Patent Document ID: 8780156
Application ID: 13979765
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A print control device for use in a thermal transfer printer that puts an ink sheet and a recording paper on top of each other, and, while conveying said ink sheet, produces a plurality of heat transfer prints of an image in units of a predetermined size, the plurality of heat transfer prints extending on said recording paper in a direction of said conveyance and the image having a size smaller than said predetermined size, said print control device comprising: an image area dividing unit for dividing an image to be printed into a plurality of areas; an ink sheet damage calculating unit for comparing image element density data of each of said areas into which the inputted image is divided with a first threshold set correspondingly to said each of said areas to calculate a total number of pixels each having density data equal to or larger than said first threshold for each of said areas, for comparing the total number of pixels calculated for said each of said areas with a second threshold set correspondingly to said each of said areas and with a third threshold larger than said second threshold, and for, when said plurality of areas include an area in which said calculated total number of pixels is equal to or larger than said second threshold and is smaller than said third threshold, comparing said calculated total number of pixels for another area adjacent to said area with a fourth threshold set to said adjacent area and smaller than the second threshold; and a printing operation selecting unit for, when said calculated total number of pixels is equal to or larger than said third threshold or when said plurality of areas include an area in which said calculated total number of pixels is equal to or larger than said second threshold and is smaller than said third threshold and said calculated total number of pixels for another area adjacent to said area which is a target for calculation is equal to or larger than the fourth threshold, carrying out a control operation of forming a next print image by using an ink area in a new unit area, and for, when said calculated total number of pixels is smaller than said second threshold and when said calculated total number of pixels is equal to or larger than said second threshold and is smaller than said third threshold and said calculated total number of pixels for the other area adjacent to said area is smaller than the fourth threshold, carrying out a control operation of forming a next print image by using a remaining area of an already-used ink area in a unit area having said predetermined size.