Abstract: A print head has a plurality of linearly arranged, spaced apart print elements. The print head is positioned in a printing assembly at an angle to the process path of the print receiving documents. The angle of the print head is preselected whereby the distance between adjacent print elements in the direction orthogonal to the process direction is a preselected print resolution. The print head is then operated whereby the print elements fire multiple times as the document moves the preselected print resolution beneath the print head.

Abstract: A thermal printer utilizes a donor web bearing a transfer ink to create enhanced printed images on a strip of sheet material with half-tones, color and other attractive features. The donor web is mounted on supply and take-up spools within a cassette that is removable from the printer in order to change the color or other printing characteristics of the web for various printing operations. A drag brake mounted in the printer connects with the supply spool through a disengageable coupling to maintain tension on the donor web during printing and to allow the web and cassette to be removed from the printer. A feed detection sensor in the form of an optical encoder is also contained within the printer and coupled to the supply spool through the same disengageable coupling utilized by the drag brake to detect feed faults.

Abstract: A thermal printer has a printhead with a plurality of resistive heating elements selectively energized and de-energized to generate printed images on sheet material. In order to improve the quality of the printed image, a capacitor is provided to eliminate surges in the power supplied to the printhead. The capacitor means is mounted in close proximity to the printhead to minimize inductive impedance in the power supply system.