SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DONOR MATERIAL USE

摘要

A method for operating more than one thermal printer (22, 42) adapted to print images by transferring donor material (30) from patches of donor material from a donor ribbon onto a receiver medium (26, 46), each printer (22, 42) being operable to print images in a manner that exhausts a full donor patch (34, 36, 38, 40) or a fractional donor patch during printing. In accordance with the method, a print order is received and it is determined whether a fractional donor patch set (32) is available for printing at each printer (22, 42). Portions of the print order are directed to the printers (22, 42) in a pattern that minimizes the number of printers having donor ribbon with a fractional donor patch set available after the printing order has been executed.