The present invention discloses a method and apparatus for imaging and cutting a label from a linerless label substrate 6, the substrate 6 comprising: a paper or polymeric film base layer; a colour change layer, incorporating a colour change compound operable to change colour in response to illumination by a laser 1; an adhesive layer; and a release layer adapted to have low adherence to the adhesive layer. The label substrate 6 is transported from a storage reel to an imaging area. At the imaging area, the label substrate 6 is selectively illuminated by laser 1 to form an image in the colour change layer. Subsequently, further laser illumination is used to cut the label substrate 6 thereby providing a single label for application to an object. The invention is characterised in that the laser spot size is varied for imaging and cutting.

Apparatus related to marking a metal surface are provided. The solution comprises receiving (600) control data comprising information on the marking of a pattern on the metal surface; controlling (604, 606) a temperature control unit and a gas unit to produce a temperature and atmosphere in space under a cover on the basis of the control data; controlling (602) the focus and bandwidth of a laser marking unit on the basis of the control data to produce the pattern defined in the control data on the metal surface; and controlling (608) a coating unit on the basis of the control data to produce a coating on the metal surface.

A device for inscribing identification units, each identification unit including an identification plate or connected single-piece identification plates, each identification plate having an inscription surface, and the inscription surface or a plurality of the inscription surfaces of each identification unit spanning an inscription plane, includes a housing; an inscription device that is arranged in the housing, particularly a laser inscription device; a drop shaft which is arranged in the housing, is accessible via an inlet opening in the housing, is designed for conveying individual identification units to the inscription device, and is delimited by at least one chute for the identification units, the chute being at an incline relative to the horizontal and vertical lines; a support surface which is arranged at the lower end of the drop shaft and spans a support plane in order to support an edge of the identification units; a stopping block that protrudes upwards over the support plane or is arranged over the support plane; and a counter holder that can move towards and away from the stopping block in a feed direction, in order to press identification units that are supported on the support surface against the stopping block, in an inscription position.

A recording medium according to an embodiment includes a base material; a first color developing layer that is laminated on the base material, and absorbs light having a given wavelength to develop a color; a photothermal conversion layer that is laminated closer to an incident side of the light than the first color developing layer, transmits visible light, and absorbs the light for photothermal conversion; and a second color developing layer that is laminated closer to the incident side of the light than the first color developing layer, transmits visible light and the light, and develops a color by heat converted by the photothermal conversion layer.

An image forming apparatus that forms an image according to light emitted from a light source is provided. The image forming apparatus includes: a first image processor that performs image processing on image data having a first resolution and outputs the resulting image data; a resolution converter that acquires the image data having the first resolution output from the first image processor and converts the image data to image data having a second resolution that is higher than the first resolution; a modulation signal generator that modulates the image data having the second resolution according to a clock signal to thereby generate a modulation signal; a light source driver that drives the light source according to the modulation signal; and a second image processor that performs image processing on the image data having the second resolution to be modulated to the modulation signal.

Provided is an image processing apparatus configured to perform by itself image erasing and image recording to a thermally reversible recording medium by irradiating it with laser light and heating it, including a laser light emitting unit, a laser light scanning unit, a focal length control unit, and an information setting unit. During image erasing, the focal length control unit performs control to defocus at the position of the thermally reversible recording medium. During image recording, the focal length control unit performs control to be at a focal length from the position of the thermally reversible recording medium. Immediately after image erasing based on image erasing information set by the information setting unit is completed, image recording is performed based on image recording information.

A multi-sample container disposal module is provided with a discharging mechanism comprising a storage box, the storage box being internally provided with a storage space, wherein the storage space is divided into a first storage cavity and a second storage cavity via a partition plate in the storage space; a transition mechanism, two ends of which are respectively a receiving end and a discharging end, wherein the receiving end is provided with a receiving rack and the discharging end is provided with a rotating structure and a discharging plate, and a driving structure is arranged between the receiving rack and the rotating structure; and a printing mechanism located above the transition mechanism, wherein the printing mechanism comprises a laser head, and a position of an emission light source of the laser source corresponds to a position of the rotating structure up and down.

A device for applying at least a first energy to a substrate includes a conversion material application unit configured to apply a conversion material for converting a second energy to the first energy to the substrate and an energy application unit configured to apply the second energy to the conversion material applied to the substrate, wherein the second energy corresponds to an amount of heat not less than heat of evaporation of the conversion material.

The present disclosure relates to a device for simultaneously performing printing of tablets and inspection on exteriors of the tablets, and provides a device for printing a tablet and inspecting an exterior of the tablet, comprising a transfer unit arranging and transferring tablets supplied from a tablet supplier in a line; a pre-printing image-capturing unit located on a transfer path on which the tablets are transferred to discriminate positions and orientations of the tablets, and disposed to capture images of exteriors of the tablets being transferred; a tablet printing unit located next to the pre-printing image-capturing unit on the transfer path on which the tablets are transferred, and printing the tablets being transferred, in consideration of discriminated results acquired from the images captured by the pre-printing image-capturing unit; and a post-printing image-capturing unit located next to the tablet printing unit on the transfer path on which the tablets are transferred, and capturing images of exteriors of the printed tablets being transferred, to inspect the images or printed results of the printed tablets. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of functions may be performed with a single device, to maximize work efficiency in time and space, and reduce costs.

Examples described herein relate to a system consistent with the disclosure. For instance, the system may comprise a printing device including hardware to form an image on a print medium, a memory resource, and a controller to receive a print job to form the markings on the print medium, designate a pixel of the received print job to form a covert dot pattern on the markings, where the pixel corresponds to a first laser intensity level; and adjust a laser intensity of the printing device to a second laser intensity level based on the first laser intensity level of the designated pixel to form the covert dot pattern.