Patent ID: 6092942
Filing Date: 2000-07-25
Classification: B29C,B32B,B41J,B41M

Abstract:
A printing device for performing a predetermined printing on a print surface of a predetermined printing medium with a color ink arranged on an ink ribbon and a sheet arranged adjacent to said color ink on said ink ribbon in order to be transferred onto said print surface by a thermal transfer head, said printing device comprising:a memory for storing minimum unit pattern data representing a partial pattern of a pattern of light and dark shapes to be transferred to said sheet on an entire print surface thereof; andprinting means for reading said minimum unit pattern data stored in said memory and, using a predetermined algorithm, generating an entire pattern on said print surface based on said minimum unit pattern data;wherein said predetermined algorithm generates said entire pattern by looping memory addresses of said minimum unit pattern data when generating a flat pattern, a silk pattern, or an alternating flat/silk pattern, andwherein said predetermined algorithm generates said entire pattern by sequentially determining a random pattern of light and dark shapes on each printing line based on a predetermined ratio of light and dark shapes when generating a random entire pattern.