Abstract: An impact printer such as a line printer having a base with a hammerbank mounted on the base driven for reciprocal movement. The hammerbank has a plurality of hammers with printing tips formed on frets in two longitudinally oriented rows defining an upper row and a lower row. A permanent magnet with pole pieces retains the hammers until a coil overcomes the magnetic retention. A print ribbon is impacted by the printing tips of the impact printer such as a line printer against a print media. The print ribbon has a first longitudinal high strike zone of ink of greater print yield with a low strike zone of lesser print yield on either side of the first zone. The print yield can be a factor of ink viscosity, pigment content, fabric content, fabric composition, or dye features.

Abstract: A display for a personal computer includes a printer having a transport path which extends in a direction parallel to a surface in which a slot forming the path is located. A keyboard and a central processing unit for a personal computer are also each equipped with printers having similar parallel transport paths.

Abstract: The object is to print continuously in the specified order by one operation a series of print jobs printed in any timing by a plurality of host computers for the same printer even if a usual print job is spooled together in a print server. In a method for solving the problem, a print server identifies ordered print jobs for which print order is to be specified and non-ordered print jobs out of a plurality of print jobs transmitted in any timing from a client, the print order for each print job identified as such is rearranged and aligned in specified order, and the output order for each print job aligned for a printer based on the state of alignment.

Abstract: Print control method and apparatus in which when a character and an overlay overlap or when there is a character in an overlay which is spooled on the foreground, it is possible to prevent a periphery of the character from being displayed as a blank image are provided. For this purpose, when the overlay is spooled on the background, a draw command of each print page of the overlay is spooled earlier than a draw command of each print page of a print document. When there is a character draw command in the draw command of the print document and the setting of the character draw command is set to a mode to paint the periphery of the character white, the setting is changed to a mode in which the periphery of the character is not painted white and the character draw command is spooled as a draw command of each print page.

Abstract: A feeding apparatus, a printing apparatus and a feeding control method can simplify control software significantly on a printing apparatus side and can provide freedom of design in the feeding apparatus. A communication port is provided for communication between the feeding apparatus and the printer. The feeding apparatus performs paper feeding operation after receiving a paper feeding command from the printer. When a sheet is fed in the printer, a feeding operation completion signal is transmitted to the printer. On the other hand, rotation of a feeding roller is resumed at a slightly earlier timing than a rotation start timing of a transporting roller. Therefore, back tension on the sheet by the feeding roller is minimized, and positioning the top of the sheet by the transporting roller is enhanced reliably.

Abstract: A system for automatically reproducing an image on a large surface, such as the external wall of a building or a billboard. The system includes a computer, a translator program, a controller card and image reproduction machinery. The computer is programmed with the translating program which converts a downloaded image file into a data file capable of being used by the controller card. The controller card is used to control drivers which control various motors on the image reproduction machinery. The image production machinery comprises a guide rail, a carriage, and a medium head assembly. The guide rail is suspended adjacent to the surface to be painted. During operation, the guide rail moves along one axis of the surface and the carriage moves longitudinally over the guide rail. The medium head assembly contains a plurality of airbrushes which are equally spaced apart with their tips aimed at a single point on the wall thereby producing a single pixel of various colors and shades.

Abstract: A personal computer includes a built-in printer having a transport path which extends parallel to a surface of the computer housing. The transport path may extend along the entire length of the housing surface, or only partially so. Situated within the housing is a printhead which may be either fixed or movable relative to a print medium inserted into the transport path. If movable, the printhead may have one or two degrees of freedom. An arrangement of sensors, rollers, and other mechanisms may be situated into the housing to automatically move a print medium through the transport path. The personal computer may be incorporated within a system for printing a mark indicative of a stamp or private-carrier rate on an envelope inserted into the transport path. In this system, the scale may be weighed using a removable scale cartridge inserted into a communications port of the computer.

