A thermal print head includes a heat-generating substrate, a resistor layer, a conductive layer, a first substrate, a second substrate, and a third substrate. The heat-generating substrate includes a heat-generating substrate obverse face and a heat-generating substrate reverse face that are spaced apart from each other in a thickness direction. The resistor layer is supported by the heat-generating substrate. The conductive layer is supported by the heat-generating substrate, and electrically connected to the resistor layer. The first substrate is located upstream of the heat-generating substrate in a sub-scanning direction. The second substrate is located upstream of the first substrate in the sub-scanning direction. The third substrate is bonded to the first substrate and the second substrate and higher in flexibility than the first substrate.

A recording device includes a recording unit configured to perform recording on a medium, and a discharge tray located above the recording unit in a height direction of the recording device and configured to support the medium discharged after recording is performed thereon, and a flow path of air for cooling a cooling target is formed along a lower surface of the discharge tray. The recording unit is an example of the cooling target.

A method for printing includes analyzing print quality requirements for a printing area; adjusting settings for heater elements (e.g., energy and/or firing durations) of strobe lines based on the requirements analysis; and providing a plurality of individual strobe signals to the strobe lines. The strobe signals can be transmitted simultaneously, for example with a field-programmable gate array. Analyzing print quality requirements can include separating the printing area into one or more areas of interest, such as rows and/or columns. For each area of interest individual print quality settings (e.g., darkness, contrast, and/or media sensitivity) may be selected.

A method for printing includes analyzing print quality requirements for a printing area; adjusting settings for heater elements (e.g., energy and/or firing durations) of strobe lines based on the requirements analysis; and providing a plurality of individual strobe signals to the strobe lines. The strobe signals can be transmitted simultaneously, for example with a field-programmable gate array. Analyzing print quality requirements can include separating the printing area into one or more areas of interest, such as rows and/or columns. For each area of interest individual print quality settings (e.g., darkness, contrast, and/or media sensitivity) may be selected.

According to one embodiment, a printer includes an input interface and a processor. The input interface inputs a distance signal output from a distance sensor opposite to a rotating surface of a roll around which a sheet material is wound in a roll shape. The processor detects an amount of change in a distance from the distance sensor to the rotating surface of the roll based on a plurality of distance signals input at different timings, detects a vibration convergence state of the roll from the amount of change in the distance, and detects a diameter of the roll based on the distance signal input in the vibration convergence state.

A heat transfer roller apparatus is disclosed and configured for transferring an at least one design onto a substrate. In at least one embodiment, with the substrate sandwiched between a support frame and a support base of the apparatus, and a heat transfer compatible transfer sheet containing the at least one design positioned on the substrate within a frame boundary defined by the support frame, an at least one heat roller traverses across the transfer sheet—from a first end of the support frame to an opposing second end of the support frame—at a predetermined temperature, pressure and traversal time as set by a controller of the apparatus, so as to cause the at least one design on the transfer sheet to bond to the substrate, with a carrier of the apparatus subsequently separating the transfer sheet from the substrate while the transfer sheet is still hot.

Fountain solution latent images are provided on an inking blanket without using laser-induced evaporation systems. Approaches include a rotatable charge retentive surface configured to receive an unfused toned electrostatic pattern of toner particles adhered thereto via electrophotography. The toner includes small diameter polymeric or inorganic particles that may have no color pigment to appear transparent or translucent. Fountain solution is disposed on at least one of the toner, the charge retentive surface and a transfer substrate. The transfer substrate is adjacent the charge retentive surface and forms a nip therebetween, with the transfer substrate sandwiching the unfused toned electrostatic pattern of toner particles and fountain solution against the charge retentive surface at the nip. Fountain solution sandwiched between the surfaces splits as the surfaces separate downstream the nip, leaving a fountain solution latent image remaining on the transfer member surface based on the electrostatic charged pattern on the charge retentive surface.

An image forming apparatus includes a print head including heating elements for applying a thermal energy to an imaging material, an operation unit configured to operate the plurality of heating elements of the print head by using a first pulse for preheating the color developing layers and a second pulse for developing the colors of the color developing layers, and a generation unit configured to, in a case where a spatial frequency of the image to be recorded based on image data for forming an image on the imaging material is lower than a predetermined frequency, generate the first pulse so that a temperature to be applied to the imaging material by the first pulse is lower than a temperature to be applied to the imaging material in a case where the spatial frequency of the image data is equal to or higher than the predetermined frequency.

A CPU of a printing apparatus energizes heat-generating elements for a predetermined period of time in a first divided printing cycle of two divided printing cycles obtained by dividing one printing cycle, according to a yellow energization pattern, and forms a first yellow print dot without causing a heat-sensitive tape to develop another color. Then, the CPU energizes the heat-generating elements for a predetermined period of time in a second divided printing cycle of the two divided printing cycles, and forms a second yellow print dot on the heat-sensitive tape. By forming two print dots in one printing cycle, the CPU secures a large color reproduction range.

A heating circuit having an array of switching heating elements (e.g., field effect transistors, thin film transistors) provides a transient heat pattern over a surface (e.g., substrate, imaging member surface, transfer roll surface) moving relative to the heating circuit, to produce a pixelated heat image and heat a target pattern on the surface. Heat is generated by current flow in the heating elements, and the power developed by the heating circuit is the product of source-drain voltage and current in the channel. Digital addressing may accomplished by matrix addressing the array. Current may be supplied along data address lines by an external voltage controlled by digital electronics understood by a skilled artisan to provide the desired heat at a respective heating element pixels addressed by a specific gate line. The circuit may include a current return line that may be low resistance, for example, by using a 2-dimensional mesh.