Patent ID: 6744454
Filing Date: 2004-06-01
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
A method of reducing uneven use of a series of heating elements on a print head in a thermal printer, when certain ones of the heating elements can be selectively used to effect yellow, magenta and cyan dye transfers superimposed on a dye receiver medium to create a color image print smaller than the size of the receiver medium so that a non-image non-color margin area is left along at least one side of the color image print, and when other ones of the heating elements are not used they leave the non-image non-color margin area unchanged, said method comprising:selectively using certain ones of the heating elements to effect yellow, magenta and cyan dye transfers superimposed on a dye receiver medium to create a color image print smaller than the size of the receiver medium and leave a non-image non-color margin area along at least one side of the color image print; and using other ones of the heating elements to effect yellow, magenta and cyan dye transfers superimposed on a non-image non-color margin area left along at least one side of the color image print to make the margin area a shade of substantially gray or black, whereby, since those heating elements which are not to be selectively used to effect the dye transfers to create the color image print are instead used to effect the dye transfers to make a non-image non-color margin area left along at least one side of the color image print a shade of substantially gray or black, uneven use of the heating elements on the print head is reduced.