Thermal printer with erasing function using thinned heating energy generating patterns

An output apparatus with an erasing function in which recording and erasing can be executed by application of heating energy corresponding to dot information, said apparatus using an erasing member which can erase an image recorded on a recording material by application of heating energy, said apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of heating energy generating means for generating heating energy;
• memory means for storing a plurality of drive patterns for selectively driving at least a one of said plurality of heating energy generating means, the drive patterns comprising a dot pattern forming an image to be recorded;
• and
• control means for controlling said plurality of heating energy generating means to generate heating energy a plurality of times to a same area of a recorded pattern based on a thinned pattern obtained by thinning the dot pattern of the plurality of drive patterns stored in said memory means so as to erase the recorded pattern, the thinned dot pattern comprising a pattern in which a predetermined at least one of said plurality of heating energy generating means is driven every predetermined dots upon generating the heating energy a single time to the same area of the recorded pattern.