Patent ID: 8231935

Claim:
A thermal transfer printing method comprising the steps of: opposing a first area in an ink ribbon having an ink layer to a second area in a first transferred object so that an end of the first area in a feeding direction of the ink ribbon is aligned with an end of the second area in the first transferred object in a feeding direction thereof; applying first image data having either characters or graphics on a thermal head while feeding the ink ribbon and the first transferred object under a condition that the ink ribbon and the first transferred object are overlapped on each other to transfer the ink layer in the first area of the ink ribbon to the second area of the first transferred object thereby forming a first image based on the first image data in the second area of the transferred object; opposing the second area in the first transferred object to a third area in a second transferred object so that the end of the second area of the first transferred object in the feeding direction is aligned with an end of the third area of the second transferred object in a feeding direction thereof; heating a heat roller while feeding the first transferred object and the second transferred object under a condition that the first transferred object and the second transferred object are overlapped on each other thereby transferring the first image in the second area to the third area of the second transferred object; opposing the ink ribbon to the first transferred object so that the end of the first area in the feeding direction is aligned with the end of the second area in the feeding direction; applying second image data having either characters or graphics on the thermal head while feeding the ink ribbon and the first transferred object under the condition that the ink ribbon and the first transferred object are overlapped on each other to transfer the ink layer in the first area to the second area of the first transferred object thereby forming a second image based on the second image data in the second area; opposing the ink ribbon to the first transferred object so that the end of the first area in the feeding direction is shifted from the end of the second area in the feeding direction by a predetermined distance; and applying third image data having either characters or graphics for overwriting, the third image data being identical to or different from the second image data, on the thermal head while feeding the ink ribbon and the first transferred object under the condition that the ink ribbon and the first transferred object are overlapped on each other to transfer the ink layer in the first area to the second area of the first transferred object thereby forming a third image based on the third image data in the second area.