A high-frequency dielectric heating device includes a high-frequency power source generating a high-frequency voltage, a first resonance circuit electrically coupled to the high-frequency power source and outputting a first resonance voltage based on the high-frequency voltage, and an antenna having a capacitor including a first electrode and a second electrode and a coil, electrically coupled to the first resonance circuit, and supplied with the first resonance voltage, wherein one end of the coil is electrically coupled to the first electrode and the other end is electrically series-coupled to the first resonance circuit, the first resonance circuit includes a capacitor having fixed capacitance, a resonance frequency of the first resonance circuit is different from a resonance frequency of the antenna, a frequency range in which a return loss of the first resonance circuit is equal to or less than 0.1 dB and a frequency range in which a return loss of the antenna is equal to or less than 0.1 dB overlap, and a frequency of the high-frequency voltage is in the frequency range in which the return loss of the first resonance circuit is equal to or less than 0.1 dB.

A printer performs printing on a thermosensitive medium including a plurality of color developing layers including a first layer developing a first color and a second layer developing a second color. The printer includes a head and a control device performing a printing control including outputting a signal pattern based on post-conversion image data converted from pre-conversion image data to cause a plurality of heat generation elements of the head to selectively generate heat while controlling conveyance of the thermosensitive medium. In the converting, when target dots containing the second color is included in the plurality of dots in the pre-conversion image data, the control device converts a color of conversion dots to a conversion color containing the color developed by any one of the plurality of color developing layers.

A printer performs printing on a thermosensitive medium including a plurality of color developing layers including a first layer developing a first color and a second layer developing a second color. The printer includes a head and a control device performing a printing control including outputting a signal pattern based on post-conversion image data converted from pre-conversion image data to cause a plurality of heat generation elements of the head to selectively generate heat while controlling conveyance of the thermosensitive medium. In the converting, when target dots containing the second color is included in the plurality of dots in the pre-conversion image data, the control device converts a color of conversion dots to a conversion color containing the color developed by any one of the plurality of color developing layers.

A printer includes a conveyance unit configured to convey a heat sensitive medium in a conveyance direction, a thermal head including a plurality of heat generating elements arranged in a direction crossing the conveyance direction, and configured to perform printing on the heat sensitive medium conveyed by the conveyance unit by heat generation of the plurality of heat generating elements, a controller configured to selectively cause the plurality of heat generating elements to generate heat by performing application control of energy to the heat generating element so as to print a dot on the heat sensitive medium by the heat generating elements, and a storage unit configured to store three or more heating patterns of the heat generating elements in the application control. The controller includes a first output unit and a second output unit.

A printer includes a conveyance unit configured to convey a heat sensitive medium in a conveyance direction, a thermal head including a plurality of heat generating elements arranged in a direction crossing the conveyance direction, and configured to perform printing on the heat sensitive medium conveyed by the conveyance unit by heat generation of the plurality of heat generating elements, a controller configured to selectively cause the plurality of heat generating elements to generate heat by performing application control of energy to the heat generating element so as to print a dot on the heat sensitive medium by the heat generating elements, and a storage unit configured to store three or more heating patterns of the heat generating elements in the application control. The controller includes a first output unit and a second output unit.

A printing apparatus includes a thermal head in which a plurality of heating elements is arranged in a main scanning direction, a moving mechanism configured to relatively move a print medium with respect to the thermal head in a sub-scanning direction crossing the main scanning direction, a controller configured to control the thermal head and the moving mechanism, and a storage unit configured to store first print data in which pixels are arranged in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction, the pixels including print pixels indicating pixels with which corresponding dots are formed on the print medium by heat generated by the heating elements and non-print pixels with which no dot is formed on the print medium, the first print data being for printing a first print image represented by the print pixels. The controller executes generation processing and control processing.

A printing apparatus includes a print head having a heat generation element, a generation unit that generates print data for driving the heat generation element to form an image on a print medium and a drive unit that drives the heat generation element on a basis of the print data generated by the generation unit. The print medium includes a laminate of a plurality of image forming layers that generate develop mutually different colors by receiving heat. The generation unit generates the print data depending on a type of the print medium among a plurality of print medium types that differ from each other in order of lamination of the plurality of image forming layers.

A thermal head control device includes: a printing rate calculation range determination unit configured to determine, as a printing rate calculation range, a range from a left-end energization dot to a right-end energization dot among energization dots present in printing data corresponding to heating elements to be controlled among a plurality of heating elements included in a thermal head; a printing rate calculation unit configured to calculate a printing rate of the printing rate calculation range determined by the printing rate calculation range determination unit; an energizing time calculation unit configured to calculate an energizing time for which a current is caused to flow through the heating elements based on the printing rate calculated by the printing rate calculation unit; and an output unit configured to output a control signal for driving the heating elements to be controlled of the thermal head, based on the calculated energizing time.

A thermal head control device includes: a printing rate calculation range determination unit configured to determine, as a printing rate calculation range, a range from a left-end energization dot to a right-end energization dot among energization dots present in printing data corresponding to heating elements to be controlled among a plurality of heating elements included in a thermal head; a printing rate calculation unit configured to calculate a printing rate of the printing rate calculation range determined by the printing rate calculation range determination unit; an energizing time calculation unit configured to calculate an energizing time for which a current is caused to flow through the heating elements based on the printing rate calculated by the printing rate calculation unit; and an output unit configured to output a control signal for driving the heating elements to be controlled of the thermal head, based on the calculated energizing time.

A method for printing includes analyzing print quality requirements for a printing area; adjusting settings for heater elements (e.g., energy and/or firing durations) of strobe lines based on the requirements analysis; and providing a plurality of individual strobe signals to the strobe lines. The strobe signals can be transmitted simultaneously, for example with a field-programmable gate array. Analyzing print quality requirements can include separating the printing area into one or more areas of interest, such as rows and/or columns. For each area of interest individual print quality settings (e.g., darkness, contrast, and/or media sensitivity) may be selected.