Patent ID: 7679632
Filing Date: 2010-03-16
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
1. A thermal printer, comprising: a thermal paper sheet which has heat-sensitive layers on both surfaces thereof, and is subjected to paper feeding; a first thermal head which comes into contact with a first surface of the thermal paper sheet; a second thermal head which comes into contact with a second surface of the thermal paper sheet; and a control section which selectively controls forward printing and backward printing of the first thermal head with respect to the first surface of the thermal paper sheet and also selectively controls forward printing and backward printing of the second thermal head with respect to the second surface of the thermal paper sheet, wherein the first thermal head prints an image corresponding to input printing data on the first surface of the thermal paper sheet, the second thermal head prints an image corresponding to input printing data on the second surface of the thermal paper sheet, and the control section has: first controlling means for dividing printing data formed of a plurality of bits input from the outside into first printing data and second printing data; second controlling means for serially reading the first printing data in a direction from a most significant bit to a least significant bit and inputting the read data to the first thermal head at the time of forward printing with respect to the first surface of the thermal paper sheet; third controlling means for serially reading the first printing data in a direction from the least significant bit to the most significant bit and inputting the read data to the first thermal head at the time of backward printing with respect to the first surface of the thermal paper sheet; fourth controlling means for serially reading the second printing data in the direction from the most significant bit to the least significant bit and inputting the read data to the second thermal head at the time of forward printing with respect to the second surface of the thermal paper sheet; and fifth controlling means for serially reading the second printing data in the direction from the least significant bit to the most significant bit and inputting the read data to the second thermal head at the time of backward printing with respect to the second surface of the thermal paper sheet.