A thermal head of the present disclosure includes a substrate, a heat-generating portion, electrodes, and a protective layer. The heat-generating portion is located on the substrate. The electrodes are located on the substrate and are connected to the heat-generating portion. The protective layer covers the heat-generating portion and parts of the electrodes. A skewness Rsk of the protective layer is larger than 0. Further, A thermal head of the present disclosure includes a substrate, a heat-generating portion, electrodes, and a protective layer. The heat-generating portion is located on the substrate. The electrodes are located on the substrate and are connected to the heat-generating portion. The protective layer covers the heat-generating portion and parts of the electrodes. A kurtosis Rku of the protective layer is larger than 3.

A printer printing an image on a print medium based on print data including print dot data for each of print lines. The printer includes a print head including heating elements arranged along a direction of the print lines, and a controller finding the number of print dots on each print line and determining a first or second control mode as a control mode of the heating elements for printing each print line based on the found number of print dots. In the first control mode, the heating elements are divided into first groups including two or more adjacent heating elements and are heated at a different timing. In the second control mode, the heating elements are divided into second groups including two or more heating elements with at least two thereof spaced apart and are heated at a different timing.

A thermal head of the present disclosure includes a substrate, a heat-generating portion, electrodes, and a protective layer. The heat-generating portion is located on the substrate. The electrodes are located on the substrate and are connected to the heat-generating portion. The protective layer covers the heat-generating portion and parts of the electrodes. A skewness Rsk of the protective layer is larger than 0. Further, A thermal head of the present disclosure includes a substrate, a heat-generating portion, electrodes, and a protective layer. The heat-generating portion is located on the substrate. The electrodes are located on the substrate and are connected to the heat-generating portion. The protective layer covers the heat-generating portion and parts of the electrodes. A kurtosis Rku of the protective layer is larger than 3.

[Object] To provide a thermal head with which a substrate is not likely to become broken.

[Solution] A thermal head X1 includes a substrate 7 having a first main surface 7f and an end surface 7e adjacent to the first main surface 7f; a plurality of heating elements 9 disposed on the first main surface 7f or on the end surface 7e; a plurality of electrodes disposed on the first main surface 7f and electrically connected to the plurality of heating elements 9; a first covering layer 27a disposed on parts of the plurality of electrodes; a connector 31 disposed adjacent to the end surface 7e and including a plurality of connector pins 8 disposed on the plurality of electrodes and a housing 10 containing the plurality of connector pins 8; and a covering member 12 covering the plurality of connector pins 8 on the plurality of electrodes together with the plurality of electrodes. The thermal head further includes a second covering layer 27b extending from the first covering layer 27a onto the end surface 7e. The housing 10 is in contact with the second covering layer 27b. Thus, the probability of breakage of the substrate 7 can be reduced.

A system and method for selective heating and/or sintering of a material including first and second substrates, an array of one or more resistive heating elements arranged on a planar surface of a substrate and material to be heated located on the other substrate.

A thermal head includes a substrate; a plurality of heat generating portions; a common electrode disposed on the substrate and electrically connected to the plurality of heat generating portions; a plurality of individual electrodes disposed on the substrate and each electrically connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of heat generating portions; a first insulation layer disposed on the heat generating portions, a part of the common electrode, and a part of the individual electrodes; a second insulation layer located adjacent to the first insulation layer and disposed on a part of the individual electrodes; and a static removing layer disposed on the first insulation layer and grounded. The static removing layer includes a first portion disposed on an upper surface of the first insulation layer and a second portion electrically connected to the first portion and disposed on an upper surface of the second insulation layer.

A thermal print head includes a heat-generating substrate, a resistor layer, a conductive layer, a first substrate, a second substrate, and a third substrate. The heat-generating substrate includes a heat-generating substrate obverse face and a heat-generating substrate reverse face that are spaced apart from each other in a thickness direction. The resistor layer is supported by the heat-generating substrate. The conductive layer is supported by the heat-generating substrate, and electrically connected to the resistor layer. The first substrate is located upstream of the heat-generating substrate in a sub-scanning direction. The second substrate is located upstream of the first substrate in the sub-scanning direction. The third substrate is bonded to the first substrate and the second substrate and higher in flexibility than the first substrate.

A thermal contact device may include a thermal contact die embedded in a moldable material. The thermal contact die may include a number of resistors integrated into the thermal contact die, and a number of heater drivers integrated into the thermal contact die and electronically coupled to the resistors. The moldable material is coplanar with a thermal contact side of the thermal contact device. Further, the moldable material includes at least one gradient edge along a medium feed path.

A thermal print head includes a heat-generating substrate, a resistor layer, a conductive layer, a first substrate, a second substrate, and a third substrate. The heat-generating substrate includes a heat-generating substrate obverse face and a heat-generating substrate reverse face that are spaced apart from each other in a thickness direction. The resistor layer is supported by the heat-generating substrate. The conductive layer is supported by the heat-generating substrate, and electrically connected to the resistor layer. The first substrate is located upstream of the heat-generating substrate in a sub-scanning direction. The second substrate is located upstream of the first substrate in the sub-scanning direction. The third substrate is bonded to the first substrate and the second substrate and higher in flexibility than the first substrate.

A thermal print head includes a substrate; a protrusion formed on an obverse surface of the substrate and extending in a main scanning direction; heat generating parts disposed on a top surface of the protrusion and arranged along the main scanning direction; and columnar heat storage members embedded in the protrusion and disposed in a given area having a width in a sub-scanning direction and being elongated in the main scanning direction. Each of the columnar heat storage members is elongated in a thickness direction of the substrate and has an upper end and a lower end, with the upper end being disposed at the same level of the top surface of the protrusion.