Patent ID: 7317468

Claim:
A thermal processor for thermally developing an image in an imaging media having a development temperature, the thermal processor comprising: a drum processor forming an arcuate transport path and configured to move the imaging media along the arcuate transport path; and also configured to receive the imaging media at an ambient temperature and to heat the imaging media to a desired pre-dwell temperature; and a flatbed processor forming a generally planar transport path, configured to receive the imaging media from the drum processor substantially at the desired pre-dwell temperature, configured to move the imaging media along the generally planar transport path, the flatbed processor being coupled to the drum processor such that the arcuate transport path and generally planar transport path together form a processing path through the thermal processor along which the imaging media moves from the drum processor to the flatbed processor during development, the flatbed processor including a heater configured to maintain the imaging media substantially at the development temperature for substantially an entire length of a heated portion of the heater.