Patent ID: 6388690
Filing Date: 2002-05-14
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
A thermal recording apparatus including:a thermal head provided with a plurality of heating-elements, the thermal head being movable in a first direction; a drive device for selectively driving the heating-elements to generate heat; an ink ribbon applied thereon with at least a first color ink, a second color ink and a third color ink; a print medium on which images are to be printed through the ink ribbon by the selected heating-elements, the print medium being fed in a second direction intersecting the first direction; means for dividing the heating-elements into a first group of odd heating-elements and a second group of even heating-elements, and alternately driving the odd heating-elements and the even heating-elements at different time points; a memory for storing image data corresponding to the first color, image data corresponding to the second color and image data corresponding to the third color; control means for operating the drive device to drive one group of the first heating-element group and the second heating-element group to generate heat and, after moving the thermal head by one pitch defined by a print dot in the first direction, operating the drive device again to drive another group of the first heating-element group and the second heating-element group to generate heat, thereby to print the first color ink on the print medium based on the image data, and for operating the drive device to drive the another group that is different from the one group driven first to print the first color ink thereby to print the second color ink on positions where the first color ink has not been printed on the print medium; and means for determining a first print position of the third color ink in correspondence with a position determined by the thermal head that is moved by half of one pitch of a print dot in the first direction from positions where the first and second color inks are printed.