THE PRINTING TECHNOLOGY OF THE TEKTRONIX PHASER(R)-340

With the Phaser(R) 340 color printer, Tektronix commercialized a new h igh-speed color-printing process. The method and the engine architectu re result from the combination of solid ink jet printing with drum-bas ed offset printing. The benefits of this printing technology are plain -paper printing in full color at multiple page-per-minute speeds and e xceptional transparency quality. The basic elements of the engine incl ude proprietary phase-change inks, a page-wide printhead, offset drum, and transfer roller. A review of the engine architecture and its rela tionship to printer performance is described. Additionally, the charac teristics of the core technology components are summarized.