curve and the laser system 20 heats the ink from the first level to a second level on the energy curve using a two part heating process with heating layers 38 a 38 h and the laser system 20 results in the laser system 20 having to input less total energy to eject the ink drop than if the laser system 20 is used without the assistance of the electric heating layer this is in contrast to other laser driven systems that use the laser system to provide all of the energy to eject the ink drop as indicated above the print control system 16 synchronizes the scan of the laser system 20 across the page wide array printhead assembly 30 with sequential activation of the electrical heating layers of the heating layers 38 a 38 h across the page wide array printhead assembly 30 for example the electrical heating layer in heating layer 38 a of area 36 a is activated by the print control system 16 to heat the ink in each nozzle system 40 in area 36 a to the lower knee threshold once the ink in each nozzle system 40 is heated to the lower knee threshold the print control system 16 instructs the laser system 20 to emit laser energy at selected nozzle systems 20 as the laser system 20 scans across area 36 a the photon absorbing layers of the selected nozzle systems 20 absorb the laser energy and the energy is transferred into the ink which inputs sufficient.