METHOD FOR ADAPTIVELY USING PRINT RIBBON IN AN IMPACT PRINTER

摘要

METHOD FOR ADAPTIVELY USING A PRINT RIBBON IN AN IMPACT PRINTER Rather than transporting the entire multicolour print ribbon in an impact printer back and forth until the reaching of a lower quality threshold requires replacement , this method provides for the use of only a subsection of limited length of the ribbon to be used until the lower quality threshold of any one of the colour tracks of this subsection is reached, and then advancing to a fresh subsection. The quality status of the current subsection may be monitored by counting the number of impacts on each individual colour track and comparing that number with a predetermined, stored value, or by shining light through the ribbon and optically comparing the passing light with a preset value. The method is flexible enough to permit manual advance of the ribbon to a fresh subsection in case a printing job requires highest possible quality.