Eastman-kodak Company

Richard P Henzel

Stephen M Neumann

Noel R Vanier

Glenn T Pearce

Lee William Tutt

Jerald C Hinshaw

Gary W Byers

Richard A Chasman

Donald Lee Fields

Charles D DeBoer

Daniel Jude Harrison

Philip T Lau

William B Vreeland

David George Foster

Paul L Zengerle

William Yurich Fowlkes

Kin K Lum

David F Jennings

George B Bodem

Eugene A Armour

Rowland G Mowrey

Charels C Anderson

Philip Thiam Shin Lau

A thermal printers and printing methods are provided. The thermal printer has a first thermal print head adapted to pressure a first donor web against the receiver medium and to selectively transfer donor material to the receiver medium in an image wise fashion to form a first image in an image receiving area of the receiver medium; and a second thermal print head adapted to pressure a second donor web against the receiver medium and to selectively transfer second donor material to the receiver medium in an image wise fashion to form a second image in the image receiving area. A receiver medium transport system moves receiver medium along a printing path and the first thermal print head and the second thermal print head are positioned along the path so that they can apply donor material to the receiver medium at least in part simultaneously when instructed by a controller.

Thermal printer with two print heads

The present invention relates to a dye-donor element for thermal dye transfer comprising a support having on one side a dye layer and on a second side a slipping layer, wherein the slipping layer comprises a first wax comprising a polymer derived from a polyolefin and an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid or ester or anhydride thereof, and at least one other wax and wherein the dye layer comprises at least a magenta dye of the Structure I: wherein the dye donor element has reduced 2&#xd7; retransfer. The present invention also relates to the same slip layer with a dye layer comprising at least a yellow dye of the Structure X: or Structure XI: or Structure XII: or Structure XIII: or wherein the dye layer comprises at least a cyan dye of Structure XX: 

Slipping layer for dye-donor element used in thermal dye transfer

A laser recording element comprising a support having thereon a dye layer comprising an image dye dispersed in a polymeric binder, said dye layer having an infrared-absorbing material associated therewith, and wherein said dye layer also contains a 2-hydroxybenzophenone UV-absorbing dye.

2-hydroxybenzophenone UV dyes for laser recording process

A laser recording element comprising a support having thereon a dye layer comprising an image dye dispersed in a polymeric binder, said dye layer having an infrared-absorbing material associated therewith, and wherein said dye layer also contains a benzotriazole UV-absorbing dye.

Benzotriazole UV dyes for laser recording process

An ablative recording element comprising a support having thereon a colorant layer comprising a colorant dispersed in a polymeric binder, the colorant layer having an infrared-absorbing material associated therewith, and wherein the polymeric binder comprises a vinyl polymer having recurring units of the following formula: ##STR1## wherein: R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 each independently represents a ketal group; an acetal group; a thioketal group; a thioacetal group; or an unsaturated group containing a double or triple bond between any two atoms, one of which is the atom of attachment to the polymer chain; or

Vinyl polymer binder for laser ablative imaging

A laser dye-ablative recording element comprising a support having on one side thereof a dye layer comprising an image dye dispersed in a polymeric binder, the dye layer having an infrared-absorbing material associated therewith to absorb at a given wavelength of the laser used to expose the element, the image dye being substantially transparent in the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum and absorbing in the region of from about 300 to about 700 nm and not having substantial absorption at the wavelength of the laser used to expose the element, and the other side of the support having thereon a conductive backing layer of resistivity &lt;5.times.10.sup.12 .OMEGA./.quadrature..

Backing layer for laser ablative imaging

A laser recording element comprising a support having thereon a dye layer comprising an image dye dispersed in a polymeric binder, said dye layer having an infrared-absorbing material associated therewith, and wherein said dye layer also contains an oxalanilide UV-absorbing dye.

Oxalanilide UV dyes for laser recording element

A laser dye-ablative recording element comprising a support having thereon a dye layer comprising an image dye dispersed in a polymeric binder, said dye layer having an infrared-absorbing material associated therewith, and wherein said dye layer also contains an arylazo phenol, naphthol or aniline UV-absorbing dye.

UV dyes for laser ablative recording process

A laser recording element comprising a support having thereon a dye layer comprising an image dye dispersed in a polymeric binder, said dye layer having an infrared-absorbing material associated therewith, and wherein said dye layer also contains a 2-cyano-3,3-diarylacrylate UV-absorbing dye.

2-cyano-3,3-diarylacrylate UV dyes for laser recording process

A laser dye-ablative recording element comprising a support having thereon a dye layer comprising two or more image dyes dispersed in a polymeric binder, the dye layer having an infrared-absorbing material associated therewith, and wherein the image dyes comprise curcumin yellow dye and a 1,4-diaminoanthraquinone dye.

Image dye combination for laser ablative recording element

An ablative recording element comprising a support having thereon, in order, a barrier layer and a colorant layer comprising a colorant dispersed in a polymeric binder, the colorant layer having an infrared-absorbing material associated therewith, and wherein the barrier layer comprises a vinyl polymer having recurring units of the following formula: ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 each independently represents a halogen atom; a haloalkyl group with at least one halogen atom in its .beta.-position of the carbon to which R.sup.1 or R.sup.2 is attached; a ketal group; an acetal group; a thioketal group; a thioacetal group; a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group; or a group containing a double or triple bond between any two atoms, one of which is adjacent to the carbon to which R.sup.1 or R.sup.2 is attached;

Barrier layer for laser ablative imaging

This invention relates to a dye-donor element for thermal dye transfer comprising a support having thereon a dye layer comprising an image dye in a polymeric binder which is non-transferable by heat, and wherein the dye layer also contains an epoxide stabilizer, other than the binder, in an amount of up to about 25% by weight of the binder.

Stabilizers for dye-donor element used in thermal dye transfer

A dye-donor element for thermal dye transfer comprising a support having thereon a dye layer comprising a dye dispersed in a polymeric binder and wherein the polymeric binder has an intrinsic viscosity of at least 1.6.

High viscosity binders for thermal dye transfer dye-donors

An intermediate receiving element comprising a metallic surface having thereon a polymeric dye image-receiving layer and a stripping layer between the metallic surface and the dye image-receiving layer, wherein the stripping layer comprises a mixture of a hydrophilic cellulosic material and a polyethyleneglycol.

Intermediate receiver release layer

A dye-donor element for thermal dye transfer comprising a poly(ethylene terephthalate) support having thereon, in order, a subbing layer and a dye layer comprising a dye dispersed in a cellulosic binder, and wherein said subbing layer comprises a copolymer of vinyl alcohol and an alkyl ester of vinyl alcohol, such as vinyl acetate.

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Webster, NY, United States of America

Richard P Henzel