Hi-touch Imaging Technologies Co., Ltd.

Kuan-Chih Huang

Hsu-Chu Chien

Sheng-Chih Lin

Kuang-Huei Huang

A method of registering the position of a ribbon by moving the ribbon with a constant angular velocity and detecting the amount of ribbon used in a photo printer. The ribbon includes dye regions each having several dye frames, and black bar regions each prior to a dye region. The first dye frame of each dye region is registered after each black bar region is detected. The amount of ribbon used is determined based on the moved time of the black bar region. And while one of the dye frames is finished printing, the required time for moving the ribbon to register the start position of the subsequent dye frame is obtained based on the moved time of the black bar region, the length of the printed part of the dye frame, and the length from non-printed part of the dye frame to the subsequent dye frame.

Method of registering the position of a ribbon moving at a constant angular velocity and detecting the amount of the ribbon used in a photo printer

A method for generating a watermark on a photo picture using a thermal printer. The thermal printer includes a thermal printhead for heating an ink ribbon and sublimating color dyes stored in the ink ribbon on a photo picture. The ink ribbon includes a plurality of sequentially arranged color frames. Each color frame includes a plurality of dye frames with different color dyes and a dye frame with overcoating. The method includes using the thermal printhead to heat a color frame with a plurality of different color dyes and to sublimate the color dyes on a photo picture and using the thermal printhead to heat the dye frame with the overcoating and to heat different areas on the color frame by two distinct time periods.

Method for generating a watermark on a photo picture using a thermal printer

A color printer with a single photo sensor for detecting the position of the ink ribbon. A single photo sensor is place so that it can detect transparent and opaque sections of the ink ribbon. The ribbon winds at a constant speed, so the pattern of transparent and opaque sections periodically repeats. The controller can use the periodicity of the transparent and opaque sections to calculate which dye frame the print head is positioned over. Using this information, the printer can advance the ink ribbon to the desired dye frame for printing onto the photo paper.

Color printer with a single sensor for detecting ink ribbon position

A method for recognizing a color of a printing ribbon includes providing a printing ribbon having a repeated sequence of dyed and undyed regions such that output of a photosensor sensing the ribbon is a low or high level based on a threshold. The method includes illuminating a sensing area of the ribbon, moving the ribbon relative to the sensing area, measuring output of the photosensor over time as the ribbon moves, correlating output of the photosensor to the repeated sequence as the ribbon moves to determine the color of the ribbon under the print head, and setting operational parameters of the printer and print head according to the color of the ribbon under the print head. The repeated sequence is unprintable black dye, yellow dye with undyed ribbon, magenta dye, undyed ribbon, cyan dye, and transparent overcoating with undyed ribbon.

Method for recognizing a color of a printing ribbon and ribbon format thereof

A method for generating a matte finish on a photo picture using a thermal printer includes using the thermal printhead to heat different areas of an overcoating dye frame of an ink ribbon by at least two distinct time periods to dispose overcoating on the photo picture. The two distinct time periods are a first time period and a second time period; the first time period disposing thicker layer of overcoating than the second time period. A matte finish pattern of overcoating comprises a two-dimensional array of cells wherein each cell is heated by either the first time period or the second time period based on a substantially random probability.

Method for generating a matte finish on a photo picture using a thermal printer

A color printer includes an ink ribbon having a plurality of sequentially arranged dye regions, each of the dye regions having a plurality of dye frames for carrying dye of different colors, a ribbon driving device for causing the ink ribbon to move in a predetermined direction, a controller for controlling the color printer, and a plurality of optical detecting devices sequentially arranged and mounted adjacent to the ink ribbon. At least two output signals are detected when each of the optical detecting devices senses a dye frame, and each the output signal is defined as a phase. Position of the ink ribbon is discerned by the controller according to the phase and phase-to-phase variation recorded by the optical detecting devices when the controller commands the ribbon driving device to move the ink ribbon.

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Taipei Hsien, Taiwan

Kuan-Chih Huang