Thermal transfer printer and method for controlling the same

Abstract

In order to prevent degradation in print quality which can come from matter generated from an ink ribbon and adhering to a thermal head, the thermal transfer printer transports an ink ribbon which has characteristics such that the amount of matter generated from the ink ribbon by transfer and adhering to the thermal head has a peak at predetermined transfer energy and reduces in an energy range higher than the predetermined transfer energy with increase in transfer energy, transfers ink and protective material onto paper in this order from the ink ribbon on which the ink and the protective material are repeatedly arranged in a longitudinal direction thereof, and adjusts transfer energy for the protective material to a value within a predetermined range. The lower limit of the predetermined range is higher than the predetermined transfer energy and minimum energy at which the protective material can be transferred, and is a value sufficient for transfer of the protective material to reduce matter having adhered to the thermal head since transfer of the ink. The upper limit of the predetermined range is lower than an energy value at which the protective material becomes mat and thereby glossiness of a protective layer on the paper formed from the protective material is lost.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.