Patent ID: 6881526

Claim:
A process for adjusting the focus of an imaging laser for imaging of a thermally imageable element comprises the steps of: (a) providing an imaging unit having a non-imaging laser and an imaging laser, the non-imaging laser having a light detector which is in communication with the imaging laser; (b) contacting a receiver element with the thermally imageable element in the imaging unit, wherein the receiver element comprises an image receiving layer and a light attenuating layer; (c) actuating the non-imaging laser to expose the thermally imageable element and the receiver element to an amount of light energy sufficient for the light detector to detect the amount of light reflected from the thermally imageable element and the light attenuating layer of the receiver element; and (d) actuating the imaging laser to properly focus the imaging laser in order to expose the thermally imageable element to an amount of light energy sufficient for imaging the thermally imageable element, the focus of light energy being determined by the amount of light reflected from the thermally imageable element and the light attenuating layer and communicated to the imaging laser by the light detector.