JP2005329681A - Recording apparatus and its controlling method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To properly control heat energy to apply according to a condition of thermosensitive paper to be used. <P>SOLUTION: A printer makes recording by imparting heat energy by a thermal head to thermosensitive paper 9 which is housed in a paper storage of the printer in units of rolls, stores information about the paper and information about a use history in a core of the roll, and has a recordable ID tag 11. The printer is provided with: an ID tag reader/writer 11 which writes information about a use history and reads information stored in the ID tag, through communication with the ID tag; and a sub CPU 24 which selects a control table of the thermal head according to information read from the ID tag when recording, and controls the thermal head according to the selected control table. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus and a control method of the recording apparatus, and more particularly to a printer apparatus and a control method thereof, and more particularly to a power saving method of a thermal printer apparatus.

  For example, as information output devices in word processors, personal computers, facsimiles, and the like, printers that record desired information such as characters and images on a sheet-like recording medium such as paper or film are widely used. Among such printers, thermal printers are employed in various devices, particularly portable devices, because they have a simple configuration and can be easily reduced in size and price.

  A thermal printer generates an electrical signal from recorded information and sends it to a thermal head. The thermal head converts the electrical signal into heat, and performs recording by coloring the thermal paper with thermal energy. The thermal paper used in such thermal printers is coated with a special chemical that develops heat, and the color development characteristics differ depending on the type of the special chemical, and the applied energy required for color development is determined. . The printer generates an electrical signal from the recorded information based on the applied energy required for color development for each thermal paper.

JP-A-2002-234202 discloses that an ID tag storing information such as the type of recording paper is attached to the recording paper and recording control is performed in accordance with the type of recording paper.
JP 2002-234202 A

  However, the color development characteristics of thermal paper are not always constant after production for each type, and change depending on the storage period and temperature.

  Many handy terminals used for outdoor work such as gas, water, and electricity meter reading work are equipped with thermal printers, but such handy terminals are left in cars in midsummer in particular. The heat-sensitive paper may be exposed to high temperatures and the color development characteristics may be significantly reduced.

  For this reason, in the handy terminal, it is necessary to apply sufficient energy to the thermal paper even when the color development characteristics of the thermal paper are the lowest (the most difficult color development state), which is a detrimental effect on the power consumption of the equipment. It was.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and an object of the present invention is to appropriately control the thermal energy applied according to the state of the thermal paper used when performing thermal recording. .

A recording apparatus as one aspect of the present invention that achieves the above object is a recording apparatus that performs recording by applying thermal energy to thermal paper using a thermal head,
The thermal paper is stored in a paper storage unit of the recording apparatus in units of a predetermined amount, and has storage means that stores information about the paper and usage history information for each predetermined amount and can be additionally written.
A communication unit that communicates with the storage unit to write the information of the usage history and to read out the information stored in the storage unit;
Applied energy deriving means for obtaining information on thermal energy to be applied to the thermal head during recording, based on information read from the storage means by the communication means;
Recording control means for controlling the thermal head and executing recording on the basis of information on the thermal energy obtained by the applied energy deriving means.

According to another aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object, there is provided a control method for a recording apparatus which is stored in a sheet storage unit of the recording apparatus in units of a predetermined amount, and stores information on paper and usage history information for each predetermined amount In addition, a method for controlling a recording apparatus that performs recording by applying thermal energy to a thermal paper having a storage means that can be additionally written by a thermal head,
A communication step of communicating with the storage means to write information of the usage history and read information stored in the storage means;
An applied energy derivation step for obtaining information on thermal energy to be applied to the thermal head during recording based on information read from the storage means in the communication step;
A recording control step of controlling the thermal head based on the information on the thermal energy obtained in the applied energy deriving step to execute recording.

