image and marks which authenticate the image having colorant over such representation and marks; and transferring colorants onto the receiver in accordance with the representation and marks in the colorant donor element to form authenticated images in the receiver.

Abstract: A thermal transfer recording apparatus for performing recording of data on a recording medium by transferring ink of an ink sheet on said recording medium comprises conveying means for conveying said ink sheet and recording medium, recording means for effecting said ink sheet to record image data on said recording medium, and control means for counting time after image recording by said recording means and driving said recording means when the next image recording is not performed in a predetermined time period.

Abstract: A printing apparatus for printing an image on a sheet fed along a sheet feeding path. The printing apparatus includes a print head unit and a sheet feeding system. The sheet feeding system may include a pair of rollers and a sheet guide device. The pair of rollers apply a charge to a sheet and feed the sheet toward a printing device. The sheet guide device is positioned adjacent the printing device and attracts the charged sheet and guides the sheet fed by the pair of rollers. The sheet feeding system may also include a charge dissipating device that removes the charge on the sheet after printing.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for setting a distribution of image points on a printing surface having a coating of thermally activated material. For each image point to be set and used as part of an image, a laser heats the image point for a predetermined time period to a limiting or process temperature. The image points are preheated to an intermediate temperature below the limiting or process temperature and above an ambient temperature in order to reduce the energy required to raise the temperature of the thermally activated material at an image point to be set. In one embodiment of the invention, the entire printing surface is preheated to the intermediate temperature. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, only a region of the printing surface is preheated. In this alternative embodiment, the region moves with a writing head that sets the image points.

Abstract: Temporary take-up drum for removing curl from rolled receiver paper. A thermal printer mechanism arrangement with a thermal printer head (9), a paper supply roll (11), and a temporary print take-up drum (12). The paper supply roll (11) rolls in a direction allowing the paper (13) to pass between the thermal printer head (9) and the platen roller (10). A temporary take-up drum (12) receives the receiver paper (13) and rotates in a direction opposite from that of the paper supply roll (11).

Abstract: A method and apparatus for producing a thermal pulse for a drop on demand printer actuator. A varying voltage pulse is applied to a resistance heater forming part of the actuator, which generates time varying power in the resistance heater. The power varies with respect to time in a manner comprising:1) a pre-heating stage, which raises the temperature of the actuator, but is of insufficient total energy to actuate the printing actuator;2) a stage of increased power which rapidly raises the temperature of the actuator to the required temperature for operation;3) a stage of decreased power, which is less than the power in stage (b) but is sufficient to maintain the temperature of the temperature at the required temperature for operation;4) a stage of low or zero power, during which the temperature of the temperature rapidly falls below the required temperature for operation.

Abstract: A thermal recording system for recording an image on a thermo-sensitive recording medium using a laser beam under a preheated condition of the thermo-sensitive recording medium. In the thermal recording system, a preheating device preheats the thermo-sensitive recording medium which has leuco dyes, a developer and light-absorbing dyes all provided on a support, and which develops color in a continuous tone at a density corresponding to the energy of the applied heat, to a predetermined temperature less than a color-developing temperature. A heating-beam generating device allows a laser beam to scan the thermo-sensitive recording medium so as to heat the thermo-sensitive recording medium to a predetermined color-developing temperature. Thus, the heating-beam generating device can control the laser beam in a sufficient control range, thereby making it possible to record an image on the thermo-sensitive recording medium with high accuracy.

Abstract: A laser thermal system that uses a dye donor produces a desired relationship of exposure to density by modifying the input current waveform supplied to the exposure source. The modification is a combination of amplitude modulation and pulse width modulation in an imagewise fashion. The efficiency and the speed of image formation is increased by bringing the dye donor temperature near the threshold of dye transfer using a segment of the total current waveform for a very short duration.

Abstract: In a facsimile machine, when a received image data having resolution of standard mode is stored in a reception data memory, the image data is decoded and then converted to image data of two fine or four super fine lines and stored in a first recording data memory. The image data stored in the first recording data memory is subjected to a thin-out processing at a set reduction ratio, then stored in a second recording data memory and finally recorded on a recording sheet.

