GB2202797A - Thermal printing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

1 22-0 2 7 9 '1 i 1 THERMAL INK TRANSFER APPARATUS This invention relates

to an article of manufacture for use with printing apparatus which includes rneans for thermally, transferring ink from a ribbon to a workplece.

Thermal transfer printing of an image to a workplece is a known technology. Generally, thermal transfer printing utilizes a thermal print head consisting of a linear array of "ON-OFP' heating elements. Each element can be individually! actuated in binary response to a generated bit input signal. Customarily, a control signal is generated b5. a control means, such as a programmable microcomputer, wherein a series of byte codes are transmitted to the thermal print head galing the individual heating elements to either an "ON" or "OFF" state in response to the control signal. A thermal ribbon coated on one side with thermally, sensitive ink is passed between the thermal print head and a traversing workplece. In response to the gating pattern of the print head elements, a series of dots and spaces are created on the workplece. As the gale information is sequentiall), tr,-in-,mitt.ed to the. 1hermal hr.,nd in s)iicliroiiized relalloiisliip to the traxersing thermal ribbon and workpiece, an image is thereby, imprinted to the workplece.

1 9 Thermal transfer printing offe rs a most important advantage over die cast image transfer techniques, in that images transferred by therrial transfer printing have a superior resolution quality. Howevert thermal transfer printing quality is sensitive to the workpiece image transfer surface area texture or roughness. The thermal transfer quality is limited by the capability of the thermal head to be subjected to high compression loads. High compression loads lead to shortened -thermal head life. Therefore, the contact pressure between the workpiece, thermal ribbon, and thermal head must be maintained at a. relatively low level. On the other hand, a workpiece having a rough surface texture has reduced surface contact with the thermal ribbon due to variations in evenness of surface contact by the ribbon, as compared with evenness of contact with a surface having a smooth surface area. As a resultr a workpiece with a rough surface texture must be subjected to higher thermal head pressure to avoid providing an image lacking in resolution and contrast.

It would be advantageous if rough workpieces could be imaged by thermal transfer techniques in a manner preserving the superior imaging capabilities of thermal printing. In addition thermal transfer printers are programmable. The programmable capability of thermal tra nsfer printing systems allows imaging flexibility which is not achievable with conventional die cast methods.

1, substantial efforts have heretofore been made to remove or despoil the image remaining on the ink donor ribbon after printing has been performed on the workpiece. These attempts have been made to den), re-use of the ribbon. Examples of such efforts are provided by U.S. Patent No. 4,407, 002 issued September 27th, 1983 to Inul et al and U.S. Patent No. 4,511, 902 issued April 16th, 1985 to Nagashima. Drawbacks of processes and apparatus for attaining this goal is that speed is reduced, and that the apparatus and the process is necessarily, more complex and, therefore, more expensive.

The present invention aims to overcome at least some of the shortcomings of the prior art.

According to the present invention there is provided an article of manufacture adapted for use with printing apparatus of the type which includes means for thermally. transferring ink from a ribbon, the article comprising:

(a) a frame defining first and second printing stations; (b) a ribbon including a backing layer and an ink donor layer; (c) a ribbon supply. spool rolatably mounted on said frame, said ribbon being wound on said supply, spool and having a leader end; (d) a ribbon take-up spool rotatably. mounted on said frame, said leader end being connected to said lake-up spool; and (e) means for guiding said ribbon in a feed path extending from said supply spool through said first and second printing stations and again through said first printing station to said take-up spool in such a manner that -said ink donor layer and said backing layer face each other at said first printing station, whereby ink from said ink donor layer can be thermally transferred to said backing layer at said first printing station.

1 1 1 0 As disclosed herein, an:

electronic postage meter contains a r,.artridge or cassette receiving section in the print station vicinity for. receiving a thermal transfer ribbon cassette. The cassette contains a length of thermal transfer ribbon including a backing layer coated on one side with thermally sensitive ink and referred to as an ink donor layer. The ribbon is connected at its end to, and wrapped around, a supply spool mounted for one way rotation in the cassette and threaded therefrom around a pl.urality of guide rollers, first ribbon backing rollerl and a take-up spool.

When inseXted into a postage machine or bar code printer or other thermal printing device which is suitably adapted for receiving the cassette, the free, or leadert. end of the ribbon extending from the supply spool, is fed between the ribbon backing roller and a thermal printing head at a first printing station.

