Thermal transfer system including heating element having contact portion with multiple projecting portions

A thermal transfer system comprising:

• a winding portion that winds an ink ribbon that includes a support layer and an ink layer after ink in the ink layer is transferred to a transfer receiver;
• and
• a heating element that transfers the ink in the ink layer of the ink ribbon to the support layer of the ink ribbon that is located inside the ink ribbon that is wound around the winding portion in a stripe-shaped disturbing pattern that extends in a direction in which the ink ribbon is conveyed in a manner in which the ink ribbon that is wound around the winding portion is heated from the support layer,
• wherein the heating element includes a contact portion including multiple projecting portions that come into contact with the ink ribbon and multiple recessed portions that do not come into contact with the ink ribbon, the multiple projecting portions and the multiple recessed portions being alternately arranged in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the ink ribbon is conveyed,
• wherein the multiple projecting portions include a first projecting portion that has a relatively large projecting portion width that is equal to a length in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the ink ribbon is conveyed and a second projecting portion the projecting portion width of which is relatively small,
• wherein the first projecting portion is located at a center of the contact portion in a width direction, and
• wherein the second projecting portion is located in a region other than the center of the contact portion in the width direction.