A thermal transfer printing machine with stationary support elements for supporting an article and a thermal transfer assembly vertically movable above the support elements, between a raised rest position and a lowered working position is disclosed. The machine has a surface heated transfer pad, supply and guide devices, a flexible printing ribbon which carries thermally transferable ink images, a position sensor providing electrical signals indicative of the vertical position of the transfer pad and a control unit with a learning phase, said control unit causes a descent run of the thermal transfer assembly, until the transfer pad engages with an article of a predetermined type. The position sensor detects and stores reference data characterizing descent run and the control unit initiates a subsequent descent run towards an article of the same type, comparing the reference data to the current descent run data, and stopping printing when an anomaly is discovered.

A thermal transfer printing machine with stationary support elements for supporting an article and a thermal transfer assembly vertically movable above the support elements, between a raised rest position and a lowered working position is disclosed. The machine has a surface heated transfer pad, supply and guide devices, a flexible printing ribbon which carries thermally transferable ink images, a position sensor providing electrical signals indicative of the vertical position of the transfer pad and a control unit with a learning phase, said control unit causes a descent run of the thermal transfer assembly, until the transfer pad engages with an article of a predetermined type. The position sensor detects and stores reference data characterizing descent run and the control unit initiates a subsequent descent run towards an article of the same type, comparing the reference data to the current descent run data, and stopping printing when an anomaly is discovered.

It is disclosed a substrate compactness detection method for a printer wherein the printer comprises a roller to receive a substrate roll and a media advance mechanism to receive a substrate from the substrate roll, the method comprising: determining a substrate thickness; advancing the substrate for a length; measuring an angular displacement of the roller caused by the advancing of the substrate; determining the substrate roll radius by using the length and the angular displacement; and calculating a compactness parameter in view of the substrate roll radius and the substrate thickness.

An example a media sensor device may comprise a light source positioned on a first side of a media pathway, a light path to receive a light from the light source and direct the light through a plurality of openings from the first side of the media pathway to a second side of the media pathway, and a light sensor on the second side of the media pathway to detect print media within the light path based on an intensity of light received from the light source, wherein a heated enclosure aligns the light sensor with the light path.

A calibration plate is arranged on a support surface of a table. The calibration plate has first and second alignment marks arranged in one direction, and third and fourth alignment marks arranged in another direction that is orthogonal to the one direction. The first and second alignment marks that move in a front-and-rear direction are imaged by a first camera. The one direction of the calibration plate is made parallel to a front-and-rear direction based on the image. The positions of second and third cameras are adjusted based on the third and fourth alignment marks. The second and third cameras, positions of which have been adjusted, are moved to positions below the transfer roller, and a reference line formed at the transfer roller is imaged by the second and third cameras. An orientation of a rotation shaft of the transfer roller is adjusted in a plane parallel to the support surface based on these images.

Systems for marking a moving film that include a triggering apparatus (140) that repeatedly provides a trigger signal, a controller (120) that receives the trigger signal and generates a marking signal, and a marking device (130) that receives the marking signal and marks the film are provided Also provided are methods for marking a moving film that employ the systems. Apparatuses for marking a moving film that include the triggering apparatus and the controller are also provided. Methods for making metallized marked films that include a film marked by these systems and a metallized layer, in which at least one marking is embedded within the film are also provided. Also provided are methods for making packages and packing a product in these packages, in which the packages include the metallized marked films are also provided.

Systems for marking a moving film that include a triggering apparatus (140) that repeatedly provides a trigger signal, a controller (120) that receives the trigger signal and generates a marking signal, and a marking device (130) that receives the marking signal and marks the film are provided Also provided are methods for marking a moving film that employ the systems. Apparatuses for marking a moving film that include the triggering apparatus and the controller are also provided. Methods for making metallized marked films that include a film marked by these systems and a metallized layer, in which at least one marking is embedded within the film are also provided. Also provided are methods for making packages and packing a product in these packages, in which the packages include the metallized marked films are also provided.

A print quality examination device is provided in a printing machine (1) provided with a printing unit (3) that performs printing on a mirror-reflection member (5a) of a sheet (5) to which the mirror-reflection member (5a) is added. The print quality examination device of the printing machine is provided with an examination camera (18a) that images a picture printed on the sheet (5), a light source (18h) that irradiates the sheet (5) with light, and a print quality examination unit (18g) that examines the quality of the picture printed by the printing unit (3) based on image data imaged by the examination camera (18a). The examination camera (18a) or the light source (18h) is configured to be movably supported on an arc about a detection point (P) imaged by the examination camera (18a) for the sheet (5).

A screen printing machine for appropriately contact between a mask and a board, comprising: a mask-holding device configured to hold a mask; a board-positioning device configured to hold a board and to position the held board with respect to a mask held by the mask-holding device from below; a squeegee device configured to spread a cream solder with respect to the mask; a height-measuring device configured to measure the height of the mask and the board; a control device configured to control each device, and to calculate the thickness of a mask lower layer, integrally formed with the mask, based on the measurement values obtained from the height-measuring device; and an operation display device configured to input operation and to display calculation values from the control device, and the like.

An apparatus calibrates the optical sensor to calibrate the distance measured by the sensor with the expected distance using a calibration surface at the expected distance.