Abstract: A liquid discharging apparatus includes: liquid discharging modules which are arranged in a first direction along a predetermined plane; and a wiring member commonly joined to the liquid discharging modules. The wiring member includes: first parts joined to the liquid discharging modules, respectively, in a state that the first parts are arranged side by side in the first direction along the predetermined plane; second parts; and a sixth part. The second parts include: third parts extending from the first parts, respectively, in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and along the predetermined plane, fourth parts extending in a third direction away from the predetermined plane, and fifth parts connected to the third parts and the fourth parts, respectively. Width in the first direction of each of the second parts is smaller than width in the first direction of the sixth part.

Abstract: A thermal head X1 according to the present disclosure includes a substrate, a heat generator, an electrode, and a protective layer. The heat generator is positioned on the substrate. The electrode is positioned on the substrate and connected to the heat generator. The protective layer covers the heat generator and part of the electrode. The protective layer contains titanium and nitrogen. The protective layer satisfies P2>P1 where P1 is the peak intensity of X-ray diffraction of the (111) plane, and P2 is the peak intensity of X-ray diffraction of the (200) plane.

Abstract: An inkjet printing apparatus includes a printhead configured to form an image by discharging ink to a transfer member, a transfer unit configured to transfer the image from the transfer member to a print medium, and an application unit configured to apply a first liquid to the transfer member prior to formation of the image by the printhead. The inkjet printing apparatus also includes a first drying unit configured to dry the first liquid applied to the transfer member by the application unit by blowing air using a first air blower before the ink is discharged by the printhead to the transfer member.

Abstract: A thermal transfer printer comprises a print head drive mechanism that is configured to reciprocally move a print head parallel to movement of a carrier ribbon past the print head. A controller is configured to control the print head drive mechanism to move the print head in a first direction along the carrier ribbon to transfer ink material from the carrier ribbon to a substrate to print a first portion of an image on a first area of the substrate. The controller is also configured to control movement of the print head in a second direction opposite to the first direction as the carrier ribbon and substrate are also moved in the second direction to position the print head relative to the carrier ribbon so that a second portion of the image is printed on a second are of the substrate adjacent to the first area of the substrate.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a thermal head, comprising the steps of: bonding a support substrate and an upper substrate, which have a flat shape, together in a laminated state, the support substrate and the upper substrate having opposed surfaces, at least one of which includes a concave portion; thinning the upper substrate bonded onto the support substrate; a measurement step of measuring a thickness of the thinned upper substrate; determining a target resistance value of a heating resistor from the following expression based on the measured thickness of the upper substrate; and forming the heating resistor having the target resistance value at a position opposed to the concave portion, Rh=R0×(1+(D1+D0)/(D0+K)) where Rh represents the target resistance value; R0, a design resistance value; D1, the thickness of the upper substrate; D0, a design thickness of the upper substrate; and K, a heating efficiency coefficient.

Abstract: An inkjet offset printer includes an image receiving drum assembly having a hollow drum with an external surface and an internal surface defining an internal cavity. A heating and a cooling system located in the internal cavity provides distributed heating and cooling to the internal surface of the drum. Heating and cooling can be provided to individual regions of the internal drum surface to maintain a substantially uniform external drum surface temperature.

Abstract: In manufacturing method for a thermal head, concave portions, including a reference concave portion, are formed on a surface of a substrate so that a length of each of the concave portions other than the reference concave portion increases as a distance from the reference concave portion in a length direction increases and so that a width of each of the concave portions other than the reference concave portion increases as a distance from the reference concave portion in a width direction increases. A mark identifying the reference concave portion is formed on the surface of the substrate. An insulating film is thermally fusion bonded to the surface of the substrate including the concave portions formed thereon. Heating resistors are formed on the insulating film using a photo mask by aligning the photo mask with the substrate in accordance with the reference concave portion to form the heating resistors so as to be opposed to the plurality of concave portions.

Abstract: An inkjet offset printer includes an image receiving drum assembly having a hollow drum with an external surface and an internal surface defining an internal cavity. A heating and a cooling system located in the internal cavity provides distributed heating and cooling to the internal surface of the drum. Heating and cooling can be provided to individual regions of the internal drum surface to maintain a substantially uniform external drum surface temperature.

