Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for encoding and decoding codes, such as bar codes, containing a plurality of features, such as bars and spaces of varying widths. In one aspect of the present invention, techniques are provided for encoding information in an arbitrary-length code using a single symbol. Techniques for encoding and decoding information using codes having features with more than two distinct values are also provided.

Abstract: In one aspect of the invention there is disclosed a multicolor thermal imaging system wherein different heating elements on a thermal print head can print on different color-forming layers of a multicolor thermal imaging member in a single pass. The line-printing time is divided into portions, each of which is divided into a plurality of subintervals. All of the pulses within the portions have the same energy. In one embodiment, every pulse has the same amplitude and duration. Different colors are selected for printing during the different portions by varying the fraction of subintervals that contain pulses. This technique allows multiple colors to be printed using a thermal print head with a single strobe signal line. Pulsing patterns may be chosen to reduce the coincidence of pulses provided to multiple print head elements, thereby reducing the peak power requirements of the print head.