Downstream from the first printing stationt the ribbon is fed between another ribbon backing roller and a thermal printing head at a second printing station with higher pressure provided by the second printhead. The thermal printing heads may be positionable by a position solenoid to facilitate entry of the cassette.

More specificallyr the ribbon is guided in a feed path extending from the supply spool through the f i r st and second printing stations? again through the first station, then to the take-up spool. The feed path has a first leg extending from the supply spool through the first printing station to the second printing station, a 1 a second leg extending through the second printing station to the first printing station, and a third leg extending through the first printing station to the take-up spool. The ribbon backing roller rotatably mounted on the f ' rame engages the ribbon in the third leg of the feed path at the first printing station such that ink f rom the ribbon in the f irst leg of the feed path at the first printing station is transferred to the ribbon in the third leg in the feed path also at the first printing station. The thermal printing head at the secon.d printing station engages the ribbon in the second leg of the feed path such that ink is transferred to a workpiece.

In operation, the microcomputer generates binary information which is sequentially transmitted to the thermal printheaa at the.first printing station. This causes an image to be traced onto the thermal ribbon in the third leg of the feed path from the thermal ribbon in the first leg of the feed path as both legs fed the thermal printhead at the first station. The ribbon continues to advance. Momentarily, that portion of the ribbon previously in the first leg of the feed path is located in the second leg of the feed path, specifically, at the thermal printhead at the second printing station. The contrast of the image imparted at the first station is imparted to a simultaneously fed mailpiece between the thermal printhead and the ribbon backing roller as the printhead is maintained at a temperature substantially higher than the threshold ink transfer temperature.

1 1 a All that remains of the ribbon as it leaves the second printing station is the backing layer which continues to and through the first printing station oce again for the operation already mentioned. Thereupon, the ribbon is drawn onto a take-up spool for eventual disposal. It is appreciated that by segregating the image generation and image transfer functions, increased pressure and temperature can be applied by the printhead during image transfer and, thereby, cause compression of the mailpiece surface area facilitating a higher resolution image transfer making the transfer system substantially.less sensitive to mailpiece surface texture. Further, since the printhead engages the smooth backing surface of the tape, printhead life is enhanced due to low printhead wear. in addition printhead life is increased due to the need to maintain the printhead temperature constant at all times rather than cyclically subjecting it to peak voltage levels.

J w:

-7 By reason of the invention, as particularly disclosed and illustrated, a direct image eventually ends up on the backing r'i"bbon which winds up on the takeup spool. Thus, the image cannot be used again since the image is negativer but it can still be read to provide a useful "audit trail" should such be desired.

it is also not(Eqorthy that some national Postal Authorities utilize a detection system to separate mail with postage meter indicia thereon from mail bearing postage stamps. This syAem is sensitive to the amount of fluorescence in the ink as well as the amount of the printed area (typically 10C. At the same time, thermal printers consume variable amounts of power from their power supplies depending upon the amount of the printed area. These power supplies are low voltage, regulated typest the cost of which is proportional to the amount of power required. Normallyr the requirements set forth above are conflicting since it is desired to print a large area for easy fluorescent detection and a small area for low power consumption. The proposed system has the advantage that If the first printing station prints a low power small area image, then the second printing station will print a large area. consistent with easy V i 0 4 detection. The wattage required'lby the second printing station is less costlyr since it has a less stringent requirement, that is, it has only to provide heat gre.atert by some margin, than the ink transfer temperature. Additionally, a negative indicia (90% print.. 10% void) is more secure in that it is difficult to modify, that is. to change the postage value to a higher amount. There are a number of advantages.. then, which result from large area printing. In a first instance, the first printing station can operate in a low power mode. Furthermore, the second printing station can operate in a fixed temperature mode driven by a low cost power supply. Additionally, since the first'printing station is operating at low power, it implies low:temperature which enables higher speeds of printing since printing speed is limited by the amount of heat generated at a printing head.

