Graphics Printing - DataCard CP80 Plus Service Manual

Graphics Printing

The information presented in the following section is not required for servicing
the CP80 and CP80 Plus printers but is presented to augment the customer
engineer's training and knowledge base.
The printhead is made up of 672 microscopic heating elements. Each of these
thermal elements is made from a printed circuit conductor etched into the
printhead substrate (metallic-like foil). The elements are spaced 0.0035 inch apart,
and represent a single pixel at 300 DPI resolution.
To transfer pigment from the print ribbon to the card, the respective thermal
element (pixel) heats up until the temperature reaches the transfer threshold. At
this point, pigment from the print ribbon will adhere to the card. The longer the
element remains on, the more material gets applied.
• At temperatures below the transfer threshold, no pigment is transferred to
the card.
• If the temperature of an element is too high, the area surrounding the
element may also get hot enough to transfer pigment. This will lead to
reduced resolution, blotching, and ribbon breaks.
• The intensity of the printed pixel is controlled by the length of time the
pixel's thermal element is turned on. The longer the pixel is on, the darker
(more intense) the color will be.
CP80 and CP80 Plus Service Manual 2-13