Method and apparatus for making a graphic product
DCFirst Claim
1. A method of making a graphic product from sheet material comprising:
- defining peripheral edges of a graphic image in machine readable data;
storing the machine readable data defining the peripheral edges of the graphic image;
defining printed material and a positional relationship of the printed material within the peripheral edges of the graphic image in machine readable data;
storing the machine readable data defining the printed material;
printing on a print-receiving surface of a sheet material by means of a data-controlled printer controlled by the stored machine readable data defining the printed material to thereby place the printed material on the surface of the sheet material in positional relationship to the peripheral edges of the graphic image; and
cutting the sheet material along the peripheral edges of the graphic image by means of a data-controlled cutter controlled by the stored machine readable data defining the peripheral edges whereby a graphic product containing printed material within the image is prepared from the sheet material.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for preparing graphic products utilizes a printer to print on sheet material and a cutter to cut the sheet material with the printed material within the periphery of the cut edges. Both the printer and the cutter are controlled by machine readable data having a common data base so that the printed material and the cut material correspond positionally in the final graphic product. The printer is a thermal printer that places the printed material on a strip of sheet material generally before the sheet material is cut. The thermal printer utilizes a donor web bearing a transfer ink to create enhanced printed images on the sheet material with half tones, color and other attractive features. The printer is controlled to regulate a number of printing parameters through coding on a cassette in which the donor web is supported.
63 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A method of making a graphic product from sheet material comprising:
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defining peripheral edges of a graphic image in machine readable data; storing the machine readable data defining the peripheral edges of the graphic image; defining printed material and a positional relationship of the printed material within the peripheral edges of the graphic image in machine readable data; storing the machine readable data defining the printed material; printing on a print-receiving surface of a sheet material by means of a data-controlled printer controlled by the stored machine readable data defining the printed material to thereby place the printed material on the surface of the sheet material in positional relationship to the peripheral edges of the graphic image; and cutting the sheet material along the peripheral edges of the graphic image by means of a data-controlled cutter controlled by the stored machine readable data defining the peripheral edges whereby a graphic product containing printed material within the image is prepared from the sheet material. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. An apparatus for making a graphic product from sheet material comprising:
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first storage means for storing data defining peripheral edges of a graphic image as machine readable data; second storage means for storing data defining printed material and a positional relationship of the printed material within the peripheral edges of the graphic image as machine readable data; printing means connected with the second storage means and responsive to the machine readable data stored in the second storage means for printing the printed material on a sheet material in positional relationship to the peripheral edges of the graphic image; and cutting means connected with the first storage means and responsive to the data stored in the first storage means for cutting the sheet material along the peripheral edges of the graphic image whereby a graphic image containing printed material within the peripheral edges is prepared on the sheet material. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification