Abstract: A printing apparatus including a plurality of print driving units for printing a print dot on a print medium, a storage unit that stores a generated electromagnetic wave noise value which is a value of an electromagnetic wave noise to be generated by driving the print driving unit and an allowable electromagnetic wave noise value indicating tolerance of the generated electromagnetic wave noise, as electromagnetic wave noise data, and a control unit that controls driving of the print driving unit, in which the control unit controls the number of the print driving units to be simultaneously driven so as to be the generated electromagnetic wave noise value equal to or less than the allowable electromagnetic wave noise value.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus comprises: an acquiring unit that acquires image data representing a document image that includes characters; an extracting unit that extracts, from the document image represented by the image data acquired by the acquiring unit, a character that has undergone a modification for distinguishing from another character; a processing unit that processes the image data by reducing a density of the character other than the extracted character below a density indicated by the acquired image data; and an output unit that outputs the image data processed by the processing unit to an image forming apparatus.

Abstract: A method of controlling a drive motor that is provided to a printer to apply a driving force to a predetermined operation section that operates in an image printing operation of printing on a printing sheet. The method includes steps of: measuring, in a no-image-printing operation of not printing on the printing sheet, an initial operation time of the predetermined operation section by driving initially the drive motor to operate the operation section; driving, in the image printing operation of printing on the printing sheet, the drive motor with a first output from an operation start time to a time calculated by multiplying the initial operation time by a coefficient that is larger than 0 but smaller than 1; and driving, until an operation end time after the drive motor is driven with the first output, the drive motor with a second output that is determined based on the initial operation time.

Abstract: An impact printing apparatus is also disclosed with printing pin actuation timing correction dependent upon scanning speed or platen shape, striking duration timing dependent upon scanning rate, or printing pin actuation timing dependent upon stored shift amounts.

Abstract: An impact printing apparatus is also disclosed with printing pin actuation timing correction dependent upon scanning speed or platen shape, striking duration timing dependent upon scanning rate, or printing pin actuation timing dependent upon stored shift amounts.

Abstract: A control circuit generates two sorts of printing timing signals on the basis of the position of the printing mechanism module detected by a detector, and sends the generated signals to respective drive circuits. Herein, the printing mechanism module is configured of two printing element assemblies each of which includes a plurality of printing elements, and both of which are mechanically coupled. The two drive circuits taking charge of the two printing element assemblies send printing input signals to the respective printing elements which are to be driven according to the two sorts of printing timing signals received by the drive circuits. The relative positions between the print dots of the two printing element assemblies can be adjusted for each direction of printing on a sheet by changing the difference between the times of the two sorts of printing timing signals.

Abstract: An ink density closed loop control system for an ink ribbon of an impact printer having a reservoir roller formed of an ink absorbent material with at least one or more channels within the reservoir roller fluidly connected to a pump and ink supply. A transfer roller can contact the reservoir roller for imparting ink to the ink ribbon. A sensor senses the relative amount of ink on the print ribbon and an electrical drive responsive to the sensor drives the pump for a flow of ink to the one or more channels. The sensor can sense ink on different segments of the ribbon and, with two or more channels in the reservoir roller can distribute ink to two or more segments of the reservoir roller depending upon the ink sensed at a particular segment of the ribbon. A further enhancement of this invention provides a multi-viscosity ink to compensate for changes in ambient temperature conditions.

Abstract: A printing head control apparatus 10 is used for a dot-impact printer in which a dot is formed on a paper set on a platen via an ink ribbon 16 with an impact force applied by a pin 18. The printing head control apparatus 10 comprises: a dot classifier for classifying into a normal dot b1 and a final dot b2 the dots constituting a print data “a” supplied from an upper-node apparatus 20; and a printing head drive controller 26 for supplying to the printing head 24 a normal dot print drive signal c1 and a final dot print drive signal c2 for the normal dot b1 and the final dot b2, respectively.

Abstract: The invention intends to obtain a good printed result without creating displacement of printing positions when printing is performed on a piece of printed paper with different contact pressures of the thermal head to the platen. To achieve the object, the thermal transfer printer of the invention comprises control means that make it possible to select a contact pressure of the thermal head to the platen in correspondence with a printing mode, and controls a printing setting position in accordance with the printing mode selected, whereby it becomes possible to correct the drifts of printing positions due to the difference of contact pressures of the thermal head to the platen, and acquire an excellent printed result without having the drifts of printing positions.