Patent Document ID: 20060119696
Application ID: 11241948
Patent Status: 0

Claim One:
1. A method of forming an image by thermally transferring thermal transfer ink of a thermal transfer ink ribbon onto a medium to be recorded by a thermal head, the method comprising the steps of: comparing gray-scale values of pixels of a filter image having a threshold value pattern used to determine whether each of a plurality of pixels of an original image is an object to be printed, based on gray-scale values of the plurality of pixels, with the gray-scale values of the pixels of the original image to convert the gray-scale values of the pixels of the original image on the basis of the result of the comparison; comparing a gray-scale conversion table in which energy applied to each pixel at the time of printing is prescribed corresponding to the gray-scale value of the pixel with the converted gray-scale values of the pixels of the original image to further convert the gray-scale values of the pixels of the original image on the basis of the result of the comparison; and controlling the application of a current to the thermal head depending on the converted gray-scale values of the pixels of the original image.