Recording apparatus capable of forming a shadow print impression to characters

A recording apparatus comprising:

• scanning means for scanning a photosensitive member using a light beam;
• light beam supply means for supplying the light beam radiated on said photosensitive member by said scanning means at one of a first level for recording, a second level which does not perform recording and a third level between the first and second levels;
• input means for inputting data to be recorded;
• switching means for switching the level of the light beam supplied to said scanning means to one of the first and second levels in accordance with the recording data input by said input means;
• detecting means for detecting that the recording data input from said input means is character data or data other than the character data;
• and
• control means for controlling the level of the light beam to be the third level when said detecting means detects that the input recording data is character data, and for controlling the level of the light beam to be the first or second level when said detecting means detects that the input recording data is other than the character data.

A recording apparatus comprising:

• scanning means for scanning a photosensitive member using a light beam;
• light beam supply means for supplying the light beam radiated on said photosensitive member by said scanning means at one of a first level for recording, a second level which does not perform recording and a third level between the first and second levels;
• input means for inputting data to be recorded, the input data including a character identification code data;
• switching means for switching the level of the light beam supplied to said scanning means to one of the first and second levels according to recording data input by said input means;
• detecting means for detecting that the recording data input from said input means is character data, the detecting means including a decoder for detecting said character identification code data;
• and
• control means for controlling the level of the light beam to be the third level when said detecting means detects that the recording data input is character data.

A recording apparatus comprising:

• input means for inputting data to be recorded, said data including character data and non-character data;
• detecting means for detecting that said input data from said input means is character data;
• means for selectively setting one of a first recording mode and a second recording mode in accordance with a detection output of said detecting means;
• light beam supply means for generating a light beam, said light beam supply means including switching means for switching a level of said generated light beam to have a first level, a second level, and a third level;
• control means for controlling the level of said light beam according to the recording mode set by said mode setting means to said first level for recording and said second level for not recording in said first recording mode, and said first level for recording, said second level for not recording and said third level for recording between said first and second levels in said second recording mode;
• and
• scanning means for scanning a photosensitive member using said light beam.

A recording apparatus comprising:

• input means for inputting data to be recorded, said data including character data and non-character data;
• detecting means for detecting that said input data from said input means is character data;
• means for selectively setting one of a first recording mode and a second recording mode in accordance with a detection output of said detecting means;
• light beam supply means for generating a light beam, said light beam supply means including switching means for switching a level of said generated light beam to have a first level, a second level, and a third level;
• control means for controlling the level of said light beam according to the recording mode set by said mode setting means to said first level for recording and said second level for not recording in said first recording mode, and said first level for recording, said second level for not recording and said third level for recording between said first and second levels in said second recording mode;
• and
• scanning means for scanning a photosensitive member using said light beam;
• wherein said control means includes first and second line memory means for sequentially storing said input data in units of successive horizontal lines as preceding line data and present line data, and means for checking said preceding line data and said present line data so as to determine whether the level of said present line data is to be switched to said third level for imparting a shadow print impression to a recorded character, said checking means including means for checking whether bit data included in said preceding line data and said present line data is "1" or "0", so as to control the level of said light beam to said third level when the checked bit data in said preceding line is "1" and the checked bit data in said present line is "0".