Printing system, thermal printer, printer control method, and data storage medium
AssigneeSeiko Epson Corporation
InventorsMasahiro Minowa, Satoru Imai
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A printing system, a thermal printer, a printer driver, a printing control method, and a data storage medium control the printing process according to the type of thermal paper that is loaded into the printer when the paper is replaced. By appropriately controlling address selector 1103, a print head controller 811 stores black print pixel data and red print pixel data in first data buffer 1104a for storing low energy level print pixel data or second data buffer 1104b for storing high energy level print pixel data according to the type of thermal paper in use. A logic circuit unit 1105 outputs the current pattern data to the print head 152 based on the low level print pixel data and high level print pixel data.
Claims10
A printing system comprising:
- a thermal print head having a plurality of heating elements,
- a paper information storing section that designates a paper type selected from additive two color thermal paper and subtractive two color thermal paper,
- a first pulse width modulation section for selectively controlling the energy to be applied to each heating element in accordance with energy levels required to obtain the two colors of the subtractive two-color thermal paper,
- a second pulse width modulation section for selectively controlling the energy to be applied to each heating element in accordance With energy levels required to obtain the two colors of the additive two-color thermal paper, and
- a buffer selector for selecting either the first or the second pulse width modulation section based on said paper type information.
A printing control method for controlling a thermal printer comprising:
- receiving a print request and print data from an application program,
- storing the received print data for each color of at least first and second colors in a predetermined memory section to define first and second color print data,
- determining a type of a paper installed in the printer,
- determining each color print data to be produced by a low energy level or high energy level,
- storing the first color print data in a first print data storing buffer to be energized by a predetermined low energy level,
- storing the second color print data in a second print data storing buffer to be energized by a predetermined high energy level,
- controlling a heating element by driving the heating element in accordance with the color print data stored in the first print data storing buffer in a predetermined first current time period and driving the heating element in accordance with the color print data stored in the second print data storing buffer in a predetermined second current time period that is greater than the first current time period.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.