Patent ID: 7352380
Filing Date: 2008-04-01
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
1. A thermal head printer performing a printing operation by conveying a recording medium between a platen and a thermal head and heating a heating element included in the thermal head on the basis of image data to be printed, the thermal head printer comprising: the platen; the thermal head having the heating element; a heating-value arithmetic unit that calculates heating values S for the heating element corresponding to the image data; a heating-value comparator that compares each calculated heating value S with a reference heating value L of the heating element; an excess-value counter counts the number of calculated heating values S that exceed the reference heating value L on the basis of the comparison result of the heating-value comparator so as to determine an excess-value number N; and a heating-value controller that limits the heating values of the heating element if the excess-value number N exceeds a reference number M.