Abstract: A printing apparatus for printing on a sheet of paper via a thermal ribbon has a paper feeding device for feeding the sheet of paper; a thermal print head including heat generating elements which are held in pressed contact with the surface of the sheet of paper via the thermal ribbon, the heat generating elements being selectively energized to apply heat to an ink layer of the thermal ribbon to fuse the ink for adherence of the fused ink to the surface of the paper; and a smoothness improving device, disposed upstream of the thermal print head in the direction of feed of the sheet of paper by the paper feeding device, for improving the smoothness of the surface of the paper.

Abstract: A printing apparatus for printing on a sheet of paper via a thermal ribbon comprising: a paper feeding device for feeding the sheet of paper; a thermal print head including heat generating elements which are held in pressed contact with the surface of the sheet of paper via the thermal ribbon, the heat generating elements being selectively energized to apply heat to an ink layer of the thermal ribbon to fuse the ink for adherence of the fused ink to the surface of the paper; a detecting device for sensing the smoothness of the surface of the sheet of paper fed by the paper feeding device; a print-quality improving device for improving the quality of printing on the sheet of paper; and a control device for activating the print-quality improving device while the sensed smoothness is lower than a preset lower limit, the control device deactivating the print-quality improving device while the sensed smoothness is not lower than the preset lower limit.