Abstract: A printed medium collector comprises a guide surface downwardly inclined from an intake edge toward a drop off edge. A printed medium passes from the intake edge and over the drop off edge and travels away from the guide surface within a range of trajectories. A printed medium storage area receives any printed medium with a leading edge moving within the range of trajectories. The printed medium storage area has a support surface and a stop to block lateral travel of the printed mediums so that such printed mediums are stored to form a stack. The support surface and stop are positioned such that the leading edge of a printed medium that follows the range of trajectories will laterally travel past the trailing edge of each of the printed mediums in the stack before the leading edge passes downward of the trailing edge.

Abstract: A printed medium collector comprises a guide surface downwardly inclined from an intake edge toward a drop off edge. A printed medium passes from the intake edge and over the drop off edge and travels away from the guide surface within a range of trajectories. A printed medium storage area receives any printed medium with a leading edge moving within the range of trajectories. The printed medium storage area has a support surface and a stop to block lateral travel of the printed mediums so that such printed mediums are stored to form a stack. The support surface and stop are positioned such that the leading edge of a printed medium that follows the range of trajectories will laterally travel past the trailing edge of each of the printed mediums in the stack before the leading edge passes downward of the trailing edge.

Abstract: Standard format images having a length L in a print direction and wide-format images having a length greater than 2L in the print direction can be selectively printed from the same set of donor patches. At least one print order is received at a thermal printer requesting the printing of an image of one of the standard format and the wide-format. A donor ribbon having patches of donor material of length in the print direction greater than 2L is advanced through the thermal printer in the print direction said donor ribbon. An image based upon each print order is printed such that the printing is performed using donor material on (1) a fraction of a donor patch when the print order requests a standard format image, and (2) up to a full donor patch when the print order requests a wide-format image.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of loading a thermal ribbon having dye into a cassette assembly of a thermal printer apparatus includes a cassette assembly for storing a thermal ribbon having dye. The thermal ribbon includes a supply ribbon core having a supply of the thermal ribbon wound thereon as a roll and a take-up ribbon core. The cassette assembly includes a supply ribbon support for supporting the supply ribbon core and a take-up ribbon support for supporting the take-up ribbon core. The cassette assembly is removed from the apparatus and then mounted upon a loading aid. The loading aid is mounted on the apparatus and supports the cassette assembly so that the cassette assembly extends outwardly of the printer apparatus to facilitate loading of the supply ribbon core and take-up ribbon core on the cassette assembly.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of loading a thermal ribbon having dye into a cassette assembly of a thermal printer apparatus includes a cassette assembly for storing a thermal ribbon having dye. The thermal ribbon includes a supply ribbon core having a supply of the thermal ribbon wound thereon as a roll and a take-up ribbon core. The cassette assembly includes a supply ribbon support for supporting the supply ribbon core and a take-up ribbon support for supporting the take-up ribbon core. The cassette assembly is removed from the apparatus and then mounted upon a loading aid. The loading aid is mounted on the apparatus and supports the cassette assembly so that the cassette assembly extends outwardly of the printer apparatus to facilitate loading of the supply ribbon core and take-up ribbon core on the cassette assembly.

Abstract: A resistive thermal printer has a platen drive mechanism which includes (1) a thermal printhead having an array of selectively-activatable thermal elements and (2) a rotatably-driven platen roller opposed to the printhead and forming a nip with the printhead through which a receiver medium is driven by the platen roller while the thermal elements are selectively activated. The platen roller has an outer layer of perfluorinated polymer. The platen roller includes a compliant layer below the outer layer of perfluorinated polymer.

Abstract: A method of making a dye-donor film is provided with printing code marking formed on clear areas interspersed between successive sets of dye patches formed on the film.

Abstract: A sheet-feeding apparatus comprises sheet-feeding rollers for advancing sheets, one at a time, from a stack of sheet material. The sheet-feeding rollers are supported by a drive shaft which is mounted for movement toward and away from the sheet stack so that the feed rollers may be selectively displaced from the stack, for example, to effect sheet replenishment. A cam surface associated with a slidable stack support cooperates with a cam-follower associated with the roller shaft to effect displacement of the feed rollers from the stack during sliding movement of the stack support. A pair of one-way clutches and a rack and pinion arrangement cooperate to allow the sheet-feed rollers to rotate freely during initial contact with the top sheet in the stack, thereby avoiding premature feeding of such sheet during a stack reloading process.

Abstract: A compliant head loading mechanism for a thermal printer is disclosed which compliantly loads a thermal print head against a carrier and a receiver mounted on a drum to uniformly apply pressure across the receiver at the nip. The mechanism includes a spring biased pivotably mounted pivot bracket which is moved between load and unload positions and a bracket member which is pivotably mounted on the pivot bracket and which carries the print head.

Abstract: A sheet clamping apparatus for a thermal printer drum includes a clamping lever mounted in a recess of the drum, fixed cam members, and a mechanism mounted on an end surface of the drum and connected to the clamping lever and operatively associated with the cam members for moving the lever between open sheet receiving and ejecting positions and a closed sheet clamping position as the drum rotates.

Abstract: A carrier which can be used in a thermal printer includes a repeating series of spaced yellow, magenta and cyan dye frames having clear interframe areas disposed between dye frames. A cyan code patch is disposed in a portion of the clear interframe between a yellow frame or a series and the cyan frame of the preceding series which permits the identification of the yellow frame of this series.