A model of the electrothermal ribbon printing process

A sequence of mathematical models describing the electrothermal ribbon printing process is developed. The models describe the electrical processes, heat generation and heat transfer within the ribbon and the transfer of ink from the ribbon to paper. Account has been taken of the nonlinear electrical properties of the ribbon. A model of the paper surface has been developed in order to model the transfer of the ink from the ribbon to the paper. The partial differential equations describing the electric field, the heat flow and the stresses in the ink have been solved using standard techniques.