Abstract: An ink density closed loop control system for an ink ribbon of an impact printer having a reservoir roller formed of an ink absorbent material with at least one or more channels within the reservoir roller fluidly connected to a pump and ink supply. A transfer roller can contact the reservoir roller for imparting ink to the ink ribbon. A sensor senses the relative amount of ink on the print ribbon and an electrical drive responsive to the sensor drives the pump for a flow of ink to the one or more channels. The sensor can sense ink on different segments of the ribbon and, with two or more channels in the reservoir roller can distribute ink to two or more segments of the reservoir roller depending upon the ink sensed at a particular segment of the ribbon. A further enhancement of this invention provides a multi-viscosity ink to compensate for changes in ambient temperature conditions.

Abstract: A color thermal printer has a feed roller set, a thermal head, and a tension roller set that are serially arranged along a transporting path. The feed roller set and the tension roller set are rotated by respectively a stepping motor and a DC motor. The stepping motor rotates forwards. Simultaneously, the DC motor rotates the tension roller set forwards, to apply a first transporting force to the continuous recording sheet at a level higher than a predetermined transporting force of the feed roller set. Also, the stepping motor rotates backwards. Simultaneously, the DC motor rotates the tension roller set backwards, to apply a second transporting force to the continuous recording sheet at a level lower than the predetermined transporting force.

Abstract: A combination printer is described. The combination printer includes a thermal head and an ink printing head, such as a thermal transfer printing head. The thermal head thermally prints on thermal paper by heating. The thermal transfer printing head prints ink on the thermal paper by thermally transferring ink from an ink film to the thermal paper. The thermal transfer head is preferably positioned downstream relative to the first head along a paper flow path of the thermal paper. The printer further includes a first platen that serves as a back support for the thermal head, and a second platen that serves as a back support for the thermal transfer printing head.

Abstract: A printer using a power reduction logic based upon reducing the speed of printing when the dot utilization calculation exceeds a particular power level for that printer. There is also provided a method for printing information at a given power supply capacity level, comprising the steps of: examining the a group of rows of dots to be printed; calculating the maximum dot utilization value for the group; selecting a print speed based on the maximum dot utilization value; printing the first row of the group of rows; and repeating above steps until the information is printed.

Abstract: Printing systems and methods that reduce inter-color bleeding between dark and light colored inks without losing productivity of a color ink jet printer by distributing the printing of a total amount of black ink required in a single swath over multiple passes while each of the color inks required for the same swath is printed in a single pass. For example, the print method may print a single swath by printing portions of the slow dry black ink in three passes while printing each of the fast dry color inks in single passes.

Abstract: A plurality of thermal heads for different colors, are disposed in parallel in a line-printing direction, being offset with respect to each other in a transport direction along which an image-forming sheet is moved via a conveyer path. The image forming sheet is a pressure/temperature-sensitive sheet or a temperature-sensitive sheet. The thermal heads are moved in the line-printing direction. Adjacent-opposing ends of adjacent thermal heads are separated in the line-printing direction, and overlap in the transport direction. The thermal heads are controlled so as to simultaneously generate image-pixels on the image-forming sheet. The printing speed is high due to a plurality of colors being simultaneously printed. The thermal heads are used as part of pressure applying unit. The pressure applying unit is provided for selectively applying predetermined pressure to the micro-capsules, when the image-forming sheet is a pressure/temperature-sensitive sheet.