Abstract: A thermal recording apparatus records image data line-by-line, using a thermal head having a linear array of heating elements. Each of the heating elements is shorter in the sub scan direction than in the main scan direction. To form an image of one recording line, the feeding of a recording paper and the transfer of ink onto the paper are repeated a plurality of times--for example, two times--using the image data for that line. The excellent thermal response of the heating element constructed as above, and the use of a plurality of recording operations for one recording line image formation, provides a uniform recording density distribution curve, so that the recorded image has high image quality and is substantially free from recording density irregularity. An additional recording control employed eliminates a nonimage part which will occur due to a varied recording speed.

Abstract: A position in which an image of a second document is inserted into an image of a first document is designated by operating an operation panel. A scanner unit reads the image of the first document and a printing unit prints the read image of the first document on paper. That area of the first document image to be printed by the printing unit in which the image of the second document is inserted is masked. Paper on which the first docment image has been printed and an ink ribbon are set back to a position at which the printing operation for the first document image is started before the second document image is printed. The scanner unit reads the second document image and the printing unit prints the second document image read on a designated area of the paper on which the first document image has been printed by using ink of that portion of the ink ribbon which has not been used for printing the first document image.

Abstract: A thermal print head having a plurality of heating elements with each element having a central portion and two identical tails. Corresponding tails of adjacent heating elements are aligned and produce an interpolated dye image pixel.

Abstract: A recording head for a printer is manufactured by printing a thick film of paste containing an electrode material such as tungsten on a ceramic substrate with hardness nearly equal to or less than that of tungsten and firing the substrate and the film simultaneously in a single process.

Abstract: A thermal print head including a glass layer disposed at the edge of a heat resistant substrate, a heat generating element on the glass layer and an electrode for driving the heat generating element disposed both under the glass layer and on the heat generating element is provided. The glass layer is formed of a lower layer of crystallized glass on the electrode and an upper noncrystallized glass portion under the heat generating element. The electrode under the glass layer is formed by print burning a thick conductive film on the substrate from a metal paste having a higher burning temperature than the burning temperature of the glass layers.

Abstract: A drum used as a clamping roller for mounting a substrate, such as a sheet of paper, in a device in which the surface of said substrate is treated.The clamping roller is of use in a device such as an electrojet printer. The roller comprises a thin metal seamless sleeve having perforations; a coating is present on the sleeve having such form that a great variety of substrate formats may be held on the roller surface by creating a low vacuum inside the sleeve.For all formats the coating is of similar form.The thin sleeve is centered around the roller's axis by means of centering means having the form of end-discs.

Abstract: A thermal transfer recording apparatus permitting detachable disposition therein of an inked film cassette provided with a takeup reel holding part and a supply reel holding part. In the inked film cassette, the takeup reel holding part disposed at one end thereof and the supply reel holding part disposed at the other end thereof protrude in mutually opposite directions from the cassette casing.

Abstract: A thermal-head driving apparatus drives a thermal head having a plurality of heating resistors separated in a plurality of groups and disposed in one line, each of the heating resistors capable of being energized by heating pulses the number of which is controlled in accordance with the required density of the corresponding picture element, the heating resistors of the each group being adapted to be sequentially driven. The apparatus comprises a first unit for generating signals representative of time intervals of the heating pulses, which time intervals is determined to keep a temperature of the heating resistors above a predetermined temperature during operation, and a second unit for controlling a time intervals of heating pulses applied to the heating resistors in accordance with the signals from the first unit.

Abstract: An improved orifice plate for use in ink jet printing, includes a first elongated lamina composed of electroformed metal or metal-alloy having tensile or compressive stress condition and a second elongated lamina composed of a metal or metal-alloy electroformed onto said first lamina and having a counterbalancing stress condition.

Abstract: A method for avoiding drop charge switching errors in continuous ink jet printing of the kind using stimulation to regulate ink drop break-off of a linear array of ink streams. The method includes the steps of: controlling ink drop stimulation so that the phase distribution of drop break-off along the length of the ink stream array remains stable in time and charging stimulated drop streams in at least two different groups during at least two different address periods which are offset in phase so that all drop streams are addressed during a drop break-off condition.

