High efficiency printing method for improved image quality
View Patent ↗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.
1. 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.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (b) comprises emitting light of a type chosen from the group consisting of white light, neutral light, and colored light.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (d) further comprises measuring the color of the donor material patch based on the plurality of intensity values.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the detector is selected from the group consisting of a densitometer, a color imager, and a colorimeter.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (b) further comprises emitting, by the emitter, a pattern of differently colored light onto the donor material patch.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (b) further comprises emitting light, by the emitter, through the donor material patch.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of calibrating the thermal printer by adjusting at least one lookup table stored in the memory.
8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, prior to step (a), the step of placing a thermal print head in thermal association with the donor ribbon, whereby an amount of the donor material patch transfers to a thermal receiver.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the light emitted by the emitter in step (b) is in the non-visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein the memory is a remote memory, and wherein the controller interfaces with the remote memory via a communication system.
11. 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.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein step (b) further comprises emitting, by the emitter, a pattern of differently colored light onto the donor material patch.
13. The method of claim 11 , wherein step (b) further comprises emitting light, by the emitter, through the donor material patch.
14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising the step of calibrating the thermal printer by adjusting at least one lookup table stored in the memory.
15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising, prior to step (a), the step of placing a thermal print head in thermal association with the donor ribbon, whereby an amount of the donor material patch transfers to a thermal receiver.
16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the light emitted by the emitter in step (b) is in the non-visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum.
17. The method of claim 11 wherein the memory is a remote memory, and wherein the controller interfaces with the remote memory via a communication system.
18. The method of claim 11 , wherein step (d) further comprises measuring the color of the donor material patch based on the plurality of intensity values.