Abstract: A thermal head including: a laminated substrate including a support substrate and an upper substrate at least one of which has a recess formed in a surface thereof; a heat generating resistor formed on a surface of the upper substrate in the laminated substrate at a position opposed to the recess; and a pair of electrode portions connected to each of both ends of a heat generating resistor, wherein the laminated substrate further includes: an intermediate metal layer sandwiched between the support substrate and the upper substrate and bonded thereto in a laminated state; and a surrounding metal layer formed of a metal material, the surrounding metal layer provided in contact with the intermediate metal layer and formed from a surface of the support substrate extending in a thickness direction thereof to a surface thereof opposite to a portion bonded to the upper substrate.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a thermal head, comprising the steps of: bonding a support substrate and an upper substrate, which have a flat shape, together in a laminated state, the support substrate and the upper substrate having opposed surfaces, at least one of which includes a heat-insulating concave portion; thinning the upper substrate bonded onto the support substrate in the bonding step; measuring a thickness of the upper substrate thinned in the thinning step; forming an identifying resistor having a resistance value varied in accordance with the thickness of the upper substrate measured in the measurement step, the identifying resistor including one end grounded; and forming a heating resistor on a surface of the upper substrate thinned in the thinning step at a position opposed to the heat-insulating concave portion.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a thermal head, comprising the steps of: bonding a support substrate and an upper substrate, which have a flat shape, together in a laminated state, the support substrate and the upper substrate having opposed surfaces, at least one of which includes a concave portion; thinning the upper substrate bonded onto the support substrate; a measurement step of measuring a thickness of the thinned upper substrate; determining a target resistance value of a heating resistor from the following expression based on the measured thickness of the upper substrate; and forming the heating resistor having the target resistance value at a position opposed to the concave portion, Rh=R0×(1+(D1+D0)/(D0+K)) where Rh represents the target resistance value; R0, a design resistance value; D1, the thickness of the upper substrate; D0, a design thickness of the upper substrate; and K, a heating efficiency coefficient.

Abstract: The thermal head includes a support substrate, a glaze layer, heating resistors provided on the surface of the glaze layer, and a pair of electrode portions formed on the surface of the heating resistor. Each of the pair of electrode portions includes a thick electrode portion and a thin electrode portion. The thick electrode portion includes a flat surface having a thickness h1 and an inclined surface which is provided from the flat surface toward the center C of the surface of the heating resistor. The thin electrode portion has a thickness h2 smaller than the thickness h1, and is formed so as to cover the thick electrode portion.

Abstract: A thermal printhead includes a substrate, a nonconductive coating over the substrate, a number of heating elements disposed on the substrate, and one or more resistors at least partially disposed within the nonconductive coating. The heating elements cause thermochromic media to selectively darken in accordance with selective activation of the heating elements as the media moves in relation to the thermal printhead, to print a desired image on the media. The nonconductive coating protects the heating elements and wears away with usage of the printhead. The media comes into contact with the nonconductive coating during printing of the desired image on the media. The resistors indicate wear of the thermal printhead, and have electrical resistances that increase as the resistors are worn away in accordance with wearing away of the nonconductive coating.

Abstract: A thermal printer head that is highly efficient to manufacture is provided, which includes: a first substrate (11), including a first main surface (110), a first inclined surface (111) that is inclined relative to the first main surface (110), and a second inclined surface (112) that is inclined relative to the first main surface (110); an electrode layer (3), laminated on the first main surface (110), the first inclined surface (111), and the second inclined surface (112); a resistor layer (4), having a plurality of heat dissipation portions (41) respectively laminated on the first inclined surface (111) and crossing separated parts in the electrode layer (3); a driving integrated circuit (IC), for controlling the current passing through each heat dissipation portion (41); and a plurality of wires (81), respectively joined to the driving IC and joined to the second inclined surface (112) through the electrode layer (3).

Abstract: A thermal printer that can print on media that is thicker than would otherwise be the case, because the outer surface of the heating element in its print head is oriented at an angle ? with respect to a radial line A that extends from the center of its platen through the center of its heating element, wherein angle ? is not essentially 90°; and/or because the output side of its ribbon and media is urged against the platen to curve arcuately around the platen for an angle ?, wherein angle ? is measured between radial line A and a line that extends from the center of the platen through the last contact point of the output side of the media with the outer surface of the platen.

