Method and apparatus for reducing uneven use of heating elements on thermal print head

A method of reducing uneven use of the total number of heating elements arranged in a line on a thermal print head, when selectively using the heating elements to make different size color image prints on respective similar size receiver mediums, said method comprising:

• selectively using less than the total number of heating elements to make a color image print smaller than a receiver medium, including selectively using those heating elements closest to a first end of the line, but not using those heating elements closest to a second end of the line;
• selectively using less than the total number of heating elements to make a color image print smaller than a receiver medium, including selectively using those heating elements closest to the second end of the line, but not using those heating elements closest to the first end of the line;
• and
• selectively using the total number of heating elements to make a color image print substantially the same size as a receiver medium,
• whereby, when making successive color image prints smaller than the receiver mediums, the heating elements closest to the respective ends of the line are alternately used to reduce uneven use of the heating elements.

A method of reducing uneven use of the total number of heating elements arranged in a line on a thermal print head, when selectively using the heating elements to make different size color image prints on respective similar size receiver mediums, said method comprising:

• selectively using a particular number of heating elements less than the total number to make a color image print smaller than a receiver medium, including selectively using those heating elements closest to a first end of the line, but not using those heating elements closest to a second end of the line, so that a non-image margin area is left on the receiver medium along a first side of the color image print;
• trimming the non-image margin area along a first side of a color image print from a receiver medium;
• selectively using the particular number of the heating elements to make a color image print smaller than a receiver medium, including selectively using those heating elements closest to the second end of the line, but not using those heating elements closest to the first end of the line so that a non-image margin area is left on the receiver medium along a second side of the color image print;
• trimming the non-image margin area along a second side of a color image print from a receiver medium;
• and
• selectively using the total number of heating elements to make a color image print substantially the same size as a receiver medium so that no non-image margin area is left on the receiver medium along either side of the color image print,
• whereby, when making successive color image prints smaller than the receiver mediums, the heating elements closest to the respective ends of the line are alternately used to reduce uneven use of the heating elements.

A method of reducing uneven use of a total number of heating elements arranged in a line on a thermal print head, when selectively using the heating elements to make different size color image prints on respective similar size receiver mediums, said method comprising:

• selectively using a particular number of heating elements less than the total number to make a color image print smaller than a receiver medium, including selectively using those heating elements closest to a first end of the line, but not using those heating elements closest to a second end of the line so that a non-image margin area is left on the receiver medium along a first side of the color image print and not along a second side of the color image print;
• selectively using the particular number of heating elements to make a color image print smaller than a receiver medium, including selectively using those heating elements closest to the second end of the line, but not using those heating elements closest to the first end of the line so that a non-image margin area is left on the receiver medium along the second side of the color image print and not along the first side of the color image print;
• selectively using the particular number of heating elements to make a color image print smaller than a receiver medium, but not using those heating elements closest to both ends of the line so that respective non-image margin areas are left on the receiver medium along both sides of the color image print;
• and
• selectively using the total number of heating elements to make a color image print substantially the same size as a receiver medium so that no non-image margin area is left on the receiver medium along either side of the color image print,
• whereby, when making successive color image prints smaller than the receiver mediums, the heating elements closest to the respective ends of the line are alternately used to reduce uneven use of the heating elements.

An apparatus for reducing uneven use of the total number of printing elements on a print head in a printer, when selectively using said printing elements to make different size color image prints on respective similar size receiver mediums, said apparatus comprising:

• means for selectively using the total number of printing elements to make color image prints substantially the same size as the receiver mediums;
• and
• means for selectively using a particular number of printing elements less than the total number of printing elements to make similar size color image prints smaller than the receiver mediums, but alternating which ones of the total number of printing elements can be selectively used to make each print so that the placement of each print on a receiver medium is alternated,
• whereby, since those printing elements that can be selectively used to make each print smaller than a receiver medium are alternated, uneven use of said printing elements is reduced.

An apparatus for reducing uneven use of a total number of heating elements arranged in a line on a thermal print head, when selectively using the heating elements to make different size color image prints on respective similar size receiver mediums, said apparatus comprising:

• means for selectively using a particular number of heating elements less than the total number to make a color image print smaller than a receiver medium, including selectively using those heating elements closest to a first end of the line, but not using those heating elements closest to a second end of the line so that a non-image margin area is left on the receiver medium along a first side of the color image print and not along a second side of the color image print;
• means for selectively using the particular number of heating elements to make a color image print smaller than a receiver medium, including selectively using those heating elements closest to the second end of the line, but not using those heating elements closest to the first end of the line so that a non-image margin area is left on the receiver medium along the second side of the color image print and not along the first side of the color image print;
• means for selectively using the particular number of heating elements to make a color image print smaller than a receiver medium, but not using those heating elements closest to both ends of the line so that respective non-image margin areas are left on the receiver medium along both sides of the color image print;
• and
• means for selectively using the total number of heating elements to make a color image print substantially the same size as a receiver medium so that no non-image margin area is left on the receiver medium along either side of the color image print,
• whereby, when making successive color image prints smaller than the receiver mediums, said heating elements closest to the respective ends of the line are alternately used to reduce uneven use of said heating elements.