Thermal printhead

A thermal printhead, comprising:

• a planar base plate having a major surface, an end surface, and an inclined portion connecting said major surface and said end surface defining a print-end surface which has a surface width dimension between 0.1 mm and 0.8 mm connecting said major surface to said end surface;
• a glaze layer made of glass-like material covering said print-end surface and a portion of adjacent surfaces of the major surface and the end surface of said base plate and generally conforming to the shape of the print-end surface and inclined portions of said base plate;
• a resistive pattern, comprising a plurality of resistive elements arranged along a lengthwise direction of said base plate, placed over a part of said glaze layer corresponding to said print-end surface of said base plate;
• and
• a wiring pattern, comprising a plurality of wiring elements placed over said glaze layer in electric contact with said resistive elements, to conduct electric current to said resistive elements in a selective manner,
• wherein said print-end surface is substantially narrower in a width wise direction than a thickness of said base plate, said thickness being measured along the direction perpendicular to the plane of said major surface.

A base plate for a thermal printhead, comprising:

• a first major surface;
• a second major surface;
• a print-end surface;
• a first inclined portion;
• and
• a second inclined portion
• wherein each inclined portion connects the print-end surface with one of said major surfaces,
• wherein said print-end surface defines a relatively narrow width in a direction generally perpendicular to a plane of each of said major surfaces,
• wherein said print-end surface extends substantially along a whole length of one side of said base plate,
• wherein a width of said print-end surface is between 0.1 mm and 0.8 mm,
• wherein said print-end surface of said base plate is substantially narrower in a widthwise direction of said base plate than a thickness of said base plate, said thickness being measured along the direction generally perpendicular to the planes of said major surfaces.