| 摘要 |
A line thermal head has a head main body portion having an array of heating elements divided into a plurality of physical blocks. A head control portion divides each physical block into a plurality of division units of heating elements depending on a capacity specification of an external power source used for driving the line thermal head. The head control portion controls a printing drive operation of the heating elements. Printing data is time division transferred in accordance with the division units of heating elements, and each of the physical blocks is driven to effect printing in accordance with the time division transferring of the printing data. The size of the division units of printing elements can be set in accordance with the capacity specification of the external power source, to further reduce the size of the power source needed. A total number of heating elements energized in a printing drive operation is counted and the timing of the driving of the physical blocks is optimized depending on the counted total number so that a plurality of physical blocks can be simultaneously driven depending on the capacity specification of the external power source.
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