Abstract: To improve print quality, a plurality of heating resistors (14) are arranged with spaces therebetween on a heat storage layer (13) laminated on a surface of a supporting substrate (11) via an adhesive layer (12) made of an elastic material. A cavity portion (19) is formed at a region between the supporting substrate (11) and the heat storage layer (13), the region being opposed to a heat generating portion of each of the plurality of heating resistors (14). The elastic material constituting the adhesive layer (12) is arranged so that the elastic material is in a bonded state with respect to at least a part of a surface of the heat storage layer (13) opposed to the cavity portion (19).

Abstract: A thermal head manufacturing method comprises a concave portion forming step of forming a concave portion on one surface of a supporting substrate, a bonding step of bonding a thin plate glass to the one surface of the supporting substrate where the concave portion has been formed in a manner that hermetically seals the concave portion and forms a hollow portion, a heating step of heating the supporting substrate and the thin plate glass which have been bonded together in the bonding step to thereby soften the thin plate glass and expand gas trapped inside the hollow portion, and a heating resistor forming step of forming a heating resistor on the thin plate glass so as to be opposed to the hollow portion. During the heating step, the thin glass plate undergoes plastic deformation, due to expansion of the gas inside the hollow portion, and rises toward an opposite side from the hollow portion, and a leveling step is carried out to level the outer surface of the plastically deformed thin glass plate.

Abstract: A thermal head has a heat storage layer bonded onto a surface of the substrate, a heating resistor provided on the heat storage layer, and a pair of electrode portions connected to the heating resistor. The heating resistor has a heating portion which does not overlap the pair of electrode portions. A hollow portion is provided in a region of at least one of the surface of the substrate and a surface of the heat storage layer, the region being opposed to the heating resistor. A center line of the hollow portion is shifted with respect to a center line of a heating portion of the heating resistor.

Abstract: Provided is a heating resistor element (1), including: an insulating substrate (9); a heat accumulating layer (10) bonded to a surface of the insulating substrate (9); and a heating resistor (11) provided on the heat accumulating layer (10), in which: on at least one of bonded surfaces (9a) between the insulating substrate (9) and the heat accumulating layer (10), at least one of the insulating substrate (9) and the heat accumulating layer (10) is provided with a concave portion (16) in a region opposed to the heating resistor (11) to form a hollow portion (17); and the hollow portion (17) includes an inner surface on a side of the insulating substrate (9), the inner surface being processed to have surface roughness (Ra) of 0.2 ?m or more. Accordingly, heat accumulation in a gas of the hollow portion (17) can be suppressed to improve printing quality.

Abstract: A thermal head includes a glass layer provided with a groove section formed inside the glass layer, a heat generating resistor disposed outside the glass layer, and a pair of electrodes provided to both sides of the heat generating resistor, wherein a part of the heat generating resistor exposed between the pair of electrodes is defined as a heat generating section, and at least one of the pair of electrodes has a smaller width in an end section on an opposite side to a side of the heat generating section than a width of an end section on the side of the heat generating section.

Abstract: A thermal head which forms an image on a recording medium by pressing a protruding portion on which heating elements are arranged on the recording medium while driving the heating elements to be heated includes a support substrate in which a concave gap portion facing the protruding portion is formed and a glaze layer provided on the support substrate and in which the protruding portion is formed, in which the glaze layer has a base layer stacked on the support substrate as well as forming a ceiling surface of the gap portion and a heat resistant layer stacked on the base layer and on which the heating elements are arranged.

Abstract: A thermal printhead includes a substrate, a nonconductive coating over the substrate, a number of heating elements disposed on the substrate, and one or more resistors at least partially disposed within the nonconductive coating. The heating elements cause thermochromic media to selectively darken in accordance with selective activation of the heating elements as the media moves in relation to the thermal printhead, to print a desired image on the media. The nonconductive coating protects the heating elements and wears away with usage of the printhead. The media comes into contact with the nonconductive coating during printing of the desired image on the media. The resistors indicate wear of the thermal printhead, and have electrical resistances that increase as the resistors are worn away in accordance with wearing away of the nonconductive coating.

