Entrust Datacard Corporation

Entrust Corporation

John Knaack

Rajesh Kalachand Juriasingani

Wade Kragtorp

Miguel Ayala

Heather Maershbecker

Patrick C Cronin

Methods and systems are disclosed for printing vibrant grey color(s) on plastic cards. The following features, which can be used individually or in any combination thereof, can be implemented to achieve the vibrant grey color(s): 1) use of CMYK pigment inks to achieve CMYK printing; 2) a pixel extraction process and/or a print trapping process; 3) two separate print commands including a CMY (or CMYK)+blending print command and a K+blending print command; and 4) proper card set-up.

Methods and systems for printing vibrant grey colors on plastic cards

Techniques are described for obscuring residual images on print ribbons that have been used to print on plastic cards in order to prevent access to sensitive or personalized data appearing in the residual images. An image is printed on a retransfer film using the print ribbon, thereby creating a residual image of the printed image on the print ribbon. The retransfer film is then used to obscure some or all of the residual image on the print ribbon by transferring ink from the section of the print ribbon containing the residual image onto the retransfer film. In some embodiments, obscuring the residual image on the print ribbon occurs before the printed image on the retransfer film is transferred to the plastic card.

Obscuring residual images on print ribbons

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Shakopee, MN, United States of America

John Knaack