Method for recycling an ink sheet and thermal transfer printer using the same

A thermal transfer printer for printing on a printing medium with ink transferred from an ink sheet having a transparent base film and an ink layer coated on the base film and for replenishing the transferred ink onto the base film, the printer comprising:

• a. means for forming an image on the printing medium by selectively heating the ink layer and transferring heated ink onto the printing medium, thereby leaving the base film with a remaining ink layer coated on the base film so that the base film includes an ink remaining portion on which the remaining ink layer remains and an ink transferred portion on which the remaining ink layer is absent;
• b. photosensitive means having an electrically chargeable photosensitive surface;
• c. means for uniformly charging the photosensitive surface;
• d. means for exposing the photosensitive surface to light through the ink transferred portion of the ink sheet with the ink sheet superimposed on the uniformly charged photosensitive surface, thereby to form a charge pattern on the photosensitive surface corresponding to the ink transferred portion;
• e. means for applying charged ink powder selectively to the ink transferred portion with an electrostatic force provided by the charge pattern;
• and
• f. means for fusing the ink powder applied to the ink transferred portion to form with the remaining ink layer a uniform ink layer on the base film.

A method for recycling an ink sheet, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a previously used ink sheet composed of a transparent base film and a remaining ink layer coated on the base film, the transparent base film including an ink remaining portion on which the remaining ink layer remains and an ink transferred portion on which the remaining ink layer is absent;
• (b) superimposing the ink sheet on a uniformly charged photosensitive surface;
• (c) exposing the photosensitive surface to light through the ink transferred portion of the ink sheet to form a charge pattern on the photosensitive surface corresponding to the ink transferred portion;
• (d) applying charged ink powder selectively to the ink transferred portion with an electrostatic force provided by the charge pattern;
• and
• (e) fusing the ink powder applied to the ink transferred portion during said step (d) to form with the remaining ink layer a uniform ink layer on the base film.