Abstract: A program installed in the microcontroller of an ink jet printer functions as a timer, to keep track of how much time has elapsed since the ink jet cartridge last printed. After a certain amount of time (such as one hour) has elapsed with no printing, the program directs all the nozzles of the cartridge to each print about twenty ink dots. This periodic priming of the nozzles during idle periods prevents viscous ink plugs from building up in and clogging the nozzles.

Abstract: A thermal transfer printer includes a mark disposed on an ink spool of an ink film cassette, reading device for reading the rotation of the ink spool by use of the mark, a calculation device for calculating the used quantity of ink film by use of the rotation data of the spool, and a display portion for displaying the remaining quantity of ink film obtained by the calculation device.

Abstract: A thermal printer for printing on a planar recording medium, by heating and thereby coloring a thermally fusible material on the medium. The printer has a thermal print head having heat-generating elements each of which produces heat in contact with the surface of the recording medium, a feeding device for feeding the print head and the recording medium relative to each other, and an anti-sticking device for moving the print head and the recording medium relative to each other, to thereby prevent the print head and the surface of the recording medium from sticking to each other, when the heated thermally fusible material is solidified.

Abstract: A thermal printer comprises a thermal head and a printing data output circuit outputting printing data. A portion of the printing data is copied. The copied portion of the printing data is added to a head of the printing data to form a combination of the copied portion and the printing data. The data combination is outputted to the thermal head. The thermal head is driven with the copied portion to preheat the thermal head. Then, the thermal head is driven with the printing data to perform actual printing.

Abstract: An improved thermal printhead in which the base plate is provided with a print-end surface which is narrower than the thickness of the base plate by forming an inclined surface along one of the corner edges of the end surface adjoining one of the major surfaces of the base plate. Alternatively, a narrower end surface serving as the print-end surface may be defined by forming inclined surfaces along the two corner edges of the original end surface of the base plate. In either case, by appropriate selection of the width of the print-end surface, a glaze layer of a suitable property can be formed over the print-end surface by making use of the surface tension of the glaze layer in its molten state.

Abstract: A thermal head control device for a thermal printer counts the number of printing operations and spacing operations. The energization period for the printer heat elements is controlled in accordance with the counts obtained.

Abstract: A multi-color thermal transfer printing apparatus having a platen roller rotatable in opposite directions with a recording medium driven to travel on the platen roller and a continuous length of carrier medium driven to travel in conjunction with the recording medium on the platen roller so that the carrier medium may be in contact with the recording medium, the carrier medium having a series of areas carrying differently colored inks. A thermal print head is movable between an inoperative position spaced apart from the platen roller and an operative position having the carrier medium pressed against the recording medium on the platen roller and operative to form an image on the recording medium by thermal transfer of an ink from one of the colored areas of the carrier medium to the recording medium.

Abstract: An ink jet pen includes an ink reservoir for containing ink and a catchbasin coupled to the reservoir by an orifice for containing ink displaced from the reservoir by environmental conditions. Also coupling the reservoir and catchbasin is an ink return mechanism that permits substantially all of the ink that may be displaced to the catchbasin to be returned to the reservoir regardless of the pen's orientation.

Abstract: A method of and an apparatus for forming a color picture, which can provide sufficiently satisfactory picture quality and which can be made practicable in terms of cost and reliability utilizes colorants having a plurality of different densities with respect to at least one color among yellow, magenta and cyan provided to form a color picture. Assuming that the number of densities of each color of yellow, magenta and cyan is respectively N.sub.Y, N.sub.M and N.sub.C, the magnitude relation among them is set to be N.sub.M, N.sub.C >N.sub.Y.

Abstract: An image printing device in which desired images represented by two or more valued data are recorded with a laser beam. This image printing device allows to employ a semiconductor laser which is relatively low in an output power resulting in reducing manufacturing cost and prolonging a service life of the device.