Photo-thermal ink transferring device

Abstract

A photo-thermal ink transferring device includes an ink transferring drum which comprises a photoconductive layer on which inking material being in solid state at room temperature and having heat-fusing and semiconductive properties is coated and a transparent electrically-conductive layer which is provided on the opposite surface of the photoconductive layer. In ink transferring, while the desired portion of a paper onto which ink is transferred placed in contact with the coated inking material and while a proper current is passed through the coated inking material and transparent layer, light representative of a portion of image to be transferred is locally illuminated from the inner side of the electrically-conductive layer toward the photoconductive layer. As a result, the light-illuminated portion of the inking material coated on the photoconductive layer is locally self-heated by Joule heat phenomenon, so that the inking material is fused and transferred onto the paper. The above operation is repeated for the subsequent portions so that the whole image can be effectively transferred onto the paper.