Thermal imaging system

A multicolor thermal imaging method comprising

• (a) addressing at least partially independently a first image-forming layer of a thermal imaging member, which includes at least two different image-forming layers, from a surface of said imaging member with a thermal printhead or printheads configured to form an image in said first image-forming layer by controlling the temperature of said thermal printhead or printheads configured to form an image in said first image-forming layer and the time interval during which thermal energy is applied to said first image-forming layer;
• (b) addressing at least partially independently a second image-forming layer of said imaging member from the same surface of said imaging member with a thermal printhead or printheads configured to form an image in said second image-forming layer by controlling the temperature of said thermal printhead or printheads configured to form an image in said second image-forming layer and the time interval during which thermal energy is applied to said second image-forming layer;
• wherein the thermal energy applied to said first image-forming layer by at least one of said printhead or printheads configured to form an image in said first image-forming layer is controlled by a first voltage applied to at least one of said printhead or printheads when forming an image in said first image-forming layer and the thermal energy applied to said second image-forming layer by at least one of said printhead or printheads configured to form an image in said second image-forming layer is controlled by a second voltage applied to at least one of said printhead or printheads when forming an image in said second image-forming layer, said first and second voltages being different.

A multicolor thermal imaging method comprising:

• (a) addressing at least partially independently a first image-forming layer of a thermal imaging member, which includes at least two different image-forming layers, from a surface of said imaging member with a thermal printhead or printheads configured to form an image in said first image-forming layer by controlling the temperature of said thermal printhead or printheads configured to form an image in said first image-forming layer and the time interval during which thermal energy is applied to said first image-forming layer;
• (b) addressing at least partially independently a second image-forming layer of said imaging member from the same surface of said imaging member with a thermal printhead or printheads configured to form an image in said second image-forming layer by controlling the temperature of said thermal printhead or printheads configured to form an image in said second image-forming layer and the time interval during which thermal energy is applied to said second image-forming layer;
• wherein the thermal energy applied to at least one of said image-forming layers is controlled by
• separating the time interval for forming a single pixel of an image in an area of said image-forming layer in thermal contact with a heating element of said thermal printhead or printheads configured to form an image in said image-forming layer into a plurality of temporal subintervals;
• and
• activating said heating element by applying a single pulse of current during each of a group temporal sub-intervals selected from said plurality of temporal sub-intervals,
• wherein the proportion of the duration of said temporal sub-intervals during which said pulse of current is applied is a value between about 1% and 100%.