Patent ID: 9114632
Filing Date: 2015-08-25
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
1. A printing system comprising: a controller configured to control operations of the printing system according to operational parameters, the operational parameters used to control printing of ink from a thermal print ribbon onto one or more target objects by a thermal print head; and a ribbon reading device configured to electromagnetically examine the thermal print ribbon as the thermal print ribbon moves in the printing system, the ribbon reading device examining the thermal print ribbon to determine if the thermal print ribbon is associated with a set of designated operational parameters for the printing system, wherein the controller is configured to use the set of designated operational parameters to control the operations of the printing system when the thermal print ribbon is associated with the set of designated operational parameters, wherein the ribbon reading device is configured to examine the thermal print ribbon by determining if the thermal print ribbon includes at least one of a group or a pattern of groups of a magnetic trace material in the thermal print ribbon, and wherein the controller is configured to determine that the thermal print ribbon is associated with the set of designated operational parameters when the at least one of a group or a pattern of groups of the magnetic trace material is found in the thermal print ribbon.