Abstract: A heat-sensitive recording material which develops color in a density according to heat energy supplied thereto is pre-heated by supplying the heat-sensitive recording material with heat energy less than color developing heat energy and information is recorded on the recording material by supplying predetermined color developing heat energy to the heat-sensitive recording material according to the information to be recorded. After the information is recorded, the recording material is rapidly cooled by a cooling block which is disposed in the recording position or the vicinity of the recording position downstream thereof.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a plurality of image forming units for forming, on an image receiving member such as a transfer sheet, toner images of a plurality of different colors such as magenta, cyan, yellow and black. Each of the image forming units includes a photosensitive drum serving as an image carrier, a developing device for developing an electrostatic latent image carried by the image carrier to form a color toner image, and a transfer device for transferring the toner image to the image receiving member. The developing device in the image forming unit for forming on the image receiving member the toner image of an (i+1)-th color is of the type capable of simultaneously performing both development and removal of residual toner. The transfer currents T.sub.i and T.sub.i+1 employed by the transfer units which perform transfer of the toner images of an i-th color and the (i+1)-th color satisfy the following condition (1).

Abstract: In a thermal recording apparatus using a thermo-sensitive recording medium, a semiconductor laser outputs a laser beam modulated according to a gradation signal of an image to be recorded for a first time interval required to scan an image region of the recording medium, and an acousto-optic modulator modulates a laser beam generated by a gas laser to supply the image region with heat energy less than a coloring energy of the recording medium for the first time interval, and to supply a region other than the image region with a high energy exceeding the coloring energy for a time interval required to scan the other region, to draw black borders surrounding the image recorded on the recording medium.

Abstract: An interactive dye thermal transfer printing apparatus and process uses a dye donor layer and a dye receiver layer, passing the dye donor layer and the opposed receiver layer between a thermal print head and a platen heated to raise the temperature of the dye receiver layer to its glass transition temperature. The thermal print head is image-wise energized to diffuse dye from the dye donor layer to the dye receiver layer. At the same time, thermal energy is transferred from the platen to the dye receiver layer to provide energy to react the dye with the receiver layer.

Abstract: A method of and an apparatus for thermally recording an image on a thermo-sensitive recording medium. The apparatus comprises a heating mechanism for applying the thermo-sensitive recording medium with a coloring thermal energy to record the image, a conveying mechanism for moving the recording medium in a sub-scanning direction, a moisture content adjusting mechanism for adjusting the moisture content of the recording medium unexposed to the thermal energy, a humidity detecting mechanism for detecting the humidity in the vicinity of the position where the recording medium is exposed to the thermal energy, and a controller for controlling the moisture content adjusting mechanism based on the detected humidity.

Abstract: A thermal transfer recording and correction method, in which a thermal transfer ink layer is placed in contact with a transfer-receiving medium and is heated by heat generating elements of a thermal head in a pattern corresponding to a recording signal, is improved by preheating the ink layer. The ink layer, which is characterized by a transfer initiation temperature, is preheated by the thermal head which is heated by a preheating means. When a region of the ink layer is then further heated by the heat generating elements, the temperature of that region has a maximum and a minimum both within a range extending from the transfer initiation temperature to about 40.degree. C. higher than the transfer initiation temperature. Since the maximum and minimum temperatures are within a suppressed temperature range, an erroneous image can be more easily peeled off the transfer-receiving medium.

Abstract: There is disclosed a thermal printer system having a multiple channel laser print head which focuses closely spaced spots of laser light energy onto a dye donor element which moves at constant velocity relatively past the print head. These laser light spots respectively print multiple lines of an image a swath at a time by heat transfer of pixels or subpixels of dye from the dye donor element to a receiver element. A light source (such as an arc lamp) applies to the dye donor element one or more precisely positioned spots of light energy which elevate the temperature of the dye donor element substantially uniformly within a zone coincidently with and closely surrounding the laser light spots. The shape, the position and the power absorbed within the zone from the light source are carefully controlled. Thus the temperature within this zone is held to a substantially uniform value slightly below the vaporization temperature of the dye to be transferred from the dye donor element.