A drawing and erasing apparatus includes a light source section that includes a plurality of laser elements different from each other in emission wavelength, a multiplexer that multiplexes a plurality of types of laser light beams outputted from the plurality of laser elements, a scanner section that performs scanning with multiplexed light outputted from the multiplexer on a reversible recording medium including a plurality of recording layers, the plurality of recording layers being reversible and different from each other in developed color hue, and a controller that controls a main scanning speed and a sub-scanning speed of the scanner section to cause the scanner section to perform overlapping scanning of a predetermined region on the reversible recording medium during erasure of information written on the reversible recording medium.

A drawing and erasing apparatus includes a light source section that includes a plurality of laser elements different from each other in emission wavelength, a multiplexer that multiplexes a plurality of types of laser light beams outputted from the plurality of laser elements, a scanner section that performs scanning with multiplexed light outputted from the multiplexer on a reversible recording medium including a plurality of recording layers, the plurality of recording layers being reversible and different from each other in developed color hue, and a controller that controls a main scanning speed and a sub-scanning speed of the scanner section to cause the scanner section to perform overlapping scanning of a predetermined region on the reversible recording medium during erasure of information written on the reversible recording medium.

A method for laser marking plastics labels includes providing at least one plastics label to be marked. A marking laser that is a diode laser having at least one laser diode and no other laser-active medium is provided. The plastics label is marked by laser marking with the marking laser.

A laser device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a light source and a reflection-type polarizer. The light source causes laser light to oscillate. The reflection-type polarizer is disposed on an optical path of the laser light and has a transmission axis coinciding with a polarization direction of the laser light.

A laser device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a light source and a reflection-type polarizer. The light source causes laser light to oscillate. The reflection-type polarizer is disposed on an optical path of the laser light and has a transmission axis coinciding with a polarization direction of the laser light.

A label modification unit may receive a label modification input associated with an image. The label modification unit may process, using an image filtering, the label modification input to convert the image to a bitmap for raster printing the image via a laser printhead. The label modification unit may determine, based on the bitmap, an array of power factors for a light beam that is configured to be emitted by a laser of the laser printhead and raster print the image. The label modification unit may control the laser of the laser printhead in association with raster printing the image on a rewriteable label according to the array of power factors.

A label modification unit may receive a label modification input associated with an image. The label modification unit may process, using an image filtering, the label modification input to convert the image to a bitmap for raster printing the image via a laser printhead. The label modification unit may determine, based on the bitmap, an array of power factors for a light beam that is configured to be emitted by a laser of the laser printhead and raster print the image. The label modification unit may control the laser of the laser printhead in association with raster printing the image on a rewriteable label according to the array of power factors.

A data protector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a data layer configured to record confidential information as a visible image; and one or a plurality of cover layers disposed at least one of above or below the data layer and configured to transition between a color-developed state and a decolored state in a visible wavelength region.

In a drawing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when performing drawing on a thermal recording medium that includes, above a recording layer, a light-transmitting member having an uneven shape in a plane, an optical compensator having one surface and another surface is provided on the light-transmitting member to cause the one surface and the light-transmitting member to face each other, and the thermal recording medium is irradiated with a laser beam via the optical compensator. The one surface of the optical compensator has a shape that fits the uneven shape of the light-transmitting member, and the other surface is flat and opposed to the one surface.

The invention relates to an inkless printing method. The invention also relates to an inkless printing device, in particular configured to perform at least a part of the method according to the invention. The invention furthermore relates to a substrate provided with at least one printed marking realised by applying the method according to the invention and/or the device according to the invention.