Abstract: A printing drum (10) contains printing elements (30). These printing elements (30) are each designed as a depression in the surface of the printing drum (10). The printing elements (30) are arranged in the manner of matrix rows. A printing drum (10) has more than one matrix row (33) of printing elements (30). Each printing element (30) contains a selectively activatable heating device (31) which is capable of heating ink (13) contained in the printing element (30), in such a way that, utilizing a gas bubble formed at the same time, the ink is ejected out of the printing element (30) in the direction of a recording medium (14). The printing elements (30) are filled with ink (13) in an inking station (11).

Abstract: An electrophotographic printer, in particular for printing individual sheets, contains one or more printing modules (10/1 to 10/4) in which the printing apparatus for carrying out the electrophotographic process are constructionally combined. The printing modules are designed as separate constructional units for mounting in a housing of the printer and have fitting elements (32, 33) for arranging the printing modules (10/1 to 10/4) in rows in the housing (34) in an exactly fitting manner. Each printing module (10/1 to 10/4) contains an intermediate carrier (14) with associated fixing elements in order to transfer a toner image, produced on a photoconductive drum (11) onto a recording carrier (15) and to fix there. The printer can be upgraded from a single-color simplex printer to a multi-color duplex printer by multiple arrangement of the printing modules.

Abstract: A printer comprising a temperature control (A) that sets a recording medium (10) conducted through the printer under motor drive approximately uniformly to a predetermined temperature, comprising a thermal writer (B) that generates a latent character image on the recording medium (10) by local heat application controlled character-dependent, and comprising a developer (C) in which the latent character image is developed by condensation of a color vapor or by color application.

Abstract: A drive arrangement for driving a plurality of non-mechanical printing devices working in tandem operation includes an independently functioning control arrangement for each printing device coupled to an external data source, the control arrangement being organized in a data control level and in a device control level. Coupling of the printing devices through coordination control units ensues on the device control level for synchronization so that a web-shaped recording medium is printed first in a first device and then supplied to further, following printing devices.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for generating characters using a dot-matrix printer for generating image dots having printing means which is moved along a recording medium in a line-by-line fashion, incorporates a matrix memory for storing a plurality of character fields of identical size made up of line-defining binary character element sequences. The character fields are read out from the matrix memory and are converted into drive signals for the recording means. Character fields containing displaceable character elements contain an identifier character. A recognition arrangement recognizes the presence of an identifier character in a character field, and selectively delays the drive signals for those character element sequences which are to be delayed. Each sequence to be delayed is identified as delayed by an identifier character.