Eastman-Kodak Company

Susan L Dawson

Daniel Jude Harrison

Elizabeth G Burns

Kristine B Lawrence

Louis J Sorriero

Elizabeth A Gallo

Ludmila S Weiss

Steven Evans

Teh-Ming Kung

Wayne A Bowman

Charles E Romano, Jr

Lawrence P DeMejo

William H Simpson

Csaba A Kovacs

Robert A Guistina

George W Brock

Richard C VanHanehem

Maurice L Gray

Apparatus is disclosed for re-applying dye to a dye donor element of a dye transfer thermal printer. A reservoir contains a supply of dye that is thermally transferred from the reservoir to the dye donor element by diffusion of dye into the dye donor element. The reservoir has a diffusion controlled permeation membrane through which dye is delivered to the dye donor element, while inhibiting diffusion of a binder, whereby the dye diffuses between the reservoir and the dye donor element but the binder does not.

Re-application of dye to a dye donor element of thermal printers

A process for laminating an ink jet print having the steps of: a) providing an ink jet print having a support having thereon an ink jet image; b) contacting the imaged surface of the ink jet print with a transfer laminating element to form a composite, the transfer laminating element having a flexible, polymeric support having thereon a protection layer of a water-dispersible, hydrophobic polyester resin having the following general formula: I -P-A wherein I is an ionic group; n is an integer from 1-3; P is a polyester backbone; A is an aliphatic group having a straight or branched chain fatty acid or triglyceride thereof halving from about 6 to about 24 carbon atoms; and m is an integer from 3-8; c) applying heat and pressure to the composite to transfer the layer on top of the ink jet image; d) allowing the composite to cool; and e) peeling the flexible, polymeric support of the transfer laminating element from the composite to form the laminated ink jet print.

Process for laminating ink jet print with a water-dispersible, hydrophobic polyester resin

Ink jet printing process

A reusable thermal dye donor element for a dye transfer thermal printer comprising: a base support having a plurality of wells which preferentially adsorb and desorb dye; and an overcoat on the base support which has a thickness less than the depth of the plurality of wells.

Reusable donor layer containing dye wells for continuous tone thermal

A thermal dye transfer assemblage comprising: (I) a dye-donor element comprising a support having thereon sequentially repeating dye layer patches of a dye dispersed in a polymeric binder, at least one of the dye patches containing a deprotonated cationic dye which is capable of being reprotonated to a cationic dye having a N--H group which is part of a conjugated system; and (II) a dye-receiving element comprising a support having thereon a polymeric dye image-receiving layer comprising a vinyl polymer having no or only slight acidity and a hydrated transition metal or metalloid salt of a strong acid, the dye-receiving element being in a superposed relationship with the dye-donor element so that the dye layer is in contact with the polymeric dye image-receiving layer.

Assemblage for thermal dye transfer

Apparatus is disclosed for re-applying dye to a dye donor element of a dye transfer thermal printer. A reservoir contains a supply of dye that is thermally transferred from the reservoir to the dye donor element by diffusion of dye into the dye donor element. The reservoir has a diffusion controlled permeation membrane through which dye is delivered to the dye donor element, while inhibiting diffusion of a carrier, whereby the dye partitions between the reservoir and the dye donor element but the carrier does not.

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Pittsford, NY, United States of America

Susan L Dawson