Abstract: A direct marking, bidirectional, swathing printer eliminates hue shift between forward and reverse directions swath of the printhead by including at least two sets of printheads, with each set including a printhead for each of the set of colors deposited by the printhead. The color order of the different printheads of each set are different between the two sets, and preferably in reverse order, so that as the printheads move in both the forward and reverse directions alternating rows of dots are formed in reverse color order, so that hue shift due to the order in which colors are deposited occurs on a dot to dot basis, rather than on a swath to swath basis.

Abstract: A color scanner is provided having a commonly mounted and driven original scanning table and LED dot generator exposure source. Scanning is accomplished by illuminating a strip of the original artwork with high intensity fluorescent light and detecting the illuminated strip through a linear scanning aperture, lens and color filter wheel using a charge coupled device ("CCD") linear detector. Original artwork is held by vacuum against the flat original artwork receiving surface and photosensitive material is automatically loaded and held by vacuum onto the surface of a rotating exposure drum mounted parallel to the direction of travel of the LED dot generator exposure source, and the exposed halftone film is automatically removed from the drum surface and loaded into a transfer cartridge. Advantageously, multiple linear scans may be averaged in order to reduce color fringe effects.

Abstract: A transfer cartridge for photosensitive material includes an enclosure with an entry slot in one of its walls, and end caps to seal the opposite ends of the enclosure. A pair of rollers is disposed in aligned, parallel relationship within the enclosure, and a flexible, opaque belt extends between the rollers, preferably in figure 8-fashion. One roller is rigidly mounted upon an elongated shaft, while the second roller is elastically mounted upon a second elongated shaft through the use of a torsion spring. Drive gears on the exterior of the cartridge impart rotational movement to the rollers and the nip between the rollers grasps the leading edge of a length of photosensitive material and introduces same into the belt. The continued rotation of the rollers in opposite directions causes the belt to wrap the photosensitive material several times about one roller in a sandwich-like fashion.