Abstract: Provided is a thermal head capable of enhancing heat-insulating performance while maintaining mechanical strength of an upper substrate. A thermal head (1) includes: a substrate main body (13) including a flat plate-shaped support substrate and a flat plate-shaped upper substrate which are bonded to each other in a stacked state; and a rectangular heating resistor (15) formed on a surface of the flat plate-shaped upper substrate, in which: a bonding surface of the flat plate-shaped support substrate includes a concave portion (23) that forms a cavity portion (27) in a region opposed to the rectangular heating resistor (15); and the concave portion (23) includes a groove (25) formed in an inner wall thereof and recessed along a depth direction of the concave portion (23) within a range of a width of the rectangular heating resistor (15).

Abstract: A thermal head is disclosed. The thermal head includes a heat generating element row in which plural heat generating elements are arrayed in a main scanning direction and a glaze that stores heat generated from the respective heat generating elements. The thermal head records an image on a recording medium by causing the respective heat generating elements to generate heat while conveying the recording medium in a sub-scanning direction. A plurality of the heat generating element rows are arrayed in the sub-scanning direction. The glaze includes plural convex portions arranged in the sub-scanning direction in association with the number of arrays of the heat generating element rows. The heat generating elements are arranged on upper sides of the convex portions, respectively.

Abstract: Provided is a thermal head capable of making good contact to a thermal recording medium or the like to increase heat transfer efficiency while maintaining the number of manufacturing steps and manufacturing cost. Provided is a thermal head (1) including: a flat plate-shaped substrate main body (13); a heating resistor (15) of a substantially rectangular shape formed on a surface of the flat plate-shaped substrate main body (13); and a pair of electrodes (17A, 17B) connected to both ends of the heating resistor (15), for supplying power to the heating resistor (15), in which the pair of electrodes (17A, 17B) respectively include connecting portions (27A, 27B) having a width dimension smaller than a width dimension of the heating resistor (15), and the connecting portions (27A, 27B) are connected to the heating resistor (15) at positions shifted from each other in a width direction of the heating resistor (15).

Abstract: Provided is a heating resistance element component, including: a supporting substrate; an insulating film laminated on the supporting substrate; a plurality of heating resistors formed on the insulating film, the plurality of heating resistors being arranged in a zigzag shape along a main scanning direction and having a substantially square shape; a common wire connected to one end of each of the plurality of heating resistors; individual wires each connected to another end of the each of the plurality of heating resistors; and concave portions formed in regions which are opposed to the plurality of heating resistors and are located on a surface of the supporting substrate, in which an arrangement pitch of the plurality of heating resistors in a sub-scanning direction is larger than an arrangement pitch of the plurality of heating resistors in a main scanning direction.

Abstract: A thermal head includes a head containing a glass layer. The glass layer has a projecting portion on one surface and a concave groove on the other surface at a position opposed to the projecting portion. The head further contains a heating resistor disposed on the projecting portion, and a pair of electrodes disposed on both sides of the heating resistor. The thermal head further includes a rigid substrate on which a control circuit for the head is provided, and a flexible substrate for electrically connecting the head and the rigid substrate.

Abstract: A thermal head includes: a head substrate including a plurality of heating elements arranged in a row; and a heat dissipation member supporting the head substrate, wherein heat from the heating elements is transferred to the heat dissipation member through the head substrate, a surface of the heat dissipation member opposing the head substrate is provided with a heat accumulation adjusting groove which has a recessed shape along the arrangement direction of the row of the heating elements, and both edge portions of the surface of the heat dissipation member in a width direction of the heat accumulation adjusting groove come in contact with a rear surface of the head substrate opposing the heat dissipation member, the width direction being perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the heating elements.

Abstract: To improve print quality, a plurality of heating resistors (14) are arranged with spaces therebetween on a heat storage layer (13) laminated on a surface of a supporting substrate (11) via an adhesive layer (12) made of an elastic material. A cavity portion (19) is formed at a region between the supporting substrate (11) and the heat storage layer (13), the region being opposed to a heat generating portion of each of the plurality of heating resistors (14). The elastic material constituting the adhesive layer (12) is arranged so that the elastic material is in a bonded state with respect to at least a part of a surface of the heat storage layer (13) opposed to the cavity portion (19).

