Thermal printer

This paper describes a method of printing using solid-state thermal printers. A matrix of silicon transistor-resistor heating elements organized in a 5/spl times/7 array is used to print on thermographic paper at speeds up to 30 characters/s. Material processing capable of achieving high-performance (<100 mJ/element energy dissipation for a clearly printed character) and high reliability (>25000000 character prints) is utilized. A general description of the thermal printer is given followed by a more detailed analysis using mathematical models to investigate its electrical- thermal operation. The necessary electrical interface requirements between the thermal printer and external logic and the mechanical interface between the printhead and thermographic paper is discussed.