  That is, according to the present invention, thermal paper is stored in a paper storage unit of a recording device in units of a predetermined amount, and thermal information is stored on the thermal paper having storage means that stores information on the paper and usage history for each predetermined amount. In a recording apparatus that performs recording by applying thermal energy by a head, communication with the storage means is performed to write information on the use history and to read information stored in the storage means, and to read from the storage means by communication Based on the obtained information, information on thermal energy to be applied to the thermal head at the time of recording is obtained, and recording is executed by controlling the thermal head based on the obtained information on thermal energy.

  In this way, when recording using thermal paper, the recording characteristics such as the color sensitivity of the thermal paper used are determined based on the thermal paper information and usage history information, and thermal recording is performed. Information on the thermal energy to be applied to the head is obtained, and based on the obtained information on the thermal energy, the thermal energy applied to the thermal paper by the thermal head can be appropriately controlled.

  Therefore, it is possible to record on the thermal paper with the minimum energy that can obtain the required density, and the energy required for the recording operation can be reduced.

  The information about the paper includes information on the type of thermal paper and information on the date and time when the thermal paper was manufactured, and the applied energy deriving means performs heat according to the elapsed time from the date and time when the thermal paper was manufactured. Information about energy may be obtained.

  The apparatus further comprises temperature measuring means for measuring the ambient temperature, and includes, as usage history information, information on the date and time when the communication means communicated and information on the ambient temperature measured by the temperature measuring means at the date and time of communication. You may go out.

  In this case, when the thermal paper is stored in the paper storage unit, the communication unit performs communication and writes usage history information, and the applied energy deriving unit has elapsed since the thermal paper was stored in the paper storage unit. Information regarding thermal energy may be obtained in consideration of the time taken.

  As information on thermal energy, a plurality of control tables indicating correspondence between the thermal energy to be applied, the temperature of the recording head, the applied voltage, and the energy application time are provided, and the applied energy deriving means includes information read from the storage means. Based on this, one control table may be selected.

  An ID tag may be attached to the thermal paper, the storage means may be a semiconductor storage medium provided in the ID tag, and the communication means may be configured to perform wireless communication with the ID tag.

  The thermal paper may be roll paper stored in the paper storage unit of the recording apparatus in units of rolls, and the storage unit may be attached to the core of the roll.

  As another aspect of the present invention that achieves the above object, the above recording apparatus, input means for a user to input instructions and data, and information in accordance with a user instruction input by the input means And a handy terminal that operates on batteries.

  The above object can also be achieved by a computer program that causes a computer device to execute the control method of the recording apparatus, and a storage medium that stores the computer program.

  According to the present invention, when recording is performed using thermal paper, recording characteristics such as coloring sensitivity of the thermal paper to be used are determined based on the thermal paper information and the usage history information. Information on the thermal energy to be applied to the thermal head is obtained, and based on the obtained thermal energy information, the thermal energy applied to the thermal paper with the thermal head can be appropriately controlled.

  Therefore, it is possible to record on the thermal paper with the minimum energy that can obtain the required density, and the energy required for the recording operation can be reduced.

  Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the components described in the following embodiments are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to them.

<Appearance of handy terminal>
With reference to FIG. 1, FIG. 2, the structure of the handy terminal as embodiment of this invention is demonstrated.

  FIG. 1 is an external view of the handy terminal of this embodiment as viewed from above. The handy terminal body 1 includes an ON / OFF switch 3 for turning on / off the main power supply, a keyboard 4 for inputting a numerical value of a meter indicating the usage amount of electricity, gas, water, etc., customer information, a meter reading route, and the like. Liquid crystal display 5 for displaying, battery housing 6 for inserting a battery, CF card housing 7 for inserting a CF (Compact Flash (registered trademark)) card used for backup of meter reading results (recording information), and meter reading results are recorded. A thermal printer 2 and a roll paper holder 8 for storing thermal roll paper 9 as recording paper are provided. Also, it is composed of a thermistor whose resistance value changes with temperature and its peripheral circuit, and is composed of a temperature measurement circuit 12 for measuring the temperature around the handy terminal, a printed circuit board (not shown) mounted with a control circuit, etc. Has been.