Abstract: To provide a thermal head and a printer which realize improved heating efficiency and improved strength, and to manufacture the thermal head stably, provided is a thermal head manufacturing method including: a concave portion forming step of forming a concave portion on one surface of a supporting substrate; a bonding step of bonding a thin plate glass shaped like a substantially flat board, to the one surface of the supporting substrate where the concave portion has been formed in the concave portion forming step, in a manner that hermetically seals the concave portion and forms a hollow portion; a heating step of heating the supporting substrate and the thin plate glass which have been bonded together in the bonding step, to thereby soften the thin plate glass and expand gas trapped inside the hollow portion; and a heating resistor forming step of forming a heating resistor on the thin plate glass so as to be opposed to the hollow portion, wherein the heating step concavely curves a surface of the thin plat

Abstract: Provided is a heating resistance element component, including: a supporting substrate; an insulating film laminated on the supporting substrate; a plurality of heating resistors formed on the insulating film, the plurality of heating resistors being arranged in a zigzag shape along a main scanning direction and having a substantially square shape; a common wire connected to one end of each of the plurality of heating resistors; individual wires each connected to another end of the each of the plurality of heating resistors; and concave portions formed in regions which are opposed to the plurality of heating resistors and are located on a surface of the supporting substrate, in which an arrangement pitch of the plurality of heating resistors in a sub-scanning direction is larger than an arrangement pitch of the plurality of heating resistors in a main scanning direction.

Abstract: To reduce a plate thickness of an insulating film, a heating resistor element component is provided, which includes: a supporting substrate; an insulating film disposed on a surface of the supporting substrate; a plurality of heating resistors arranged at intervals on the insulating film; a common wire connected to one end of each of the plurality of heating resistors; and individual wires each connected to another end of each of the plurality of heating resistors, in which: the surface of the supporting substrate is provided with a concave portion in a region thereof, the region being opposed to heating portions of the plurality of heating resistors; and when the insulating film is superimposed on the supporting substrate, the insulating film includes a heterogeneous phase formed through irradiation of a phemtosecond laser at least in a region thereof, the region being opposed to the concave portion.

Abstract: A thermal signal generating device, including at least two parallel buss bars operable for carrying a current and a heating element having at least a first region and a second region. The heating element includes a plurality of horizontal traces and a plurality of vertical traces. Widths of each of the plurality of horizontal and vertical traces may be greater in a first region of the heating element than in a second region of the heating element, allowing for a gradient heat differential to be emitted by the heating element.

Abstract: Provided is a heating resistor element, including: an insulating substrate (9); a heat accumulating layer (10) bonded to a surface of the insulating substrate (9); and a heating resistor (11) provided on the heat accumulating layer (10), in which: on at least one of bonded surfaces between the heating substrate (9) and the heat accumulating layer (10), at least one of the insulating substrate (9) and the heat accumulating layer (10) is provided with a concave portion (16) in a region opposed to the heating resistor (11) to form a hollow portion (17); and the concave portion (16) has a curvature radius of 10 ?m or more at each corner thereof. Accordingly, occurrence of stress concentration caused by heat or a load can be suppressed to improve durability, and both a sufficient strength and heating efficiency are realized.

Abstract: Provided is a heating resistor element including: an insulating substrate including a glass material; a heat accumulating layer bonded to the insulating substrate through heating to temperature ranging from an annealing point to a softening point in a state of being adhered to a surface of the insulating substrate, and including the same material as the glass material of the insulating substrate; and a heating resistor provided on the heat accumulating layer, in which, on at least one of bonded surfaces between the insulating substrate and the heat accumulating layer, at least one of the insulating substrate and the heat accumulating layer is provided with a concave portion in a region opposed to the heating resistor to form a hollow portion. Accordingly, deformation caused by a difference in coefficient of thermal expansion is suppressed to improve printing quality.

