A printing system includes a printing device, a platen roller, a controller, and an interface. The printing device includes a thermal head, a ribbon drive source, and a head drive source. When receiving a print command, the controller executes head movement control for moving the thermal head and ribbon acceleration control for accelerating a transport speed of an ink ribbon to a target speed. After completion of the head movement control and the ribbon acceleration control, the controller is configured to control the thermal head to perform printing on the print medium. At least before receiving the print command, the controller is configured to determine a printable distance over which the print medium is transported from the reception of the print command till the completion of the head movement control and the ribbon acceleration control and outputs the determined printable distance through the interface.

A thermal printer includes a thermal head, a temperature sensor, and a controller. The thermal head includes heat generation elements configured to generate heat to perform printing. The temperature sensor is disposed in the thermal printer. The controller is configured to alternately turns on and off the heat generation elements during an idle state of the thermal printer for a number of cycles with a predetermined on-time period in each cycle. The controller determines the number of cycles and the predetermined on-time period based on temperature data obtained by the temperature sensor, such that heat energy generated by the heat generation elements during each of the cycles in the idle state is lower than heat energy generated by the heat generation elements during printing of one line.

A thermal printer includes a thermal head, a temperature sensor, and a controller. The thermal head includes heat generation elements configured to generate heat to perform printing. The temperature sensor is disposed in the thermal printer. The controller is configured to alternately turns on and off the heat generation elements during an idle state of the thermal printer for a number of cycles with a predetermined on-time period in each cycle. The controller determines the number of cycles and the predetermined on-time period based on temperature data obtained by the temperature sensor, such that heat energy generated by the heat generation elements during each of the cycles in the idle state is lower than heat energy generated by the heat generation elements during printing of one line.

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.

There is provided a printing apparatus including: a head including M of heating elements arranged in a first direction; a memory, and a controller. The controller is configured to: measure first particular values indicating characteristics of N of heating elements and save the first particular values in the memory; measure second particular values indicating characteristics of the N of heating elements and save the second particular values in the memory; determine difference values between the first particular values and the second particular values; determine a characteristic value based on the difference values; and detect replacement of the head when the controller has determined that the characteristic value exceeds a predefined threshold value.

There is provided a printing apparatus including: a head including M of heating elements arranged in a first direction; a memory, and a controller. The controller is configured to: measure first particular values indicating characteristics of N of heating elements and save the first particular values in the memory; measure second particular values indicating characteristics of the N of heating elements and save the second particular values in the memory; determine difference values between the first particular values and the second particular values; determine a characteristic value based on the difference values; and detect replacement of the head when the controller has determined that the characteristic value exceeds a predefined threshold value.

An apparatus includes a generation unit and a multiplexing unit. The generation unit generates image data for recording by a forming apparatus that forms an image on a forming member using a print head that applies energy to the member. The multiplexing unit performs multiplexing processing to generate recording data in which predetermined information to be recognized by a reading apparatus as information different from an image to be recorded on the member is embedded in the image data.

A data processing apparatus includes a plurality of heat-generating elements configured to apply different heating energies to a print medium in which a plurality of color development layers which develop colors different from each other upon receipt of the different heating energies are laminated. In addition, a printing apparatus includes: an obtaining unit configured to obtain a heat-generating characteristic of each of the plurality of heat-generating elements; and a deriving unit configured to derive a correction value for correcting print data based on a color development heating characteristic of each of the plurality of color development layers and the heat-generating characteristic of each heat-generating element, the print data causing each heat-generating element to generate the heating energy based on image data corresponding to a pixel.

A printing device includes a thermal printhead with a plurality of print elements. A controller is configured to identify an out of specification status of at least one print element, wherein the controller is further configured to determine whether printing of a specific print field requires use of the print element having the out of specification status and, if so, to determine whether a print location of the specific print field can be shifted such that the print element having out of specification status will be one of (i) aligned with a gap in the specific print field or (ii) offset to one side of the specific print field. A weighing scale incorporating the printing device is also provided.