Patent ID: 8427689

Claim:
A method for printing print data using a thermal printer including a plurality of staggered thermal print heads, the method comprising steps of: (A) identifying one of the plurality of staggered thermal print heads as a reference thermal print head; (B) identifying a plurality of time offsets corresponding to the plurality of staggered thermal print heads, the plurality of time offsets representing printing times of the plurality of staggered thermal print heads relative to the printing time of the reference thermal print head; (C) for each of a plurality of printing times, performing steps of: (1) for each of the plurality of staggered thermal print heads, determining whether to print a subset of the print data based on the time offset corresponding to the thermal print head; (2) providing the subset of the print data to the thermal print head if it is determined that the thermal print head should print the subset of the print data; and (3) otherwise, storing the subset of the print data in a buffer for the thermal print head for printing by the thermal print head at a later printing time of the plurality of printing times, and providing a preheat data set to the thermal print head, responsive to the thermal print head having a temperature below the lower limit of a redetermined range.