Irregularities in the density that can occur in printed images of a thermal transfer printer due to mechanical variations or variations in thermal characteristics in the thermal head are more easily and accurately corrected as compared to cases not having the features of the disclosed invention. The thermal transfer printer includes a thermal head including heating elements and causing the heating elements to generate heat and transfer ink onto a sheet to print an image on the sheet, a storage unit for storing a first correspondence between a heating element in the thermal head and a correction amount of energy applied to the heating element and a second correspondence between a density of an image to be printed and an adjustment coefficient of the correction amount, and a control unit for correcting energy applied to each heating element by an amount obtained by multiplying the correction amount for the heating element obtained from the first correspondence by the adjustment coefficient obtained from the second correspondence according to a density of an image to be newly printed. The first correspondence is generated from a density distribution of a test image printed based on image data of a single tone.

Irregularities in the density that can occur in printed images of a thermal transfer printer due to mechanical variations or variations in thermal characteristics in the thermal head are more easily and accurately corrected as compared to cases not having the features of the disclosed invention. The thermal transfer printer includes a thermal head including heating elements and causing the heating elements to generate heat and transfer ink onto a sheet to print an image on the sheet, a storage unit for storing a first correspondence between a heating element in the thermal head and a correction amount of energy applied to the heating element and a second correspondence between a density of an image to be printed and an adjustment coefficient of the correction amount, and a control unit for correcting energy applied to each heating element by an amount obtained by multiplying the correction amount for the heating element obtained from the first correspondence by the adjustment coefficient obtained from the second correspondence according to a density of an image to be newly printed. The first correspondence is generated from a density distribution of a test image printed based on image data of a single tone.

When a roughened pattern is formed on an image protection layer, a thermal transfer sheet is protected from being damaged or broken. A thermal head 18 is driven and controlled such that an image protection layer 15e of a thermal transfer sheet 15 is thermally transferred to a printing medium 14, and that a roughened pattern 40 is formed on the image protection layer 15e. The roughened pattern 40 is made based on a corrected pattern 40B that is obtained by correcting a basic pattern 40A that is a pattern including an island portion formed of a mass of a plurality of high-energy pixels 40a, such that the high-energy pixel 40a surrounded by the high-energy pixels 40a forming an edge area of the island portion is converted to a low-energy pixel 40b.

In accordance with an embodiment, a thermal printer comprises a first thermal head, a first sensor and a control section. The first thermal head prints a first mark on a first surface of an image receiving medium. The first sensor detects a printing density of the first mark. The control section determines whether or not the printing density of the first mark is in a predetermined range, and adjusts the printing density by the first thermal head in the predetermined range in response to determining that the printing density of the first mark is out of the predetermined range.

In accordance with an embodiment, a thermal printer comprises a first thermal head, a first sensor and a control section. The first thermal head prints a first mark on a first surface of an image receiving medium. The first sensor detects a printing density of the first mark. The control section determines whether or not the printing density of the first mark is in a predetermined range, and adjusts the printing density by the first thermal head in the predetermined range in response to determining that the printing density of the first mark is out of the predetermined range.

A high speed tabletop and industrial printer is disclosed with integrated high speed RFID encoding and verification at the same time. The industrial printer simultaneously prints on and electronically encodes/verifies RFID labels, tags, and/or stickers attached to a continuous web. The industrial printer comprises a lighted sensor array for indexing the printing to the RFID tags; and a cutter powered from the industrial printer for cutting the web that the RFID tags are disposed on. The industrial printer comprises two RFID reader/writers that are individually controlled. Specifically, one of the RFID reader/writers comprises the ability to electronically encode the RFID tags while the web is moving; and the second RFID reader/writer uses an additional RFID module and antenna on the printer for verifying the data encoded to the RFID tags. Further, the printer also comprises a quick release cover with thumbscrews that allow for easy removal.

Each area in a test pattern for performing color shift correction is recorded by a discharge port at an edge portion in many times of scanning and by a discharge port other than the discharge port at the edge portion in fewer times of scanning.

A printing device includes a thermal head and a head controller. The head controller acquires a number of heater elements to energize based on the line print data, and determines an energization time of one or more heater elements corresponding to the line print data according to a result of comparison between the number of heater elements to energize and a first threshold, wherein in a case where a width of an ink ribbon heated by the energization is equal to or wider than a second threshold, the first threshold being set to be a value that is greater than a value that is set for the first threshold when the width of the ink ribbon heated by the energization is narrower than the second threshold.

An image processor performs: determining a dot value indicating a dot formation state, the determining including: in a case where a target pixel is not an edge pixel and a first dot forming condition is satisfied, setting the dot value to a value indicating forming a first dot; and in a case where a second dot forming condition is satisfied, setting the dot value to a value indicating forming a second dot; determining a distribution error value, the determining including: in the case where the target pixel is not the edge pixel and the first dot forming condition is satisfied, setting the distribution error value to a value corresponding to a density of the first dot; and in the case where the second dot forming condition is satisfied, setting the distribution error value to a smaller value than a value corresponding to a density of the second dot.

Provided is a printing device that has a thermal head that transfers overcoat ink provided on an ink sheet onto the surface of printing paper based on pattern data. The pattern data is data in which a first pattern and a second pattern are arranged alternately in a primary scanning direction and a secondary scanning direction. The first pattern includes a rectangular block of high tonal value pixels, a frame-like group of low tonal value pixels surrounding the rectangular block, and a group of high tonal pixels surrounding the group of low tonal value pixels. The second pattern includes a rectangular block of low tonal value pixels, a group of high tonal value pixels surrounding the rectangular block, and a frame-like group of low tonal pixels surrounding the group of high tonal value pixels.