Abstract: The present application is directed to systems and methods for print alignment by a continuous feed printer. A sensor of a printer detects a first line of a pattern on a non-printing side of a printing medium, the pattern comprising two non-parallel lines separated by a predetermined distance at a predetermined position of the printing medium. The printer advances the printing medium a first distance, and the sensor detects a second line of the pattern. The printer identifies a horizontal offset of the printing medium from an expected location of the predetermined position proportional to the difference between the first distance and the predetermined distance.

Abstract: The present application is directed to systems and methods for print alignment by a continuous feed printer. A sensor of a printer detects a first line of a pattern on a non-printing side of a printing medium, the pattern comprising two non-parallel lines separated by a predetermined distance at a predetermined position of the printing medium. The printer advances the printing medium a first distance, and the sensor detects a second line of the pattern. The printer identifies a horizontal offset of the printing medium from an expected location of the predetermined position proportional to the difference between the first distance and the predetermined distance.

Abstract: The present application is directed to systems and methods for print alignment by a continuous feed printer. A sensor of a printer detects a first line of a pattern on a non-printing side of a printing medium, the pattern comprising two non-parallel lines separated by a predetermined distance at a predetermined position of the printing medium. The printer advances the printing medium a first distance, and the sensor detects a second line of the pattern. The printer identifies a horizontal offset of the printing medium from an expected location of the predetermined position proportional to the difference between the first distance and the predetermined distance.

Abstract: A thermal printer is disclosed which includes a plurality of thermal print heads, each of the plurality of thermal print heads being operable to print a distinct one of a plurality of colors. The plurality of thermal print heads may print output at a plurality of spatial resolutions. The thermal printer may include dot size varying means for varying perceived levels of color printed by the thermal printer by varying sizes of dots printed by the plurality of thermal print heads. The printer may perform various image processing steps on an image to be printed, such as tone scale adjustment, thermal history control, and common mode voltage correction, to improve the perceived quality of the printed image. The thermal printer may be incorporated into a digital photo-printing vending machine for printing images provided by a customer.

Abstract: A printing device that includes a platen for supporting an imaging member during a printing operation and at least one print head subassembly for direct thermal printing on the imaging member. The print head subassembly is configured to be movable independently of the platen for printing on a first surface of the imaging member in a first transport path and on a second surface of the imaging member in a second transport path. The printing device also includes at least one driving roller for driving the imaging member during the printing operation that is configured to drive the imaging member through a driving nip created by the driving roller with a substantially constant degree of wrap wherein the distance of transport of said imaging member for a given angular rotation of said driving roller is substantially the same for the first transport path and the second transport path.

Abstract: A printing device that includes a platen for supporting an imaging member during a printing operation and at least one print head subassembly for direct thermal printing on the imaging member. The print head subassembly can be configured to be movable independently of the platen for printing on a first surface of the imaging member in a first transport path and on a second surface of the imaging member in a second transport path. Alternatively, the printing device can include two print head subassemblies, each positioned to print on a different side of the imaging member. The position of the print line of the print head in each printing position is offset from a dead center alignment with respect to a platen.

Abstract: A printing device that includes a platen for supporting an imaging member during a printing operation and at least one print head subassembly for direct thermal printing on the imaging member. The print head subassembly is configured to be movable independently of the platen for printing on a first surface of the imaging member in a first transport path and on a second surface of the imaging member in a second transport path. The printing device also includes an element movable with said print head subassembly for ensuring that the wrap of the imaging member around the platen is substantially symmetrical about the print line such that the thermal heating elements of the thermal print head are substantially parallel to the surface of the imaging member when printing on each side of the imaging member.

Abstract: In one aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for producing a halftone of a source image. The halftone includes halftone pixels. The halftone pixels are suitable for containing halftone dots. The method selects glyphs corresponding to intensities of regions (e.g., pixels) in the source image. The glyphs contain one or more halftone dots. The method locates halftone dots within the halftone pixels such that for at least one pair of halftone dots contained within a pair of halftone pixels sharing a common boundary, the halftone dots in the pair of halftone pixels extend in opposite directions from the common boundary.

Abstract: A thermal printer is disclosed which includes a plurality of thermal print heads, each of the plurality of thermal print heads being operable to print a distinct one of a plurality of colors. The plurality of thermal print heads may print output at a plurality of spatial resolutions. The thermal printer may include dot size varying means for varying perceived levels of color printed by the thermal printer by varying sizes of dots printed by the plurality of thermal print heads. The printer may perform various image processing steps on an image to be printed, such as tone scale adjustment, thermal history control, and common mode voltage correction, to improve the perceived quality of the printed image. The thermal printer may be incorporated into a digital photo-printing vending machine for printing images provided by a customer.

