Das Gerät zum Wiedereinfärben eines Gewebefarbbandes weist einen Grundteil (2), eine Einfärbevorrichtung (35), einen elektromotorischen Antrieb zur Bewegung des wiedereinzufärbenden Gewebefarbbandes (9), Führungen für das Gewebefarbband und Halter für die Gewebefarbbandkassette auf.

Mit dem liegenden Grundteil (2) ist ein stehendes Aufnahmeteil (4) verbunden. An diesem ist die Einfärbevorrichtung (35) befestigt. Sie weist eine liegend angeordnete Walze (41) auf, die vom einzufärbenden Gewebefarbband (9) bei Bewegen derselben geschleppt wird. Die Walze (41) taucht in eine Wanne (43) für die Einfärbeflüssigkeit ein. In der Wanne (43) für die Einfärbeflüssigkeit ragt ein Rohr (49) hinein, das mit einer umgekehrt gehaltenen Vorratsflasche (50) für die Einfärbeflüssigkeit verbunden ist.

The process for selectively reinking used thermal transfer printing ribbons comprises the stationary or moving exposure of the ribbon to a pigment-containing polymeric colloidal dispersion of electrophoretically depositable ink, and passing an electric current through said colloidal dispersion, with an electrically conductive layer of said ribbon serving as one electrode, to electrophoretically deposit the said colloidal dispersion on areas of said ribbon that have been depleted of ink in a previous printing operation, to form a continuous ink layer of uniform thickness.

The method of making said colloidal dispersion involves heating a water-insoluble polymeric binder to a liquid state, blending a pigment into the melted polymeric binder, blending a heated dilute aqueous solution of a carboxylic acid into the foregoing, then blending a colloid charge-forming compound to the composition, and cooling the dispersion so formed.

Damage caused to a transfer medium due to heat when partially using transfer material regions is suppressed. An image forming apparatus (1) includes a transporting unit (4A, 4B) which transports a belt-like transfer medium (4) on which transfer material regions (Y, M, C, OP) of a first size respectively corresponding to transfer materials are arranged in a predetermined order in a repeated manner along a longitudinal direction thereof, and an image forming unit (3) which transfers the transfer materials in sequence by heating the respective transfer material regions and thereby forms on a recording medium an image with the first size or an image with a second size which is not larger than one half the first size. When forming an image with the second size, the image forming unit either uses unused portions of transfer material regions that have already been used to form an image with the second size or uses new transfer material regions on the transfer medium. When forming the image with the second size by using the new transfer material regions, the image forming unit performs the image formation at a slower speed than when forming an image with the first size.

A method of and apparatus for reclaiming an inked sheet which includes a conductive ink layer formed on an insulating supporter, and in which the ink layer has transferred parts and untransferred parts remaining without being transferred; comprising the fact that an electrode (10 in Fig. 1) is brought into contact with the insulating supporter (2), that conductive ink (7) to be introduced into the transferred parts (4) is conveyed to a position which confronts the electrode (10) with the inked sheet (1) intervening therebetween and which does not contact with the inked sheet (1), that a predetermined voltage is applied between the electrode (10) and the conductive ink (7), thereby to fly and supply the conductive ink (7) into each transferred part (4), and that the supplied conductive ink (7) in each transferred part (4) is fixed (14). Thus, the conductive ink (7) can be supplied without contacting with the inked sheet (1), and the supply of the conductive ink (7) need not be synchronized with the conveyance of the inked sheet (1).

Coating of heat-soluble material on a substrate or cleaning is performed by supplying a heat-soluble material in heated and melted condition onto a substrate, laying a remover on the heat-soluble material, cooling the heat-soluble material to solidify, and peeling off the remover.