  FIG. 2 is a partial side view centering around the vicinity of the thermal printer of the handy terminal of FIG. An ID tag (referred to as an IC tag or RF (Radio Frequency) tag) 11 is attached to the core of the heat-sensitive roll paper 9, and is handy through an ID tag reader / writer 10 provided inside the main body 1. It has a structure in which information in the ID tag can be rewritten by communicating with the terminal body.

<Control configuration>
Next, a schematic control configuration of the handy terminal body 1 will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG.

  In the figure, reference numeral 21 denotes a main CPU which controls the entire handy terminal body 1. The main CPU 21 includes a main ROM 23 for storing a control program for the main CPU 21, a main RAM 22 for storing customer data, meter reading results and the like in a rewritable manner, a sub CPU 24 for controlling the thermal printer 2 and controlling the ID tag reader / writer 10. Is connected.

  The sub CPU 24 includes a sub ROM 25 for storing a control program for the sub CPU 24 and a printer control table (to be described later), a sub RAM 25 for storing rewritable recording data sent from the main CPU 21, data transmitted to and received from the ID tag, and the like. A timer 27 for measuring the timing of printer control and an interval for measuring the ambient temperature, and an RTC 29 (real time clock) for measuring and outputting information on the current date and time are connected.

  Further, the sub CPU 24 is connected to a temperature measurement circuit 12 that measures the temperature around the handy terminal, which is composed of a thermistor whose resistance value varies with temperature and its peripheral circuits.

  Further, the sub CPU 24 performs wireless communication with the ID tag 11 mounted on the core of the thermal roll paper 9 (for example, a member (holding member) such as a toilet paper core) may be used to perform wireless communication. 11 is connected to an ID tag reader / writer 10 for writing and reading information stored in the information storage 11. The sub CPU 24 controls the ID tag reader / writer 10 to communicate with the ID tag 11 mounted on the thermal roll paper at intervals set in advance in the sub RAM 25. When the communication is successful, the temperature detection circuit 12 The ambient temperature of the handy terminal main body 1 is measured and the measured ambient temperature and the current date and time information measured by the RTC 29 are written in the ID tag 11 as paper usage history information.

  The sub CPU 24, sub RAM 25, sub ROM 26, timer 27, RTC 29, temperature detection circuit 12, and ID tag reader / writer 10 are connected to a backup power source so that power is supplied even when the main power source is turned off. Even when the power is turned off, communication with the ID tag 11 of the thermal roll paper 9 is performed at regular intervals.

  In addition, a printer control circuit 28 for controlling each operation of the thermal printer 2 is connected to the sub CPU 24, and the thermal printer 2 is connected to the printer control circuit 28. When the sub CPU 24 receives the recording command from the main CPU 21, the sub CPU 24 temporarily stores the recording data transmitted from the main CPU 21 in the sub RAM 25, and sends it to the printer control circuit 28 according to a printer control table (described later) stored in the sub ROM 26. A signal is transmitted, and the thermal printer 2 is driven to record on the thermal roll paper 9.

<ID tag format>
Next, an example of the format of data stored in the ID tag attached to the thermal roll paper will be described with reference to FIG.

  The ID tag includes a wireless communication circuit including an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) and an antenna, and the EEPROM can rewrite paper information 401, manufacturing information 402, and paper usage history information 403. Stored. The paper information is information indicating the type of thermal roll paper, and the manufacturing information is information on the date and time when the thermal roll paper was manufactured. The paper information and the manufacturing information are data written in advance in the manufacturing process (manufacturer) of the thermal roll paper.

  The paper use history information is information written by the handy terminal, and includes communication date information and ambient temperature information. The communication date and time is information on the current date and time when the handy terminal and the ID tag communicate and write to the ID tag. The ambient temperature is the ambient temperature measured when the handy terminal and the ID tag communicate with each other, and these two pieces of information are written in the ID tag as a pair.

