Sony Corporation

Koichi Kokusho

Kozo Kawakita

Yasushi Hirumi

Hidehiko Funayama

Masakazu Sone

Naoki Takizawa

Koji Yoshino

A print order/delivery system and method, and a printing system, wherein a previously assigned unique identification data is stored on a user side of the system, and the user is registered such that the user is associated with the identification data. Pictorial data is transmitted to a print-order receiving side along with the identification data and order data, and then, on the print-order receiving side, a picture based on the supplied pictorial data is printed on the basis of the order data. The user is recognized from a group of registered users on the basis of the supplied identification data.

Print order/delivery system and method, digital camera, client information registration device, ordering terminal, and printing system

A video printer includes a chassis, a platen rotatably mounted on the chassis, a printing head carried by the chassis so as to be moved between a pressure-contact position in which the printing head is pressure-contacted with the platen and a standby position in which the printing head is spaced apart from the platen, a roll for pressure-contacting a transfer sheet against the platen, and a cutter provided at a position spaced apart from the printing head and proximate to the sheet exit opening. The transfer sheet is provided in a sheet guide system through a space between the platen and the printing head as far as a sheet exit opening. The printing head is moved to the pressure-contact position during printing operation to the standby position during non-printing operation. When printing an image on the transfer sheet, the transfer sheet is rewound by a distance less than a distance between the printing head and the cutter for effective utilization of the transfer sheet. A control arrangement is provided which has a printing key and a copy key, and which allows the number of copies to be set using the copy key after printing has been initiated using the printing key.

Video printer

A video printer includes a chassis, a platen rotatably mounted on the chassis, a printing head carried by the chassis so as to be moved between a pressure-contact position in which the printing head is pressure-contacted with the platen and a standby position in which the printing head is spaced apart from the platen, a roll for pressure-contacting a transfer sheet against the platen, and a cutter provided at a position spaced apart from the printing head and proximate to the sheet exit opening. The transfer sheet is provided in a sheet guide system through a space between the platen and the printing head as far as a sheet exit opening. The printing head is moved to the pressure-contact position during printing time and to the standby position during non-printing time. When printing an image on the transfer sheet, the transfer sheet is rewound by a distance less than a distance between the printing head and the cutter for effective utilization of the transfer sheet.

Video printer having rewind function to improve transfer sheet

A thermal printer comprises a thermal head having a plurality of heating elements arranged in line in the horizontal direction, a printing data processing circuit responsive to input video signal for energizing the heating elements of the thermal head in accordance with density information of each pixel, a driving device for moving a print paper relative to the thermal head continuously in the vertical direction, a pitch setting circuit for setting a vertical print pitch according to the number of effective horizontal print lines, effective width of the thermal head in the horizontal direction and aspect ratio of a printed image, and a speed control circuit coupled to the driving device for changing a moving speed of the print paper according to the vertical print pitch, wherein an energizing time to the heating elements is fixed independent of the vertical print pitch, and the moving speed of the print paper and an interval between first printing data and second printing data are controlled in order to make density of the printed image constant independent of the vertical print pitch.

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Tokyo, Japan

Koichi Kokusho