Other and further features, advantages, and benefits of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the following drawings. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory but not restrictive of the invention. The accompanying drawings which are incorporated in, and constitute a part of this inventiont illustrate some of the embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention in general terms. Like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

1 Fi 9. 1 is a partial perspective view of an electronically operated postage meter mailing machine embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of an electronic control system for operating the postage meter mailing machine of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of the thermal ribbon cassette as positioned within the postage meter in accordance with the present invention; Figs. 4A.. 4B. and 4C are exaggerated cross section views of the thermal ribbon at various positions along its feed path within the cassette in accordance with the present invention; and Pig. SA represents a first image transferred according to the invention and Fig. BB represents a second image so transferredr the second image being a reverse of the first image.

The invention as depicted in its preferred embodiment is illustrated as a component of an electronic postage meter mailing machine for the purpose of imprinting a postage indicia on a workpiece to be mailed. However, it will be appreciated that the invention subsequently described in its preferred embodiment is well suited 4 for employment -in- a- wide variety of other printing applications.

Referring to Pig. li an electronic postage meter mailing machine, generally indicated at 10, includes a mailing machine 12 adapted to receive mailpieces, either by automatic means, such as, by a feeder (not shown), or manuallyi and an electronic postage meter 14. The meter 14 is mounted to the mailing machine 12, customarily in a detachable fashionj such that a portion of the meter 14 is positioned in spaced relationship opposite a mailing machine platen 16 to define an indicia printing station, generally indicated at 18. The meter 14 is generally comprised of a housing 20; ha ' ving a display scpeen 22p a plurality of keys 24 operatively communicating with electronic circuitry 26 (Fig. 2) located within the housing 20 in any suitable manner.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2, the general functional arrangement of the computerized postal meter system of the present invention is known. The heart of the system is a CPU and it performs two basic functions: performance of calculations based on input data; and, controlling the flow of data between various memory units. Two basic memory units are employed with the CPU. The first is the permanent memory PM which is a not-alterable memory storing a specific sequence of operations for performing postal data calculations in accordance with certain predetermined inputs as well as performing other routines for operating the system. The second memory unit is a temporary memory TM which 1, i 4 1 interacts with the CPU for forming a temporary storage, holding and forwarding working data in accordance with the calculations being performed by the CPU. An additional memory component WM is also coupled to the CPU and performs a storage function which is very significant in the system operation of a postal data system. The NVM is a nonvolatile memory which acts to store certain critical information employed in the postal system at part of a predetermined routine activated upgn start-up. The function of this routine is to store in the NVM (non-volatile memory) crucial accountin.g. functions such as descending balances or ascending credits and the like, and store them such that they may be held while the machine is de-energized and recalled upon a subsequent start-up. In this mannert the computer system may continually act upon these balances in the NVM without fear of loss of this information upon shut-clown.

The system operates in accordance with data applied from an appropriate input keyboard I or an external interface EIr such as a scale, external computert mail management system, and the like. This data is fed into the CPU under control of the program in the permanent memory. At any time during the operation of the system, should the contents of the temporary memory storing the appropriate credit and debit balances or other accumulations in accordance with the various features of the system be desired to be dis.played, an appropriate instruction provided by the input means I causes the CPU to access the desired location storing the information requested. The information is provided 1 1 through the CPU into the output display unit 0. The input and output units may interface with the CPU via a multiplex unit MP. A more detailed description of a microcomputer system, such as here briefly described, can be found in commonly assigned U.S. Patent No. 4,568,950 issued February 4r 1986.

Under control of the CPU when appropriate postal data information is provided from the input I#, and all of the conditions such as limits and the like which may be preset in accordance with the entered data in storage in the NVM, are satisfied, a postage setting device SP will respond to an appropriate output signal from the CPU to generate a binary bit message addressed to a constituent temporary memory,. At this point, the system has accomplished its initial function of setting the postage and readying the thermal printing system for image creation.

Referring now to Fig. 3, a postage printing unit 28 associated with the postage meter 14 includes a pair of spaced apart thermal printheads 30, 32, and a ribbon cartridge or cassette 34. The thermal printheads 30, 32 are of conventional design such as those available f rom Ricoh Company Ltd. of San Jose, Cal if ornia or Kyocera Companyt Kyota,, Japan. A typical device is shown and described in U.S. Patent No. 4P429,318 issued January 31, 1984 to Kobata. The thermal printheads 30, 32 are serial-sequence binary responsive to the output of the microcomputer I C.

A 1 Theribbon cassette 34 is admitted into the housing 20 through a hinged door 36 (see Fig. 1) and is detachably mounted therein by any conventional and suitable means.

