Folded Label Substrate for Compact Printer Wide Media
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Solution Overview
Problem
Compact handheld printers are limited by the size of label media they can accommodate, particularly in the cross-web direction, resulting in narrow labels with limited printed characters and indicia that are difficult to interpret, and are further constrained by adjacent laminating areas that cover the printed area.
Innovation Solution
The development of label media with a releasable liner and a substrate that can be wound into a roll, allowing for wider labels to be printed, where the substrate folds over the liner to provide a wider printing area and includes a laminating material for protection, enabling the use of compact printers with more characters and easier interpretation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If label media is made narrow to fit compact handheld printers, then the printer size is reduced, but the label width and printable area are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate is folded over the liner in the cross-web direction, transforming a narrow linear structure into a wider three-dimensional structure. This folding allows the label media to achieve greater width than the original linear path through the printer, effectively adding a dimensional transformation that resolves the contradiction between compact printer size and wide label output.
2Loss of information
If label media width in cross-web direction is increased, then more characters and indicia can be printed, but compact handheld printers cannot accommodate the wider media
Solution Approach 1:
By folding the substrate over the liner, the invention creates a wider effective printing surface that can accommodate more characters and indicia while still passing through the compact printer in a narrow configuration. The folding action occurs after or during printing, allowing the media to transition from a narrow pass-through state to a wide final state.
3Area of moving object
If the substrate is made wide to provide sufficient printing area, then more indicia can be printed, but the adjacent laminating area covers the indicia
Solution Approach 1:
The folding configuration positions the printed indicia on the folded substrate in a location that is not covered by the adjacent laminating area. By transforming the flat wide substrate into a folded three-dimensional structure, the invention creates spatial separation between the indicia and the laminating area, preventing the harmful coverage effect.
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~6
AI summary
Label media for use in a label media printer to form wide labels is disclosed. The label media includes a releasable liner (12) that has a first side (16) and a second side (18) joined by a longitudinal edge (20). A first side (24) of a substrate (14) adheres to the first and the second sides of the releasable liner. At least a portion of the substrate is ink-receiving.