Patent ID: 6757003
Filing Date: 2004-06-29
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
A method of preventing crease formation in a dye transfer area of a dye donor web that can cause line artifacts to be printed on a dye receiver during a dye transfer from the dye transfer area to the dye receiver in a dye transfer printer, said method comprising:heating the dye transfer area of the dye donor web sufficiently to effect a dye transfer from the dye transfer area to the dye receiver, and not heating opposite edge areas of the dye donor web alongside the dye transfer area sufficiently to effect a dye transfer from the edge areas to the dye receiver, but which therefore causes the dye transfer area to become more susceptible to being stretched than the edge areas; and mechanically causing the edge areas to be stretched substantially the same as the dye transfer area by mechanically creating a resistance at the edge areas to the pulling force that is sufficient to increase stretching of the edge areas by the pulling force to match stretching of the dye transfer area by the pulling force, when the dye transfer area and edge areas are subjected to a pulling force that tends to stretch the dye transfer area and edge areas, to avoid a reduction in stretching from the dye transfer area to the edge areas that would form creases in the dye transfer area which can cause line artifacts to be printed on the receiver medium.