Non-volatile memory thermal printer cartridge

A thermal printer which uses a cartridge containing a dye carrier, such carrier having repeating series of spaced dye frames of different colors and a receiver which receives dye from said series of spaced dye frames to form a colored image, such printer including a print head having a plurality of selectively actuable elements, means for moving the carrier and the receiver along respective paths so as to sequentially move dye frames of said series of spaced dye frames and the receiver relative to the print head so that as the elements are actuated, dye from each dye frame of a series is transferred to the receiver and forms a colored image in the receiver, the improvement comprising:

• a) means for identifying each particular dye frames series in the carrier and producing an identifying signal;
• b) non-volatile memory means associated with said cartridge and including data as to a location of each defective series of dye frames in the carrier;
• and
• c) computer means responsive to said identifying signal and said location data for causing the carrier and receiver moving means to advance the carrier to a non-defective dye series frame in operative relation with the receiver when the print head is actuated.