Seiko Epson Corporation

Masanori Zama

Yuya Iwasa

Hironobu Inada

Akihiro Ikeda

Shigeru Omi

Shunichi Shimada

A barcode printing method can easily and quickly find the location of a group of consecutive printing elements that can print a barcode correctly when the line print head has faulty printing elements. The printing device determines the shift range for the barcode printing position, aligns the center of the barcode print data with the center of the shift range, from this position alternately shifts the print data one printing element at a time left and right in the line direction, and finds a group of consecutive printing elements that can print the barcode correctly. A normal printing range can thus be found in a short time with the smallest shift compared with searching from the end of the shift range, and the overall efficiency of a barcode printing operation that executes repeatedly can be improved.

Method of printing a barcode using a line printhead, and a printing

A thermal printer and a control method for a thermal printer enable increasing throughput before a printing process starts by starting a duplex printing process without waiting to convert all print data into the front print buffer and back print buffer, enable executing a duplex printing process on a print medium without using a front print buffer and a separate back print buffer, and enable switching between simplex printing and duplex printing according to a specific command. The control method includes a step Sof receiving a printing process selection command specifying execution of a simplex printing process on a front sideof the print medium, a simplex printing process on a back sideof the print medium, a duplex printing process that prints on the front sideand the back side, and an identical front/back printing process that prints the same print data on the front sideand back side, a step Sof converting and buffering the print data, and a step Sof executing the printing process specified by the printing process selection command.

Growing community of inventors

Matsumoto, Japan

Masanori Zama