Patent ID: 6344867
Filing Date: 2002-02-05
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
A thermal printing method, in which a head driver drives respectively plural heating elements arranged in a heating element array included in a thermal head, and said heating elements generate heat energy according to heating data for recording to thermosensitive recording material by one line, said thermal printing method comprising steps of:outputting gradation level data of gradation level 2n in an even number sequence one after another in a manner serially changing said gradation level, where n is an integer equal to or more than zero; outputting gradation level data of gradation level 2n+1 in an odd number sequence one after another in a manner serially changing said gradation level, wherein said gradation level data of said odd number sequence are output substantially simultaneously with said gradation level data of said even number sequence according to respective values of n; serially comparing one-line image data for plural pixels in said one line with said gradation level data of said even number sequence, so as to create even number gradation heating data in a serial signal form; serially comparing said one-line image data with said gradation level data of said odd number sequence, so as to create odd number gradation heating data in a serial signal form; transferring said even and odd number gradation heating data of said one line to said head driver in parallel with each other upon being created substantially simultaneously; after transfer to said head driver, converting said even number gradation heating data being serial for said one line into a parallel signal form; after transfer to said head driver, converting said odd number gradation heating data being serial for said one line into a parallel signal form; and driving respectively said heating elements for recording by two gradation levels by alternately retrieving said even and odd number gradation heating data of said one line.