A thermal printer for printing by using a thermal head including multiple dots has: a controller configured to divide one line of print data into multiple data portions, and transfer the multiple data portions to the thermal head in time division, thereby allowing the thermal head to print the one line of print data. The controller is further configured to determine the number of dots to be energized in each portion data based on a predetermined mathematical formula in which x is a number of dots to be energized for the one line of print data and n is a number by which the one line of print data is divided into the data portions, such that the number of dots to be energized is averaged out among the multiple data portions, thereby generating data inclusive of the determined number as print control data responsive to the print data.

A method includes: obtaining, at a controller of a device, a delay setting corresponding to an effector head configured to engage with the device, the effector head having (i) an array of effector elements, (ii) a first switch assembly controllable to deliver power to a first subset of the effector elements, and (iii) a second switch assembly configured to deliver power to a second subset of the effector elements; at the controller, activating the array of effector elements by: controlling the first switch assembly to deliver power to the first subset during a first time period, and controlling the second switch assembly to deliver power to the second subset during a second time period, the second time period shifted relative to the first time period according to the delay setting.

A method includes: obtaining, at a controller of a device, a delay setting corresponding to an effector head configured to engage with the device, the effector head having (i) an array of effector elements, (ii) a first switch assembly controllable to deliver power to a first subset of the effector elements, and (iii) a second switch assembly configured to deliver power to a second subset of the effector elements; at the controller, activating the array of effector elements by: controlling the first switch assembly to deliver power to the first subset during a first time period, and controlling the second switch assembly to deliver power to the second subset during a second time period, the second time period shifted relative to the first time period according to the delay setting.

A thermal printer includes a thermal head, a drive data generation unit, a clock generation unit, and a drive data supply unit. The thermal head is configured such that a large number of heating elements divided into a plurality of blocks are mounted thereon, and is configured to input drive data for driving the large number of heating elements to the plurality of blocks in parallel in synchronization with a plurality of different first clock signals. The drive data generation unit is configured to generate a plurality of pieces of drive data for each of the plurality of blocks from print data and to output the plurality of pieces of drive data in synchronization with a plurality of second clock signals. The clock generation unit is configured to generate a plurality of clock signals whose phases are shifted from each other. The drive data supply unit is configured to take in the plurality of pieces of drive data, which are output from the drive data generation unit, in synchronization with the plurality of second clock signals and to supply the plurality of pieces of drive data to the thermal head in synchronization with the plurality of first clock signals.