  As described above, the handy terminal according to the present embodiment attempts wireless communication with the ID tag 11 at regular time intervals, and writes communication date and time information in the ID tag when the communication is successful. In this embodiment, with the thermal roll paper 9 set in the roll paper holder 8 above the thermal printer, the ID tag 11 attached to the core of the thermal roll paper and the ID tag reader / writer 10 in the handy terminal main body Becomes the communicable distance, the ID tag reader / writer 10 is activated, the first communication is performed, and the first sheet usage history information is written to the ID tag 11. The communication date and time written in the first use history information of the paper is recognized as the use start date and time of the thermal roll paper 9.

  The paper storage period is recognized from the paper manufacturing date to the paper use start date and time, and the paper use period is recognized from the paper use start date to the last recording date. During the usage period, the ambient temperature is measured every time communication with the ID tag is performed, and the communication date and time and the ambient temperature are written in the ID tag as usage history information. It can be obtained from the history.

<Characteristics of roll paper>
FIG. 5 is a graph showing an example of sensitivity characteristics of the thermal roll paper. The heat sensitive paper is a paper having a characteristic that color is developed by applying heat energy, and when a certain amount of heat energy is applied, the color development hardly changes even if the applied energy is further increased.

  A characteristic indicated by a solid line 501 in FIG. 5 is a sensitivity characteristic immediately after the thermal roll paper is manufactured. In order to sufficiently develop the color of the thermal roll paper, an applied energy higher than the value indicated by A is required. Further, the characteristic indicated by the dotted line 502 in FIG. 5 is the sensitivity characteristic after 6 months of production of the thermal roll paper. In order to sufficiently develop the color of the thermal roll paper, an applied energy higher than the value indicated by B is required. .

  As described above, the heat-sensitive roll paper requires more applied energy than that immediately after manufacture in order to degenerate and sufficiently develop color as time passes after manufacture. However, with conventional printers, it is difficult to specify the manufacturing date, or even if the manufacturing date is known, the operation of inputting manufacturing date information occurs every time the thermal roll paper is replaced. In this state, the printer is controlled based on the applied energy with which sufficient color can be obtained.

<Printer control table>
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a printer control table for thermal roll paper. The printer control table of this embodiment will be described with reference to this figure.

The applied energy E for coloring the heat-sensitive roll paper is expressed by the following equation:
E = P × T P: Applied power, T: Calculated from application time.

  Thus, the applied energy E is obtained by multiplying the applied power P and the applied time T. If the applied power is constant, the required applied energy can be adjusted by changing the applied time. However, in actuality, in a handy terminal that supplies applied power from the battery, the application time may be reduced due to changes in applied power due to a decrease in voltage caused by battery consumption, temperature of the thermal head that heats the thermal paper, and changes in ambient temperature. It needs to be adjusted.

  A printer control table is obtained by calculating the application time for each combination of the applied voltage and the thermal head temperature. The example shown in FIG. 6 is a printer control table created based on a certain applied energy. In the present embodiment, a printer control table is prepared for each of a plurality of applied energies in view of the change in applied energies necessary to obtain a sufficient color with the desensitization of the thermal roll paper. At the time of recording, the state of desensitization of the thermal roll paper is determined from the manufacturing information and usage history information of the paper read from the ID tag 11 of the thermal roll paper 9, the corresponding printer control table is selected, and the selected printer is selected. The thermal printer is controlled according to the value in the control table.

<Write operation to ID tag>
Next, the writing process to the ID tag of the handy terminal in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, when the sub CPU 24 that controls the entire printer is reset, the process proceeds to step S101, and a communication interval for communicating with the ID tag is set in the sub RAM 25. The communication interval is set by writing the communication interval value set by the user of the handy terminal in accordance with the user interface in the sub RAM 25 and setting the timer 27 by the sub CPU 24 in accordance with the communication interval value.

  When the communication interval is set in step S101, the process proceeds to step S102, and communication with the ID tag 11 attached to the core of the thermal roll paper is attempted. If the thermal roll paper 9 is not yet set in the roll paper holder 8, the communication with the ID tag 11 fails and the process proceeds to step S106 without writing to the ID tag 11. In the state where the thermal roll paper 9 is already set in the roll paper holder 8, the communication with the ID tag 11 is successful, and the process proceeds to step S103.