Abstract: Provided is a heating resistance element component, including: a supporting substrate; an insulating film laminated on the supporting substrate; a plurality of heating resistors arranged at intervals on the insulating film; a common wire connected to one end of each of the plurality of heating resistors; and individual wires each connected to another end of the each of the plurality of heating resistors, in which a surface of the supporting substrate is formed with a first concave portion and a second concave portion, the first concave portion being arranged in a region opposed to heating portions of the plurality of heating resistors, the second concave portion being arranged at an interval in a vicinity of the first concave portion. Accordingly, heating efficiency of the heating resistors can be increased to reduce power consumption, and a strength of the substrate under the heating resistors can be increased.

Abstract: The invention provides an ink jet recording head in which an element substrate provided in a head unit and constituted of plural drive elements is driven to discharge ink droplets from plural nozzles. In the ink jet recording head, the head unit has a substantially parallelogram shape, and plural head units are connected in a row to form a head bar.

Abstract: A thermal head includes a glass layer provided with a groove section formed inside the glass layer, a heat generating resistor disposed outside the glass layer, and a pair of electrodes provided to both sides of the heat generating resistor, wherein a part of the heat generating resistor exposed between the pair of electrodes is defined as a heat generating section, and at least one of the pair of electrodes has a smaller width in an end section on an opposite side to a side of the heat generating section than a width of an end section on the side of the heat generating section.

Abstract: A thermal print head (A1) has main heat producing resistor sections (31) formed on a substrate (1) and arranged in the main scan direction (X) at predetermined intervals; auxiliary heat producing resistor sections (32) provided with a predetermined gap in the auxiliary scan direction (Y) relative to the main heat producing resistor sections (31); first electrodes (43) for individually connecting in series, out of the main heat producing resistor sections (31) and the auxiliary heat producing resistor sections (32), at least main heat producing resistor sections (31) and auxiliary heat producing resistor sections (32) arranged in the auxiliary scan direction (Y); and second electrodes (41, 42) for conducting electricity to the series circuits composed of the main heat producing resistor sections (31) and the auxiliary heat producing resistor sections (32) connected in series by the first electrodes(43).

Abstract: A thermal head includes a large number of heating resistors disposed at a regular interval, individual conductors individually connected to each of the heating resistors, and common conductors connected to each of the heating resistors in common, the individual conductors and the common conductors serving as conductors for supplying the heating resistors with a current. In the thermal head, an underlayer having a large number of irregularities is provided and a conductor layer is provided on the underlayer along the irregularities. Thereby, bonding pads that are composed of the conductor layer and that have irregularities are provided as electrodes of the individual conductors or the common conductors.

Abstract: A thermal printing device includes a substrate, an insulation layer on the substrate, and a plurality of microheaters on the insulation layer. Two adjacent ones of the microheaters are separated by a trench. Each of the microheaters includes a body having a heating surface, and two metal wires disposed on two sides of the heating surface of the body. A thermal printing operation is performed by applying a variable voltage or current between the two metal wires in order to heat the microheater to a predetermined temperature.

Abstract: A thermal head has a longitudinal substrate; a heat-retention layer made of a heat-retaining material, having at least a sticking-out section lying on one main surface of the substrate in a longitudinal direction at a constant width; a heating-resistor member made of a resistive material, formed at least on the sticking-out section of the heat-retention layer at a predetermined thickness; a common electrode provided as touching the heating-resistor member; a plurality of separated electrodes provided as facing a tip of the common electrode with a gap, at least an edge of each separated electrode touching the heating-resistor member, another edge of each separated electrode being connected to a driver circuit; and a protective layer formed on the heating-resistor member. A heating-resistor member portion provided on to the gap between the common electrode and the separated electrodes functions as a recording section.

Abstract: A method of reducing uneven use of a series of heating elements a color image print smaller than the size of the receiver medium and leave a non-image non-color margin area along at least one side of the color image print; and using other ones of the heating elements to effect yellow, magenta and cyan dye transfers superimposed on a non-image non-color margin area left along at least one side of the color image print to make the margin area a shade of substantially gray or black, whereby, since those heating elements which are not to be selectively used to effect the dye transfers to create the color image print are instead used to effect the dye transfers to make a non-image non-color margin area left along at least one side of the color image print a shade of substantially gray or black, uneven use of the heating elements on the print head is reduced.

