Abstract: Provided is a thermal transfer-system recording device which, by accurately conveying a medium between each of the thermal heads, eliminates image position displacement and image pitch variations between each of the thermal heads, thereby improving the overlay precision of each color and enabling printing on both sides of the medium. A pair of small pieces (300, 302) is provided between adjacent thermal heads and close to the conveying platen drum, and rollers (307, 308) are provided at both ends of the small pieces in the circumferential direction thereof. The rollers suppress separation of the recording paper from the platen drum by pressing the recording paper 100 against a flexible body 18A of the platen drum surface.

Abstract: Provided is a thermal transfer-system recording device which, by accurately conveying a medium between each of the thermal heads, eliminates image position displacement and image pitch variations between each of the thermal heads, thereby improving the overlay precision of each color and enabling printing on both sides of the medium. A pair of small pieces (300, 302) is provided between adjacent thermal heads and close to the conveying platen drum, and rollers (307, 308) are provided at both ends of the small pieces in the circumferential direction thereof. The rollers suppress separation of the recording paper from the platen drum by pressing the recording paper 100 against a flexible body 18A of the platen drum surface.

Abstract: A heating device capable of evenly heating a thermal recording medium without increasing the cost of the device is disclosed. The heating device evenly heats the recording surface of a thermally-reversible recording card by conducting the heat energy transferred from a heat generating member by way of a heating member, made of aluminum having high heat conductivity and high heat capacity characteristics. By this feature, it becomes possible to accurately erase the information recorded on the recording card and to use an inexpensive heat generating member as the heat generating member.

Abstract: An information recording and erasing apparatus configured to record information on and erase other information from a thermo-sensitive recording medium which medium is capable of heat-reversible coloring and discoloring, the information recording and erasing apparatus includes an erasing unit configured to move the thermo-sensitive recording medium from one side to another side, heat the thermo-sensitive recording medium, and erase the other information recorded in the thermo-sensitive recording medium; and a recording unit provided in a direction perpendicular to a moving direction of the thermo-sensitive recording medium with the erasing unit, the recording unit being configured to record the information in the thermo-sensitive recording medium where the other information is erased by the erasing unit.

Abstract: A sheet is wound up on a frictional carrier drum having a circumferential length longer than a sheet length so that the length of the wound-up sheet is a quarter or more of the circumferential length, and contact elements for pressing the sheet against the frictional carrier drum are provided at four or more positions around the frictional carrier drum so as not to generate a slip of the sheet, whereby it is possible to prevent a slip between the sheet and the frictional carrier drum, and it is also possible to prevent the superposition deviation of colors in a transfer process repeated several times.

Abstract: An information recording apparatus enables information to be recorded in a thermosensitive recording medium accurately while preventing the development of skew. When a rewritable medium is conveyed to a recording unit, the rotation of the rewritable medium and its position with reference to an axis are adjusted. Specifically, the rewritable medium is held between guide pins to such an extent as not to warp the rewritable medium while the medium is sandwiched between a clamper and a conveyance tray, until the rewritable medium reaches the recording unit. Thus, the rewritable medium is delivered to the recording unit with an adjusted posture, allowing the recording unit to record information in the rewritable medium without the development of skew in the rewritable medium.

Abstract: A heating unit is disclosed that heats a heat-sensitive medium. The heating unit includes a heat generating body that converts electric energy into heat energy; a fixed member to which the heat generating body is fixed; and a holding member that directly holds the fixed member while contacting at least a part of the fixed member.

Abstract: An image with sufficient gray-scale representation and high resolution is formed on a medium to be recorded, such as an intermediate transfer body, using a thermal printer employing thermal transfer ink. When thermal transfer ink of a thermal transfer ink ribbon 18 is thermally transferred onto an intermediate transfer body 12 by a thermal head 14, gray-scale values of pixels of a filter image having a threshold value pattern used to determine whether each of a plurality of pixels of an original image is an object to be printed, based on gray-scale values of the pixels, are compared with the gray-scale values of the pixels of the original image, and then the gray-scale values of the pixels of the original image are converted based on the result of the comparison.

Abstract: A sheet is wound up on a frictional carrier drum having a circumferential length longer than a sheet length so that the length of the wound-up sheet is a quarter or more of the circumferential length, and contact elements for pressing the sheet against the frictional carrier drum are provided at four or more positions around the frictional carrier drum so as not to generate a slip of the sheet, whereby it is possible to prevent a slip between the sheet and the frictional carrier drum, and it is also possible to prevent the superposition deviation of colors in a transfer process repeated several times.

Abstract: An image with sufficient gray-scale representation and high resolution is formed on a medium to be recorded, such as an intermediate transfer body, using a thermal printer employing thermal transfer ink. When thermal transfer ink of a thermal transfer ink ribbon 18 is thermally transferred onto an intermediate transfer body 12 by a thermal head 14, gray-scale values of pixels of a filter image having a threshold value pattern used to determine whether each of a plurality of pixels of an original image is an object to be printed, based on gray-scale values of the pixels, are compared with the gray-scale values of the pixels of the original image, and then the gray-scale values of the pixels of the original image are converted based on the result of the comparison.

Abstract: A small-size color printer which can perform printing while generation of wrinkles is prevented in an ink ribbon to suppress decrease in print quality caused by the wrinkles of the ink ribbon is provided. A status of image data in a print area is determined, and print pulses are also applied to white portions in which energy is not applied in the conventional method. The print pulse has the highest energy in which coloring is not generated. Therefore, distortion caused by the thermal difference in the ink ribbon is reduced in the print area, which allows the decrease in print quality caused by the wrinkles of the ink ribbon to be suppressed.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus for producing a finished sheet of recording medium with an image printed thereon includes an image recorder with a platen drum, a clamper, a movable guide provided in an entrance side around said platen drum and a fixed guide adjacent to said movable guide. A paper feed has a recording medium wound up in a roll state for providing recording medium sheets upon cutting, a paper feed side cutter, paper feed rollers and a paper feed side slide guide. A thermal transfer ink ribbon with heatable coloring materials is heated by a thermal head. A paper discharge has a paper discharge side slide guide with a tip portion for receiving the recording medium and also having a paper discharge side cutter. A paper waste patting bar is rotatably provided between an exit of said paper discharge side slide guide and said paper discharge cutter and a paper discharge roller is provided for discharging the finished recording medium.