Method and apparatus for transferring a toner image from moving photoconductor

An apparatus for transferring a toner image from a photoconductive surface to an image carrier, comprising:

• (a) means for moving a substantially planar photoconductive surface tangentially to an image carrier at a predetermined speed relative to said image carrier, said image carrier comprising an open pore metallic surface which is transported along an arcuate path into and away from contact with said photoconductive surface;
• (b) means for moving said image carrier in an arcuate path into and away from contact with said photoconductive surface;
• (c) means for establishing contact in a transfer zone between said photoconductive surface and said image carrier along a single line of contact which is transverse to the direction in which said photoconductive surface is moving and for progressively contacting said photoconductive surface and image carrier line-by-line in said direction;
• and
• (d) means for applying pressure and heat along said line of contact sufficient to transfer said toner image to said image carrier and to anchor, solely by action of pressure and heating, toner particles which comprise said toner image in pores comprising said metallic surface along said line of contact.