The ribbon cassette 34 includes a frame 38 which defines first and second printing stationst 40 and 42.

respectivelyi and an integral enclosure 44 which contains a nu..mber of components which will be described. A ribbon supply spool 46 is rotatably mounted within the cassette 34 and is wound with a thermal ribbon 48 which has a extending therefrom, The thermal ribbon 48 includes a backing layer 50 which is preferably composed of a "MYLAR" brand plastic film, or equivalent, a.pproximately 0.25 to 0.5 mils in thickness., is The thermal ribbon 48 also includes an ink donor layer 52 (Fig. 4M which is a thermally activated ink coating applied'to the exposed side of the backing layer 50.

A ribbon take-up spool 54 is also rotatably mounted on the frame 381 the leader end of the thermal ribbon 48 being suitably connected to the takeup spool. A plurality of idler rollers 56 are also rotatably mounted on the frame 38 within the enclosure 44 and serve to guide the thermal ribbon 48 along a feed path which extends from the supply spool 46. through the first and second printing stations,, 40 and 42, respectively, and again through the first printing station 40r then around a ribbon backing roller 58 which is positioned at the first printing station 40 and eventually onto the take-up spool 54.

9, 1 When the cassette 34 is inserted into the postage printing unit 28, the take-up spool 54 is operatively engaged with a driver unit DU (Fig. 2) which appropriately rotates the take-up spool and draws the thermal ribbon 48 from the supply spool 46 and advances At along the feed path just described in the direction of arrows 60. To facilitate threading or positioning of the thermal ribbon 48 as the cassette 34 is inserted into the postage printing unit 28, each thermal printhead 30, 32, is preferably capable of being moved from a.. withdrawn or threading position to an active. position as illustrated in Fig. 3. This movement may be achieved by means of an electrically responsive two position solenoid 62 operatively associated with each thermal printhead. The solenoids 62 are actuated by a door switch 64 (see Fig. 1) in a conventional manner upon the opening of the door 36. Closing of the door 44 causes deactuation of the switch 64 and, therebyp causes the solenoids 62 to reposition the thermal heads 30r 32 to their original, or active, positions.

It will also be appreciated that the bearings rotatably mounting the supply spool 46, idler rollers 56, and the ribbon backing roller 58 are designed to assure that the thermal ribbon 48 experiences a proper magnitude of tension, neither too little nor too much. as it adv-ances along the feed path within the cassette 34.

viewing Fig..3, it is readily seen that the feed path 1 1 t for the thermal ribbon 48 has a first leg which extends from the supply spool 46, through the first printing station 40, to the second printing station; a second leg extending through the second printing station 42 back to the first printing station 40; and a third leg extending through the first printing station 40. around the ribbon backing roller 58 and to the take-up spool 54.

The printheads 30. 32 may utilize a heating bar (not shown) of known construction. The heating bar may be separate from the printhead or be combined therewith and, in either event, should be able to operate at a pressure in the range of 2 lbs. per inch to 20 lbs.

per inch during its operation without appreciable wear. Desirablyr the heating bars used are of small size and mass enabling the printer to be used immediately without a warm-up period. In short, the heating bars should be capable of obtaining the required transfer temperature instantly and should also be able to drop their temperature below transfer temperature instantly. Also, the heating bars should be field replaceable and relatively inexpensiver yet able to withstand high roller pressure thereby assuring improved print quality on rough surfaces such as envelopes,, tapes, and textured papers.

Turnin.g once again to Fig. 3r it is seen that the two portions of the thermal ribbon 48 pass simultaneously through the first printing station 40. As the thermal ribbon 48 is drawn f rom the supply spool 46, it has a cross section as illustrated in Fig. 4A, specifically,, 0 4 0 0 comprising a backing layer 50 with a -complete or unaltered ink donor layer 52. Howevere as the ribbon advances through the printing station 40, the ink donor layer 52 faces the backing layer of that portion of ribbon which has most recently been advanced from the second printing station 42. As suitable instructions are received from the microcomputer IC (Fig. 2), ink is transferred from the ink donor layer 52 of the unmodified portion of the thermal ribbon 48 (Fig. 4M onto that portion of the ribbon 48 for which only the backing layer 50 remains (Fig. 4CY. This results in an image having the nature illustrated in Fig. SA, namely, in the form of an outline-of-indicia 66, hereinafter alternatively referred to as the background image, from the ink donor layer to the---backing layer. Fig. 4D is illustrative of the again modified thermal ribbon 48 whichr after it leaves the printing station 40 for the second time and advances toward the take-up spool 54, has quantities of ink 68 deposited on its back surface, thereby defining the outline-of-indicia 66 as seen in Fig. SA. It will be appreciated that the back surface of the thermal ribbon 48 is the surface opposite that on which the ink donor layer 52 is applied, as seen in Fig. 4A. Fig. 4B is illustrative of that portion of the thermal ribbon 48 which has been fed from the supply spool 46 and is situated between the printing stations 40 and 42.

