Author(s)

I. Nitta and H. Terao

Abstract

Analysis of contact pressure between a thermal print head and ink of a thermal transfer printer I. Nitta', H. Terao2 'Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Japan 2ALPS Electric Co, Ltd. Japan Abstract The print head of a thermal transfer printer presses an ink ribbon on the printing paper. The ink of the ink ribbon is molten by micro heaters on the thermal print head and the molten ink is transferred to the printing paper. After a short cooling process the transferred ink is pressed again by the edge of the head near the micro heater for fixing. To melt the ink efficiently heat generated by the micro heaters must be sufficiently transferred to the ink ribbon. Thus the thermal print head has to be strongly pressed to the ink ribbon at the position of the micro heaters. Elastic analysis cannot point out the position where the contact pressure is the highest. Because the ink ribbon is made of a plastic material, it exhibits the viscoelastic behavior when pressed. The ink

Keywords