Patent ID: 8040366

Claim:
A thermal printer for printing an image on a printing medium using an ink sheet that repeatedly arranges a set, which contains a plurality of sublimation dye-based color ink portions and a thermo-melting coating material, the printer comprising: printing means for printing an image on a printing medium using a set of the plurality of sublimation dye-based color ink portions and the thermo-melting coating material of the ink sheet; and control means for (i) causing said printing means to print a first image using a plurality of sublimation dye-based color ink portions of a first set and transfer a thermo-melting coating material of the first set on the printed first image to form a first coating layer, and then to print a second image adjacent to the printed first image using a plurality of sublimation dye-based color ink portions of a second set and transfer a thermo-melting coating material of the second set on the printed second image to form a second coating layer, and (ii) controlling printing of the first and second images and forming of the first and second coating layers such that, (a) the trailing edge of the first coating layer is at a position which does not reach the trailing edge of the printed first image, and (b) the leading edge of the second coating layer is either the same as the trailing edge of the first coating layer or overlaps the trailing edge of the first coating.