Abstract: An apparatus, which includes a carriage scanning mechanism, can be compactly made and its assembly costs can be reduced. In addition, the drive load can be minimized and a carriage can be precisely driven. The apparatus can be provided in a recording apparatus, an information recording/reproducing apparatus, an information recording apparatus, an information reproduction apparatus, an information reading apparatus and an information erasing apparatus. According to the present invention, each of these apparatuses comprises a carriage provided for performing scanning in a predetermined scanning area, a drive device provided for the carriage, and wire wound around an output unit of the drive device in the predetermined scanning area and extended under tension along a scanning direction of said carriage. The output unit, around which the wire is wound, moves along the wire upon being driven by the drive device to scan the carriage.

Abstract: A sheet having at least one self-adhesive special purpose label arrangement set having a postage indicia label, and preferably a sender label and also preferably an addressee label, and a process for printing these special purpose label arrangement sets. The postage indicia label printed by the process is sized and shaped so that it can be applied to a variety of mail pieces, including mail pieces that have FIM patterns, and the printed postage indicia label can be applied to an upper right hand corner of a mail piece without encroaching on the FIM pattern. The invention also provides a process for printing the self-adhesive special purpose label arrangement set with postage indicia, sender information, and addressee information.

Abstract: A thermal transfer recording apparatus, which has a detachable ink film cassette with an ink film, transfers an ink applied to the ink film to a recording paper by means of a thermal head and forms an image on the recording paper. The ink film cassette holds a supply reel wound around the shaft with the ink film and a take-up reel for taking up the ink film of the supply reel around the shaft. The thermal transfer recording apparatus has a detecting unit for detecting the supply reel mounted in the cassette, and a control unit for detecting the ink film based on a signal from the detecting unit. The detecting unit has a lever, which advances through an opening formed in the cassette from the direction perpendicular to the direction of the axis of the supply reel and comes in contact with the supply reel, and a photosensor for detecting the supply reel through of the lever. This thermal transfer recording apparatus can detect missing of the ink film in advance of the start of a printing operation.

Abstract: A simple, yet accurate way of determining calibration values for correcting the characteristic sinusoidal feed errors of a printer or other recording device (such as a fax machine, plotter, etc.). A sheet of calibration media is employed for facilitating the calculation of the calibration values. The sheet is used in a way that prevents the calibration media errors from affecting the calculation. In particular, the sheet of calibration media is fed twice through the printer, and position data is collected each time. The data is processed in a way that cancels the attendant calibration media errors so that the calculated calibration values precisely correct the characteristic sinusoidal feed errors of that printer.

Abstract: A printer control apparatus and an algorithm for determining the peak instantaneous speed of a substrate through a thermal ink jet printer and a printer apparatus are disclosed herein. The printer includes a dryer module, a print head module, and a controller. The method includes determining the tolerable peak instantaneous speeds of the substrate through the print head and dryer modules, which by their sequential nature, operate out of phase from one another. The lower of the two speeds is then selected as the optimum instantaneous speed of the substrate through the printer. A controller in the printer carries out methods disclosed herein.

Abstract: A system and method for printing directly on a mat board. A computer-readable medium includes a digital image having a size scaled to a size of the mat board. For example, the size can correspond to a border region of the mat board between an outer edge of the mat board and an interior region of the mat board that is open or configured to be open to allow visual access to a selected item placed behind the mat board. The digital image is transmitted to a computer printer coupled to the computer-readable medium, and the digital image is printed directly on the mat board with the computer printer while the mat board is engaged with the computer printer. The mat board can include a mat board body having a forward-facing surface with an at least partially non-porous print receiving medium configured to receive ink from an ink jet printer, and a generally non-porous medium at a rearward-facing surface configured to at least restrict moisture from passing into the mat board body through the rearward-facing surface.