As that length of ribbon 48 coming from the supply spool 46 advances past the printing station 40 and approaches the printing station 42, it appears generally in cross section as seen in Fig. 4B which is 1 1 the reverse image of the structure illustrated in Fig. 4D. Thusy when that portion of the ribbon 48 from.which the outline-of-indicia 66 was transferred to the backing layer at the printing station 40r reaches the printing station 42. all of the ink from the ink donor layer 52 remaining is then transferred to a workpiece 70 which is suitably advanced by means of feed rolls 72 into the printing station 42. The workpiece 70 actually travels between a ribbon backing roller 74 which is rotatably mounted on the printing unit 28 and operates in a suitable manner to apply adequate pressure to the workpiece 70 and against the printhead 32 to assure that a clear image will result. The workpiece 70 is thereafter withdrawn from the printing station 42 by means of another pair of feed rolls 76. It is pr'Liferredr for optimal performance, that the backing rollers 58 and 74 and the feed rolls 72 and 76 have smooth surfacesi hardness of 40 to 80 durometer, shore A, and a high coefficient of friction.

The image applied to the workpiece 70 at the printing station 42 may be in the form of indicia 78 which is the reverse image of the outline-ofindicia 66 illustrated in Fig. SA. Once the image, whether the outline-ofindicia 66 or the indicia 78, has been applied to the workpiece 70r that length of the thermal ribbon 48 leaving the printing station 42 will, in actuality, be only the backing layer 50 as seen in Fig. 4 C. It is to this backing layer that the outline-of- indicia 66 will again be applied at the first printing station 40 and will thereafter continue to the take-up spool 54.

4 4 Although it has been described that the outline-ofindicia 66 is applied to the backing layer 50 at the first station 40, the images may be reversed. That is, it may be that the indicia 78 (Fig. SB) will be transferred to the backing layer 50 at the first station and the outlineof-indicia 66 will be transferred to the workpiece 70 at the second printing station 4.2. Benefits of the latter reside in the fact that it is mo're difficult for a counterfeiter to alter lo an image having the nature of Fig. 5A than that of Fig. SB. Additionally, since more ink is involved in providing the image of Fig. 5A rather than that of Fig. 5B, much less luminous material? which is costly, is required with resultant cost savings being realized.

While the image remaining on that portion of the ribbon wound onto the take-up spQol 54 may provide an interloper with an "audit trailn, that i. s, an ability to review individual amounts of postage which were applied to envelopes in the course of operation of the postage meter 14, the ribbon 48 remains sealed within the cassette 34 and not accessible unless that interloper chooses to destroy it and thereby gain entry into it. Also, the resultant ribbon is unusable, for exampley as postage indicia. That isp if lengths of the ribbon 48 on the take-up spool 54 were to be cut up and applied to an envelope as postage, it would be readily visible to a postal clerk and rejected. Nor could the ribbon be used to reapply the ink thereon to a workpiece 70 since the resultant image would be a 1, A 1 -19mirror image of either the indicia 78 or oulline-of-indicia 66 which would be unacceptable for postal purposes and, again, readily rejected.