  In step S103, the temperature detection circuit 12 measures the temperature around the handy terminal, writes the measurement data in the sub RAM 25, and then proceeds to step S104. In step S104, the current time data is read from the RTC 29, the time data is written in the sub RAM 25, and the process proceeds to step S105. In step S105, the current date and time and the handy terminal ambient temperature written in the sub-RAM 25 in steps S103 and S104 are written in the ID tag 11 as paper usage history information, and the process proceeds to step S106.

  In step S106, it is determined whether a recording command has been received from the main CPU 21 or not. If a recording command is received, the process proceeds to a recording control process shown in FIG. If a recording command has not been received, the process proceeds to step S107. In step S107, it is determined whether or not the elapsed time of the timer 27 has passed the communication interval set in step S101. If the elapsed time has not passed the set communication interval, the process returns to step S106. Steps S106 and S107 are repeated until it is determined as YES in either S106 or S107. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S107 that the elapsed time of the timer 27 has passed the communication interval set in step S101, the process returns to step S102 and the subsequent processing is repeated.

<Recording control>
Next, the recording control process of the handy terminal in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  If it is determined in step S106 in FIG. 7 that a recording command has been received from the main CPU 21, the process proceeds to step S201 to attempt communication with the ID tag. Here, when communication with the ID tag is not possible, such as when a thermal roll paper without an ID tag is attached, the process proceeds to step S206. On the other hand, when the thermal roll paper 9 with the ID tag attached is set and the communication with the ID tag 11 is successful, the process proceeds to step S202.

  In step S206, since information on the mounted thermal roll paper cannot be obtained, the printer control table corresponding to the state where the sensitivity of the thermal roll paper is the lowest is selected, and the process proceeds to step S205.

  In step S202, the paper manufacturing information and usage history information are read from the ID tag 11 mounted on the core of the thermal roll paper, and the process proceeds to step S203. In step S203, the degree of deterioration related to the color development sensitivity of the thermal roll paper is calculated from the read information, and the process proceeds to step S204. In step S204, a printer control table is selected according to the degree of deterioration of the thermal roll paper 9 calculated in step S203, and the process proceeds to step S205.

  In step S205, recording is performed based on the printer control table selected in step S204 or step S206. After the recording is completed, the process returns to step S106 in FIG.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when recording is performed using the thermal roll paper attached with the ID tag, based on the information on the period, the usage period and the usage history after the paper is manufactured, The color development sensitivity is determined, and recording control is performed according to the state of the paper.

  For this reason, it is possible to record on the thermal paper with the minimum energy that can obtain the necessary density, and the energy required for the recording operation can be reduced.

<Other embodiments>
In the above description, the example in which the present invention is applied to a handy terminal equipped with a thermal printer has been described. For example, the present invention can be applied to apparatuses having other configurations.

  In the above embodiment, the ID tag is attached to the core of the roll paper, and the paper information and the use history information stored in the EEPROM in the ID tag are read and the recording control is performed. Need not be mounted on the printer in the form of a roll, but may be in the form of a cassette that accommodates a plurality of sheet-like recording sheets. In that case, the ID tag may be mounted on the tray of the cassette, for example. In the above embodiment, control is performed by the main CPU and the sub CPU, but one CPU may be used as long as control is possible. The ID tag memory is not limited to an EEPROM, and may be a so-called IC memory.

  Furthermore, the means for storing the paper information and the usage history information is not limited to the ID tag, and may be any storage medium that can add and read information from the printer main body by either contact or non-contact. Media can also be used.

  Note that the present invention can be applied to a system (for example, a copier, a facsimile machine, etc.) consisting of a single device even when applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, interface device, reader, printer, etc.). You may apply.

  Another object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium recording a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus, and the computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus stores the storage medium. Needless to say, this can also be achieved by reading and executing the program code stored in.

