Abstract: A method for generating a matte finish on a photo picture using a thermal printer includes using the thermal printhead to heat different areas of an overcoating dye frame of an ink ribbon by at least two distinct time periods to dispose overcoating on the photo picture. The two distinct time periods are a first time period and a second time period; the first time period disposing thicker layer of overcoating than the second time period. A matte finish pattern of overcoating comprises a two-dimensional array of cells wherein each cell is heated by either the first time period or the second time period based on a substantially random probability.

Abstract: A method for generating a watermark on a photo picture using a thermal printer. The thermal printer includes a thermal printhead for heating an ink ribbon and sublimating color dyes stored in the ink ribbon on a photo picture. The ink ribbon includes a plurality of sequentially arranged color frames. Each color frame includes a plurality of dye frames with different color dyes and a dye frame with overcoating. The method includes using the thermal printhead to heat a color frame with a plurality of different color dyes and to sublimate the color dyes on a photo picture and using the thermal printhead to heat the dye frame with the overcoating and to heat different areas on the color frame by two distinct time periods.

Abstract: A thermal printer includes a printer body, a thermal printhead installed in the printer body, a print ribbon installed in the printer body, and a control circuit for controlling the thermal printhead and the print ribbon. The print ribbon has regions of colored dye, regions of resistant overcoating, and regions of stampable overcoating capable of accepting an ink stamp. The print ribbon can be supplied as two exchangeable ribbons, one having colored dye and regions of resistant overcoating, the other having regions of stampable overcoating. The control circuit controls the thermal printhead and the print ribbon to print pictures having stampable images. An ink stamp can be externally applied to a stampable overcoating layer of the picture, an intermediate resistant overcoating layer protecting the image from damage.

Abstract: An image processing method of an image processing system. The image processing system has a memory for storing programs and a picture image, and a processor for executing the programs stored in the memory. The picture image has a plurality of pixels. The method has three steps. The first step is to find at least one image area with a predetermined characteristic from the picture image according to a predetermined image area detecting method. The second step is to define a boundary area around the image area according to a predetermined boundary area defining method. The third step is to adjust pixels inside the image area according to a predetermined color adjusting method, and adjust pixels inside the boundary area according to a different but similar color adjusting method so that the color adjustment can be extended from the image area to the boundary area.

Abstract: A ladle-ball racket with a receiving ladle and a serving ladle, a passage permitting rolling of a ball between the receiving ladle and the serving ladle, used to receive the ball with the receiving ladle, serving the ball with the serving ladle after the ball received by the receiving ladle has reached the serving ladle through the ball passage.