Abstract: A thermal printer is disclosed which includes a plurality of thermal print heads, each of the plurality of thermal print heads being operable to print a distinct one of a plurality of colors. The plurality of thermal print heads may print output at a plurality of spatial resolutions. The thermal printer may include dot size varying means for varying perceived levels of color printed by the thermal printer by varying sizes of dots printed by the plurality of thermal print heads. The printer may perform various image processing steps on an image to be printed, such as tone scale adjustment, thermal history control, and common mode voltage correction, to improve the perceived quality of the printed image. The thermal printer may be incorporated into a digital photo-printing vending machine for printing images provided by a customer.

Abstract: A thermal printer is disclosed which includes a plurality of thermal print heads, each of the plurality of thermal print heads being operable to print a distinct one of a plurality of colors. The plurality of thermal print heads may print output at a plurality of spatial resolutions. The thermal printer may include dot size varying means for varying perceived levels of color printed by the thermal printer by varying sizes of dots printed by the plurality of thermal print heads. The printer may perform various image processing steps on an image to be printed, such as tone scale adjustment, thermal history control, and common mode voltage correction, to improve the perceived quality of the printed image. The thermal printer may be incorporated into a digital photo-printing vending machine for printing images provided by a customer.

Abstract: In one aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for producing a halftone of a source image. The halftone includes halftone pixels. The halftone pixels are suitable for containing halftone dots. The method selects glyphs corresponding to intensities of regions (e.g., pixels) in the source image. The glyphs contain one or more halftone dots. The method locates halftone dots within the halftone pixels such that for at least one pair of halftone dots contained within a pair of halftone pixels sharing a common boundary, the halftone dots in the pair of halftone pixels extend in opposite directions from the common boundary.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for peeling an image media-laminate to remove a throw-away layer from a keeper layer. The laminate is fed through a nip defined by upper and lower rolls and then the laminate is bent upwardly about a surface on the upper roll by an upwardly moving bar. One side of the bent laminate opposite the bar is held by vacuum adjacent a free edge of the laminate and then the bar is lowered during which a spring element on the bar deflects the free edge of the laminate to separate the layers due to differences in their stiffness. The lowering of the bar permits the keeper layer to descend as it separates from the throw-away layer which is released from the vacuum and continuously peeled by take-away rollers.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for peeling a laminate containing image media wherein the leading edge portion of the laminate is struck by beater blades to initially separate the leading edge portion of one layer from the laminate. The separated leading edge portion is then transported into a nip defined by a peel surface and a lower peel roll after which the leading edge portion is bent about the peel surface by a folder driven by a linkage mechanism. While the leading edge portion of the laminate is bent, one layer is held by a vacuum device while the remainder of the laminate returns to its path of travel under its own resiliency. The separated layer is then peeled from the laminate by take-away rolls while guided by the peel surface. The remainder of the laminate is guided by a deflector roll to move along the path at a predetermined angle while the layer is being peeled. In one method, the layer is peeled at an angle to the longitudinal direction of the laminate.

Abstract: Printing apparatus and method particularly suited to provide a hardcopy of an image which is produced by medical imaging equipment or the like. The apparatus produces hardcopy consisting of pixels whose size can be changed by area modulation to suit image tonal content and detail while still maintaining a large number of gray levels per area modulation cell (pixel). Preferably, the same area modulation patterns representing pixel tonal values are used for printing pixels of different sizes.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for delaminating a composite sheet structure of the kind comprising a vertically frangible layer having a first surface adhesively bonded to a first sheet at a substantially uniform strength and an opposite surface abutting areas which are, respectively, adhesively bonded to a second sheet at strengths less or greater than the uniform strength and having a marginal portion or tab extending beyond the first sheet. The composite sheet structure is fed into the nip of upper and lower peel rollers and upon passage therethrough a strip sheet roller is rotated into position to bend and hold the laminate against the upper peel roller in a position to fracture the tab from the first sheet. On reversal of the feed direction and passage of the laminate back through the nip of the strip sheet and upper peel rollers, the thicker "keeper sheet" of the flexed laminate breaks from the "throw-away" sheet containing the tab, at the preformed tab.

Abstract: In one aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for producing a halftone of a source image. The halftone includes halftone pixels. The halftone pixels are suitable for containing halftone dots. The method selects glyphs corresponding to intensities of regions (e.g., pixels) in the source image. The glyphs contain one or more halftone dots. The method locates halftone dots within the halftone pixels such that for at least one pair of halftone dots contained within a pair of halftone pixels sharing a common boundary, the halftone dots in the pair of halftone pixels extend in opposite directions from the common boundary.