Sughrue, Mion, Zinn, Macpeak & Seas
Thermal printing apparatus and method thereof
 A thermal printer prints on a printing medium by heating a thermal print head which causes sublimation of a printing film at the areas corresponding to data or image to be printed. The sublimated dye on the printing film results in the data or image being printed on a supplied print medium. The types of print medium and printing film are sensed and the heating energy supplied to the print head is controlled in accordance with the types of medium and printing film used. The heat is controlled by varying the level of voltage supplied thereto, or by varying the duration of voltage supplied thereto, or by varying the repetitions of the printing operation, or by combinations of the latter. The type of medium used is sensed by sensing the light transmissivity or reflectivity of the medium. The type of printing film used is sensed by either sensing a bar code on the cartridge housing the film or by sensing a uniqueness of the shape of the cartridge housing the printing film. A micro-computer determines whether or not the sensed medium and film are suitable for a predetermined printing mode and, if the state is suitable, controls the performance of a printing operation according to a predetermined printing mode, and if the state is not suitable, displays the sensed information, to thereby inform the user and request the user to make a decision whether or not the printing is to proceed. When a print proceeding signal is input, the heating energy of a thermal print head is controlled so as to fit the predetermined mode. 
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
B B B
B41J B41J B41J
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