摘要 |
<p>A thermal printer which transfers ink to a printing medium to print an image, comprises a transfer unit configured to transfer dye ink to the printing medium to print an image, and transfer an overcoat onto the entire image to protect the image; and a control unit configured to control transfer of the overcoat by the transfer unit. The control unit forms a region where no overcoat is transferred to embed information in the overcoat, and forms, in the vicinity of the region where no overcoat is transferred, a pattern for hiding the information, to avoid visual perception of the information by a difference in gloss between the region where no overcoat is transferred and a region where the overcoat is transferred.</p> |