Printer, printing system, and printing method using print paper with photosensitive microcapsules applied thereto

Abstract

A printer has a printer body, a carriage for undergoing scanning movement over a print paper in a scanning direction, and a cassette removably connected to the printer body for storing print paper and having a code element indicative of photosensitive characteristics of the print paper. The print paper contains photosensitive microcapsules encapsulating a color developing material and a photo-curing material and has an image receiving layer for developing color by a reaction of the color developing material with the image receiving layer. The carriage has a light emitting element for emitting light of a preselected wavelength to which the photosensitive microcapsules are exposed to thereby form a latent image on the print paper. A photosensitive characteristics identifying mechanism is disposed on the carriage for reading the code element of the cassette to identify the photosensitive characteristics of the print paper. A light emission controller controls the intensity or the time period of emission of the light emitted by the light emitting element in accordance with the photosensitive characteristics of the print paper identified by the photosensitive characteristics identifying mechanism. A pressurizing mechanism applies mechanical pressure to the print paper after a latent image has been formed thereon to collapse the photosensitive microcapsules which were not exposed to the light emitted by the light emitting element and thereby develop the latent image by reaction of the color developing material in the photosensitive microcapsules with the image receiving layer.