Abstract: A thermal head printer for printing but not perforating a substantially light-insensitive thermographic material, the thermal printer comprising: a transport system having a transport direction, n thermal heads, where n is an integer, each of the thermal heads comprising an array of substantially rectangular energizable heating elements, the heating elements having a length Ln in the transport direction and a pitch Pn between adjacent heating elements, and a means for supplying electrical energy to each of the substantially rectangular energizable heating elements in at least one of the thermal heads, the transport system being capable of transporting the light-insensitive thermographic material in contact or proximity with at least one of the thermal heads, wherein at least one of the thermal heads comprises heating elements for which Ln/Pn is between 0.25 and 0.

Abstract: A method of reducing uneven use of a series of heating elements on a print head in a thermal printer comprises: selectively using certain ones of the heating elements to effect yellow, magenta and cyan dye transfers superimposed on a dye receiver medium to create a color image print smaller than the size of the receiver medium and leave a non-image non-color margin area along at least one side of the color image print; and using other ones of the heating elements to effect yellow, magenta and cyan dye transfers superimposed on a non-image non-color margin area left along at least one side of the color image print to make the margin area a shade of substantially gray or black, whereby, since those heating elements which are not to be selectively used to effect the dye transfers to create the color image print are instead used to effect the dye transfers to make a non-image non-color margin area left along at least one side of the color image print a shade of substantially gray or black, uneven use of the heati

Abstract: A thermally actuated fluidic optical switching circuit that includes a heater substructure having heater resistors and thermally conductive regions associated with the heater resistors and configured to tailor the thermal characteristics of the heater substructure.

Abstract: Thermal line head includes an electrically-insulated base member, plural sets of at least two electric resistance elements formed on a surface of the base member and aligned with each other, and a driver circuit that selectively and electrically energizes the at least two electric resistance elements in each set in accordance with an associated digital image-pixel signal and an associated digital gradation-signal. When the digital image-pixel signal has a value “0”, none of the at least two electric resistance elements in a corresponding set are electrically energized, and, when the digital image-pixel signal has a value “1”, the selective and electrical energization of the at least two electric resistance elements in the corresponding set are performed in accordance with values of the digital gradation-signal, wherein a total thermal energy output of each of the plural sets of at least two electric resistance elements is stepwisely adjustable.

Abstract: In a thermal head according to the present invention, a sacrificial layer of transition metal is formed on a top surface of a heat radiation substrate; a bridge layer of cermet or ceramic material is formed on a top surface of a heat insulation layer including the sacrificial layer; a cavity is made between the bridge layer and the heat insulation layer; a plurality of slits are made in the bridge layer overlying the cavity to expose the cavity; a highly adiabatic inorganic heat insulation layer is formed on a top surface of the bridge layer including the slits; and an inorganic protective layer of a material selected from among silicon or aluminum oxide, nitride and carbide is formed on a top surface of the inorganic heat insulation layer, where heating elements are formed between the slits over the inorganic heat insulation layer and the inorganic protective layer.

Abstract: A heat-sensitive stencil master making system includes a thermal head having an array of a number of heater elements which extends in a main scanning direction substantially perpendicular to a sub-scanning direction in which the thermal head is moved relatively to heat-sensitive stencil master material when imagewise perforating the heat-sensitive stencil master material. Each of the heater elements is longer in the main scanning direction than in the sub-scanning direction.

Abstract: Apparatus herein provides for a chosen level of power dissipation of a resistor, for example, the heating element of a thermal head assembly. The resistance of the resistor changes upon a change in temperature thereof, for example, due to increased flow of current therethrough. The apparatus includes a resistive shunt in series with the resistor, a first differential amplifier, with voltage drop across the resistor being provided to first and second input terminals of the first differential amplifier, and a second differential amplifier, voltage drop across the shunt being provided to first and second input terminals of the second differential amplifier. The output signals from the first and second differential amplifiers are provided to a voltage multiplier. The output signal from the voltage multiplier is provided to an input terminal of a power operational amplifier, and a programming sequence voltage is supplied to another input terminal of the power operational amplifier.