High efficiency printing method for improved image quality
AssigneeKodak Alaris Inc.
InventorsGregory James Garbacz, Robert Fredric Mindler, Marcus M. Townsend
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Novel methods for calibrating a thermal printer by adjusting a look up table comprising the steps of receiving a test pattern to be printed on a receiver medium, printing the test pattern on the receiver medium, using a sensor to measure a depletion amount of donor material, and using a processor to adjust the lookup table based on the measured depletion amount are disclosed.
Claims18
A method for detecting an incorrect donor ribbon in a thermal printer, wherein the thermal printer comprises an emitter, a detector, and a controller, and wherein the donor ribbon comprises a plurality of repeating sequences of donor material patches, the method comprising:
- (a) locating the donor ribbon in the thermal printer at a position where a donor material patch is in an optical path between the emitter and detector;
- (b) emitting light, by the emitter, onto the donor material patch;
- (c) detecting, by the detector, at least a portion of the light emitted by the emitter, wherein the detector comprises an opto-electronic circuit and further detecting, by the detector, a non-absorbed portion of the light emitted by the emitter;
- (d) measuring, by the controller, a color of the donor material patch based on the portion of light detected by the detector;
- (e) determining, by the controller, whether the color corresponds to a donor ribbon profile associated with a lookup table stored in a memory;
- (f) determining a plurality of intensity values of the non-absorbed portion of light corresponding to a plurality of frequencies of the non-absorbed portion of light;
- (g) displaying, on an operator control panel, a warning when the color does not correspond to a donor ribbon profile.
A method for detecting an incorrect donor ribbon in a thermal printer, wherein the thermal printer comprises an emitter, a detector, and a controller, and wherein the donor ribbon comprises a plurality of repeating sequences of donor material patches, the method comprising:
- (a) locating the donor ribbon in the thermal printer at a position where a donor material patch is in an optical path between the emitter and detector;
- (b) emitting light, by the emitter, onto the donor material patch;
- (c) detecting, by the detector, at least a portion of the light emitted by the emitter;
- (d) measuring, by the controller, a color of the donor material patch based on the portion of light detected by the detector;
- (e) determining, by the controller, whether the color corresponds to a donor ribbon profile associated with a lookup table stored in a memory;
- (f) measuring a color of a non-absorbed portion of the light emitted by the emitter;
- (g) displaying, on an operator control panel, a warning when the color does not correspond to a donor ribbon profile.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.