Patent ID: 9296200
Filing Date: 2016-03-29
CPC Classification: B41F,B41J,B41M

Claim Text:
1. A printing apparatus comprising: a band of material capable of holding hot melt ink thereon; rollers configured and arranged to hold and transport the band with respect to a substrate; a printhead configured and arranged to thermally transfer a portion of the ink from the band to the substrate to print on the substrate; and a heated ink roller comprising a solid heat conducting material having an outer surface that is textured, wherein a first side of the heated ink roller contacts the band to cause ink on the band to re-melt, flow and replace at least some of the portion of the ink transferred to the substrate previously before arriving at the printhead again for a next print, and a second side of the heated ink roller receives new ink on the textured outer surface; wherein the band of material is selected to provide a heat transfer rate greater than 0.12 Watts/meter-Kelvin, and a thickness of the band of material is less than 25 microns.