It will be seen that there has been particularly disclosed and illustrated herein a thermal image transfer process and apparatus having the following f eatures:- it can accommodate workpleces of varying surface textures without substantial diminution in image resolution as a function of workpiece surface transfer area roughness; it is particularly suited for postage metering of mailpleces; it is particularly suited for employment in an electronic postage meter suitable for imparting a postage image on a workplece stream traversing a postage meter mailing machine; it avoids the need for a doctor blade or brush for cleaning ink from the transfer roller, by transferring the ink to the used MYLAR brand, or equivalent, ribbon surface,for the removal of the positive image; it may use a small size and mass of heating bar at each printhead enabling the apparatus to heat up to the transfer printing temperature and cool down below the transfer temperature instantaneously, and ensuring that the printer can be used immediately, even without a warm up period; a field replaceable, and relatively inexpensive, heating bar may be used for the second printing station that can withstand high roller pressure and thereby provide improved print quality on rough surfaces such as envelopes, tapes, and papers;

Further features of the present invention are to provide a reverse image to improve security. while minimizing expense, and to provide consistent print quality; a higher level of fluorescent signal can be obtained permitting ease of automatic detection; and finally, significantly extended usage life-time for first printhead can be obtained because of its direct contact with the smooth back side of the used ribbon. "MYLAT' brand, or equivalent, plastic ribbon is noted for its highly smooth surfaces.

1, While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed in detail, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications may, be made to the illustrated embodiment without departing from the invention. While reference has been specifically made to postageand mailing, it will be appreciated that the invention is equally applicable to other franking or labialling activities.

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Claims (16)

1. An article of manufacture adapted for use with printing apparatus of the type which includes means for thermally transferring ink from a ribbon, the article comprising:

(a) a f ramT defining first and second printing stations; (b) a ribbon including a backing layer and an ink donor layer; (c) a ribbon supply, spool rotatably mounted on said frame, said ribbon being wound on said supply spool and having a leader end; (d) a ribbon take-up spool rotatably mounted on said frame, said leader end beirig connected to said take-up spool; and (e) means for guiding said ribbon in a feed path extending from said supply spool through said first and second printing stations and again through said first printing station to said lake-up spool in such a manner that said ink donor layer and said backing layer face each other at said first printing station, whereby. ink frorn said ink donor layer can be thermally, transferred to said backing layer at said first printing station.

2. The article according to claim 1, wherein said ribbon guiding means includes a ribbon backing roller rolaLably mounted on said frame at said first printing station.

3. The article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the feed path has a first leg extending from said supply spool through said first printing station to said second printing station, a second leg extending through said second printing station to said first printing station, and a third leg extending through said first printing station to said take-up spool.

4. The article according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said frame includes a hollow enclosure; and wherein said ribbon supply and take-up spools are respectively mounted on said frame within said enclosure.

5. The article according to any preceding claim, wherein said ink donor layer includes a heat-fusible ink-impregnated material, and said backing layer includes a strip of plastics film.

6. The article according to any preceding claim, wherein said frame carries means for thermally transferring ink from said ribbon.

7. The article according to claim 6, wherein the thermal transfer means is a thermal printhead for engaging said ribbon at said first printing station.

8. The article according to claim 7 when dependent on claim 2, wherein said thermal printhead is arranged adjacent to said ribbon backing roller for engaging said backing layer of said ribbon at said first printing station.

9. The article according to claim 3, wherein said frame is adapted to receive a thermal printhead for engaging said ribbon in the first leg of the feed path at said first printing station.

10. The article according to claim 3, wherein said frame is adapted to receive a thermal printhead for engaging said ribbon in the second leg of the feed path at said second printing station.

11. The article according to claim 3, wherein said ribbon guiding means includes a ribbon backing roller for engaging said ribbon in the third leg of the feed path at said first printing station.

12. The article according to claim 9, wherein said ribbon guiding means includes a ribbon backing roller for engaging said ribbon in the third leg of the feed path at said first printing station, whereby, ink from said ribbon in the first leg of the feed path at said first printing station may be transferred to said ribbon in the third leg of the feed path at said first printing station.

13. The article according to clairn 12 wherein said fram'e is adapted to receive a thermal prin'thead for engaging said ribbon in the second leg of the 11 2 - j feed path at said second printing station.

14. The article according to claim 5, wherein said ink-impregnaLed material is pigmented with fluorescent material.

15. Means for thermally transferring ink from a ribbon onto a workplece substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

16. Any novel combination or sub-cornbination disclosed and/or illustrated herein.

Published 1988 at The Patent Office, State House, 66171 High Holborn, London WC1R 4TP. Further copies may be obtained from The Patent Office, Sales Branch, St Mary Cray, Orpington, Kent BR5 3RD. Printed by Multiplex techniques ltd, St Maxy Cray, Kent. Con- 1187.