Patent ID: 8326198

Claim:
An apparatus useful in printing, comprising: a first member including a first surface; a second member including a second surface forming a nip with the first surface; a substrate cooler disposed downstream from the nip configured to receive a first substrate exiting the nip, the substrate cooler being configured to remove heat from the first substrate by conduction, the substrate cooler comprising: a first heat sink comprising a first heat transfer member and a plurality of first heat transfer fins disposed interiorly of a first heat transfer belt, the first heat transfer fins being configured to extend in a direction parallel to a process direction, the first heat transfer belt being configured to contact the first heat transfer member and a first surface of the first substrate when the first substrate is received in the substrate cooler; and a second heat sink comprising a second heat transfer member and a plurality of second heat transfer fins disposed interiorly of a second heat transfer belt, the second heat transfer fins being configured to extend in a direction parallel to the process direction, the second heat transfer belt being configured to contact the second heat transfer member and an opposite second surface of the first substrate when the first substrate is received in the substrate cooler; a substrate pre-heater disposed upstream from the nip configured to apply heat to conductively pre-heat at least a second substrate as the second substrate is advanced by the substrate pre-heater before the second substrate enters the nip, the substrate pre-heater comprising: a third heat sink comprising a third heat transfer member; and a conveyor including a conveyer belt configured to contact the third heat transfer member, the conveyer belt being configured to (1) convey the first substrate and subsequently the second substrate to the nip, and (2) be heated by the third heat transfer member to cause the conveyer belt to pre-heat at least the second substrate before the second substrate enters the nip; a first heat transfer system configured to transfer heat from the substrate cooler to the substrate pre-heater; a thermally-insulated enclosure surrounding at least a portion of the first member; and a second heat transfer system configured to transfer heat from inside of the enclosure to the substrate pre-heater, wherein the substrate pre-heater is configured to use the heat transferred from both the first heat transfer system and the second heat transfer system to pre-heat at least the second substrate before the second substrate enters the nip.