Retransfer printing with non-linear peel-off
AssigneeEntrust Corporation
InventorLyle Bungert
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A retransfer printing method and system where the peel-off of the print receptive material from the retransfer film is improved. The peeling-off or removal of the print receptive material from the retransfer film is improved by adhering the peel-off adhesive material to the print receptive material along a non-straight, non-linear leading edge and/or a non-straight, non-linear trailing edge along which the print receptive material is to be removed from the retransfer film. The use of the non-straight, non-linear leading edge and/or trailing edge helps to manage mechanical and thermal stresses and eliminates tears that may occur in the ribbon when the print receptive material is peeled from the retransfer film by the ribbon.
Claims17
A retransfer printing method on a personalized credential, comprising:
- printing data within an image canvas of transferrable print receptive material on a retransfer film by aligning thermally transferrable color material on a ribbon with the image canvas and transferring thermally transferrable color material from the ribbon onto at least a portion of the transferrable print receptive material within the image canvas using a thermal print head;
- after printing the data, aligning peel-off material on a ribbon with the image canvas of the transferrable print receptive material on the retransfer film, and adhering a portion of the peel-off material to the transferrable print receptive material along a heating outline within the image canvas using a thermal print head, the heating outline generally corresponds in shape to an area of the transferrable print receptive material to be removed from the retransfer film and generally corresponds in shape to an area on a surface of the personalized credential that is not to be covered by the transferrable print receptive material, wherein the heating outline has a leading edge with a non-straight, non-linear repeating or random pattern;
- peeling the transferrable print receptive material within the area defined by the heating outline from the retransfer film thereby forming a void area in the transferrable print receptive material of the image canvas;
- advancing the retransfer film and the printed data of the image canvas to a transfer station, and transferring a portion of the image canvas of the transferrable print receptive material bearing the printed data and the void area to the surface of the personalized credential with the void area over the area on the surface of the personalized credential.
A retransfer print station of a personalized credential processing system, comprising:
- a thermal print head;
- a retransfer film having a layer of transferrable print receptive material;
- a ribbon having a peel-off material;
- a transfer station;
- a controller that is programmed to control the thermal print head, the retransfer film, the ribbon, and the transfer station to:
- align the peel-off material of the ribbon with an image canvas of the transferrable print receptive material of the retransfer film having printed data in the image canvas, and adhere a portion of the peel-off material to the transferrable print receptive material along a heating outline within the image canvas using the thermal print head, the heating outline generally corresponds in shape to an area of the transferrable print receptive material to be removed from the retransfer film and generally corresponds in shape to an area on a surface of the personalized credential that is not to be covered by the transferrable print receptive material, wherein the heating outline has a leading edge with a non-straight, non-linear repeating or random pattern;
- peel the transferrable print receptive material within the area defined by the heating outline from the retransfer film thereby forming a void area in the transferrable print receptive material of the image canvas;
- and
- advance the retransfer film and the printed data of the image canvas to a transfer station, and transfer a portion of the image canvas of the transferrable print receptive material bearing the printed data and the void area to the surface of the personalized credential with the void area over the area on the surface of the personalized credential.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.