Abstract: Printer control prevents a user from pulling on printed roll paper before the printed form is cut from the roll while still providing the printed paper quickly to the user. When a paper sensor detects the trailing end of printed portion of the paper, that portion of paper is held by an ejection roller pair to temporarily stop the end of the paper from being ejected from the ejection opening. Paper slack in the paper transportation path is then determined. A paper cutting and ejection roller driving sequence is then executed based on the slack determination to provide the printed portion of the paper to the user through the opening.

Abstract: A networked printing system has the capability of selecting a particular paper feeding slot of a printer by designating a paper name assigned to that particular paper feeding slot. Thus, an optimum printing operation is performed by the printer assigned that paper name. A controller communicates with the respective printers and produces a paper name information table. A paper name list is then produced according to this paper name information table. In accordance with the paper name list, a list of selectable paper names is displayed on a printing operation control screen. If a particular paper name is selected by a user from this list, then a printer assigned the selected paper name is retrieved from the paper name information table, and the retrieve printer is employed as the destination to which printing information is output.

Abstract: A platen together with a frame supporting the platen is rotatably mounted on a shaft and a platen gap is regulated by rotary movement of the frame about that shaft to detect thickness of a printing sheet at a first printing position. The mechanism for setting the platen gap is simplified and precise and the present printer can accommodate even printing sheets whose thickness is partially different. Further, it is detected platen temperature by a simple temperature detecting means and to change the platen position according to the detected temperature by a predetermined value ±&Dgr;d for a standard value d0 of the gap.

Abstract: Problems relating to shifting and misalignment of an ink ribbon relative to the print head as a result of changing the color used for printing with a multi-color ink ribbon are eliminated with the least possible reduction in printing throughput. The ink ribbon 13 can be wound in conjunction with print head 14 movement, and has a plurality of ink colors arranged in a direction perpendicular to the ribbon winding direction. Switching mechanisms 30 and 40 change the relative position between the print head 14 and the ink ribbon 13 in the directional perpendicular to the ink ribbon winding direction. If, after a switching mechanism changes the ink color selection, the distance l of print head movement to the next print start position accompanied by ink ribbon winding is less than a specific distance L needed to correct any misalignment of the ribbon to the print head, the controller moves the print head in a non-printing winding mode a distance of at least L−l to wind the ribbon.

Abstract: A portable, on-line barcode printer has a very small number of variable function keys, each of which is actuable to perform a large number of non-data entry functions for monitoring various components, performing diagnostic testing and setting up the operation of the printer. A display is positioned in association with the function keys and provides both a message section for displaying a text or pictorial message in association with a current mode of operation and an icon section for displaying an icon in association with each of the function keys wherein each icon symbolizes a non-data entry function selectable by actuation of the associated key in the current mode. A controller enables one or more of the function keys in each of a plurality of modes in the printer and controls the message and icon set depicted in each mode so as to change the function of each of the variable function keys.

Abstract: A sheet or roll having at least one self-adhesive special purpose label arrangement set having a postage indicia label and optionally a sender label, and process for printing the special purpose label set or printing the postage indicia directly on upper right hand corner of a business courtesy envelope. The postage indicia label and the indicia printed thereon or directly onto the business courtesy envelope is sized and shaped so that the postage indicia will not impinge on the FIM pattern or the automated postage handling markings on the business courtesy envelope.

Abstract: A printhead scans to form marks in a multirow swath on the medium. A mechanism gives relative motion between the head and medium, orthogonal to the scan. Normal advance of the mechanism is at least several rows. There are variants or preferences: in one, the mechanism steps about a row or less to deliberately misalign successive swaths. There is best no associated data shift or normal advance. In another, the step roughly equalizes graininess between image regions with and without normal advance—e.g. between scans near at least one end of a page, to roughly equalize graininess as to swaths near and far from the end. The step best equals different fractions of a row, respectively, between successive swath pairs; these fractions progressively decrease—as e.g. programmed: paperAdvance=Amplitude*cos(Frequency*nPasses+Phase);. Preferably Amplitude is 7; Frequency is 0.2244; nPasses are increments from zero through 7; and Phase is zero.