A thermal printer includes a conveyance unit, a thermal head with heating elements arranged in a line crossing a conveyance direction of a thermal paper, and a controller that generates print dot data for dots to be printed by the thermal head and controls the conveyance unit and thermal head according to the print dot data. The controller determines whether the total number of dots to be printed in a predetermined number of consecutive lines of the print dot data is greater than a threshold number and, when the total number of dots is greater than the threshold number, control the conveyance unit to convey the thermal paper after the printing of the print dot data by a predetermined amount along the conveyance direction.

A thermal printer includes a conveyance unit, a thermal head with heating elements arranged in a line crossing a conveyance direction of a thermal paper, and a controller that generates print dot data for dots to be printed by the thermal head and controls the conveyance unit and thermal head according to the print dot data. The controller determines whether the total number of dots to be printed in a predetermined number of consecutive lines of the print dot data is greater than a threshold number and, when the total number of dots is greater than the threshold number, control the conveyance unit to convey the thermal paper after the printing of the print dot data by a predetermined amount along the conveyance direction.

Techniques for scrambling residual images left behind on print ribbons due to printing on plastic cards or passports. A string of characters to be printed onto a plastic card is divided into character subsets. Metadata is assigned to each character subset, with the metadata defining the print sequence and location on the plastic card of each character subset. The character subsets are then printed on the plastic card in the sequence and the locations determined by the metadata. The sequence of characters in a residual image left on the print ribbon after printing of the character string differs from the sequence of the characters in the character string printed on the plastic card or passport.

Techniques for scrambling residual images left behind on print ribbons due to printing on plastic cards or passports. A string of characters to be printed onto a plastic card is divided into character subsets. Metadata is assigned to each character subset, with the metadata defining the print sequence and location on the plastic card of each character subset. The character subsets are then printed on the plastic card in the sequence and the locations determined by the metadata. The sequence of characters in a residual image left on the print ribbon after printing of the character string differs from the sequence of the characters in the character string printed on the plastic card or passport.

A cutting device, having a full-cutting assembly, a half-cutting assembly, and a cam, is provided. The full-cutting assembly includes a first cutting blade and a facing part to cut a tape fully through in a direction of thickness of the tape by rotating a first arm about a first shaft. The half-cutting assembly includes a second cutting blade and a supporting base to cut the tape partly in the direction of thickness by rotating a second arm about a second shaft. The cam is rotatable bidirectionally about a third shaft and has a cam face, on which a first pressing part to press the first arm and a second pressing part to press the second arm are arranged. A distance between the cam face and the second arm is smaller than or equal to a distance between the cam face and the first arm.

Disclosed is a printing device including a main body portion including a body portion configured to provide an internal space in which recording paper for printing certain information thereon is transferred and an opening or closing portion configured to control opening or closing of the internal space, a printing portion configured to print the certain information on the recording paper transferred in the internal space, and a recording paper separation portion located on a downstream side of the printing portion and configured to cut or cut off and separate recording paper on which particular information is printed by the printing portion from the other recording paper. Here, the main body portion includes a protruding portion configured to prevent an adhesive attached to the surface opposite the adhesive surface from being accumulated by decreasing a contact area with the surface opposite the adhesive surface.

Disclosed is a printing device including a main body portion including a body portion configured to provide an internal space in which recording paper for printing certain information thereon is transferred and an opening or closing portion configured to control opening or closing of the internal space, a printing portion configured to print the certain information on the recording paper transferred in the internal space, and a recording paper separation portion located on a downstream side of the printing portion and configured to cut or cut off and separate recording paper on which particular information is printed by the printing portion from the other recording paper. Here, the main body portion includes a protruding portion configured to prevent an adhesive attached to the surface opposite the adhesive surface from being accumulated by decreasing a contact area with the surface opposite the adhesive surface.

A security-enhanced document includes a substrate and variable indicia comprising ink having a signal. The variable indicia is of a specific type and is applied to the substrate using a specific application technique. At least one other printed portion, which is a back of the document, has background ink noise, and the type of ink of the back of the document is of the same type of ink applied to the substrate using the same application technique as the ink of the variable indicia. The document also includes a scratch-off-coating applied over the variable indicia. The document has a signal-to-noise ratio of the ink of the variable indicia relative to the background ink noise of the back of the document that is not appreciable, thereby making the variable indicia unreadable with reference to the back of the document when the scratch-off-coating remains intact.

A security-enhanced document includes a substrate and variable indicia comprising ink having a signal. The variable indicia is of a specific type and is applied to the substrate using a specific application technique. At least one other printed portion, which is a back of the document, has background ink noise, and the type of ink of the back of the document is of the same type of ink applied to the substrate using the same application technique as the ink of the variable indicia. The document also includes a scratch-off-coating applied over the variable indicia. The document has a signal-to-noise ratio of the ink of the variable indicia relative to the background ink noise of the back of the document that is not appreciable, thereby making the variable indicia unreadable with reference to the back of the document when the scratch-off-coating remains intact.

A printing apparatus includes: a roll sheet container that contains a roll sheet around which a recording sheet is wound; a first sheet guide that makes contact with a first surface of the recording sheet; a second sheet guide that makes contact with a second surface of the recording sheet; and a transport roller that transports the recording sheet. The first and second sheet guides are disposed so as to face each other to form a sheet route along which the recording sheet is to pass. The transport roller transports the recording sheet that passed along the sheet route. The second sheet guide includes: a projection that protrudes toward the roll sheet container; and a pushing section that extends from the projection along an outer circumference of the roll sheet and in a direction away from the first sheet guide.