Adjustable lead screw for changing resolution and for station-to-station, machine-to-machine, or swath-to-swath corrections

摘要

The present invention is for an image processing apparatus (10) for sheet thermal print media. The image processing apparatus (10) comprises a vacuum imaging drum (300) for holding thermal print media (32) and dye donor material (36) in registration on the vacuum imaging drum (300). A print head (500), mounted on a translation stage member (220) that is moved by a lead screw (250) moves along a line parallel to the longitudinal axis (301) of the vacuum imaging drum (300) as the vacuum imaging drum (300) rotates. The print head (500) receives information signals and produces radiation which is directed to the dye donor material (36) which causes color to transfer from the dye donor material (36) to the thermal print media (32). To adjust for different imaging resolutions and swath widths, the lead screw (250) can be mounted so that it is in parallel with the vacuum imaging drum or its mounting can be offset from parallel to change, based on the offset angle, the actual speed of the translation stage member (220) on which the print head (500) is mounted. This adjustment also allows compensation for station-to-station variance within the same multi-station image processing apparatus as well as for machine-to-machine differences.