Method of debossing from character and indicia-forming pigmented tape

A method of heat and pressure debossing of a heat and pressure transferable media-containing tape, in a cartridge having a tape supply reel and tape take-up reel, at a first selected position on a workpiece on a platen comprising:

• holding the tape in the reels from backing up;
• striking the tape to deboss the transferable media into the workpiece;
• and then
• stripping a struck portion of the tape from the workpiece by relative movement of the cartridge and the platen to strip a remaining part of the tape from the workpiece;
• and
• then advancing the tape take-up reel to present an undebossed portion of the tape above a second selected position on the workpiece.

A method of serial printing utilizing a debossing engine wherein a heat and pressure transferable media tape is transferred to a workpiece by pressure action of a character-containing spring finger or a debossment die against the tape and the workpiece comprising:

• determining the style or size or heat retention qualities of the character or die;
• heating the character or die;
• striking the workpiece with the character or die for a predetermined dwell time;
• determining the amount of residual heat in the character or die dependent on the elapsed time from when the character or die last struck the workpiece;
• and
• varying the dwell time of subsequent strikings of the workpiece by said character or die dependent on said elapsed time and residual heat in said character or die.

A method of stamping by a print engine by heat and pressure transfer of a transferable media from tape in a tape-containing cartridge to a workpiece comprising:

• inserting said cartridge into said engine to activate said engine;
• providing a sensor on said cartridge;
• detecting by the sensor the occurrence of a low amount of tape or jammed or broken tape condition in said cartridge;
• deactivating said engine upon occurrence of any one of said conditions;
• and
• deactivating said engine upon removal of said cartridge from said engine.

A method of stamping by a print engine by heat and pressure transfer of a transferrable media from tape in a tape-containing cartridge to a workpiece comprising:

• providing the print engine with first and second print stations and a first and second drive gear trains, the drive gear trains being operable to drive a respectively first and second spaced forcers;
• providing first and second cartridges, the first cartridge having tape of a first width and the second cartridge having tape of a greater width than the tape in the first cartridge;
• inserting the first cartridge into said engine to an operable position with the first print station, the first drive train and the first forcer;
• removing the first cartridge from the engine;
• inserting the second cartridge into the engine to an operable position with the second print station, the second drive gear train and the second forcer;
• and
• actuating the second drive gear train by insertion of the second cartridge.

A method of thermal and pressure debossment of a transferable media from a foil tape to a workpiece by a flexible character-containing fingers of low thermal conductivity material on a print wheel actuated by a print engine heatable forcer comprising;

• storing the characters on the fingers at room temperature;
• providing the distal end of the fingers with a character pad of high thermal conductivity, each of the character pads containing a character;
• selecting a finger containing a selected character;
• moving said finger beneath the forcer;
• downwardly actuating the forcer into pressurizing contact against the finger;
• commencing heating of the the character pad upon the actuation of the forcer;
• and completing the heating of the character pad and the selected character when the forcer has forced the character, foil tape and workpiece into intimate contact to effectively deboss media from the foil tape into the workpiece under heat and pressure.