The Industry's First 250mm/s 48-tone Thermal Printheads for High-speed Graphics Printing

ROHM has developed the industry's first high-speed thermal printheads capable of 48-tone graphics printing that meet market needs for printheads with fine gradation functions that more closely approach photographic quality while maintaining a print speed of 250mm/s. This new series expands on the popular DF/DG series (12-tone, 250mm/s, sample price: 43US$) by increasing gray scale capability. Additional features include a high reliability protective coating, increased energy efficiency, and wide operating voltage range, making them ideal for existing as well as new applications involving mixed printing (high resolution graphics/text/QR codes).
SSample shipments have already begun (sample price: 65US$ each), with mass production slated to begin January 2008.

· Features of ROHM's new thermal printheads:

1. 48-tone graphics printing (four times the gradation capability of previous models) at 250mm/s - an industry first
2. High-speed operation ideal for real-time printing of high resolution images
3. High durability protective coating resistant to high temperatures, resulting in a greater level of reliability
4. Energy efficiency 20% higher than previous ROHM models (energy comparison made at saturation density during high-speed 250mm/s printing)
5. Wide operating supply voltage range (3.13V to 5.25V) through adoption of a new driver IC developed using state-of-the-art head construction and the most advanced LSI technology
6. Support for clock transfer frequencies up to 16MHz (with a circuit supply voltage of 5V) for high-speed data input
7. Broad power compatibility, standardization of supply voltages, high-speed data transfer, and other features enable greater printer design flexibility

New Product Bulletin for High Speed High Voltage Resistance Thermal Printheads for POS Applications:DF/DG Series (PDF:530KB)

· Glossary

• Clock transfer frequency
  Synchronization frequency for data processing.
  The higher the frequency the faster the data processing speed.
• Dot gradient
  Describes the degree of energy applied to the dot (resistive element) by first dividing the energy into multiple levels.

	Thermal Printheads for POS Applications:DF/DG Series