  In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

  As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used.

  Further, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also an OS (operating system) operating on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that a case where the function of the above-described embodiment is realized by performing part or all of the actual processing and the processing is included.

  Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function expansion is performed based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that the CPU or the like provided in the board or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

  When the present invention is applied to the above storage medium, the storage medium stores program codes corresponding to the flowcharts described above (shown in FIGS. 7 and 8).

It is the external view which looked at the handy terminal of the embodiment of the present invention from the upper surface. FIG. 2 is a partial side view of a printer peripheral portion of the handy terminal of FIG. 1. It is a block diagram which shows the control structure of the handy terminal of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the data format of the ID tag of this embodiment. It is a graph which shows the example of the sensitivity characteristic of a heat-sensitive roll paper. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a printer control table. FIG. It is a flowchart of a paper use history information writing process of the present embodiment. It is a flowchart of the recording control process of this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 Handy terminal body 2 Thermal printer 3 ON / OFF switch
4 Keyboard 5 Liquid crystal display
6 Battery compartment 7 CF card compartment 8 Roll paper holder
9 Thermal roll paper 10 ID tag reader / writer 11 ID tag
12 Temperature measurement circuit 21 Main CPU
22 Main RAM
23 Main ROM
24 Sub CPU
25 Sub RAM
26 Sub ROM
27 Timer 28 Printer Control Circuit 29 RTC (Real Time Clock)

Claims (10)

A recording apparatus that performs recording by applying thermal energy to thermal paper using a thermal head,
The thermal paper is stored in a paper storage unit of the recording device in units of a predetermined amount, and has storage means that stores information about the paper and usage history information for each predetermined amount and can be additionally written.
A communication unit that communicates with the storage unit to write the information of the usage history and read the information stored in the storage unit;
Applied energy deriving means for obtaining information on thermal energy to be applied to the thermal head during recording based on information read from the storage means by the communication means;
A recording apparatus comprising: a recording control unit that controls the thermal head to execute recording based on information on thermal energy obtained by the applied energy deriving unit. The information on the paper includes information on the type of the thermal paper and information on the date and time when the thermal paper was manufactured,
The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the applied energy deriving unit obtains information about the thermal energy according to an elapsed time from a date and time when the thermal paper is manufactured. It further includes a temperature measuring means for measuring the ambient temperature,
The information on the use history includes information on a date and time when the communication unit performs communication and information on an ambient temperature measured by a temperature measuring unit on the date and time when the communication is performed. 2. The recording apparatus according to 2. The communication means performs communication when the thermal paper is stored in the paper storage unit, and writes information on the usage history.
The recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the applied energy deriving unit obtains information on the thermal energy in consideration of a time elapsed since the thermal paper was received in the paper storage unit.   As the information on the thermal energy, there are provided a plurality of control tables indicating correspondence between the thermal energy to be applied, the temperature of the recording head, the applied voltage, and the energy application time, and the applied energy deriving means is the storage means. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one control table is selected on the basis of information read from the recording apparatus.   An ID tag is attached to the thermal paper, the storage means is a semiconductor storage medium provided in the ID tag, and the communication means performs wireless communication with the ID tag. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.   7. The thermal paper according to claim 1, wherein the thermal paper is stored in a paper storage unit of the recording apparatus in units of rolls, and the storage unit is attached to a core of the roll. The recording apparatus according to claim 1.   8. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, an input unit for a user to input an instruction or data, and a display screen for displaying information in accordance with the user instruction input by the input unit A handy terminal characterized by being operated by a battery. Thermal energy is applied by thermal heads to thermal paper that is stored in the paper storage unit of the recording device in units of a predetermined amount, stores information about the paper and usage history information for each predetermined amount, and has additional storage means. And a recording apparatus control method for recording,
A communication step of communicating with the storage means to perform writing of information of the use history and reading of information stored in the storage means;
An applied energy derivation step for obtaining information on thermal energy to be applied to the thermal head during recording based on information read from the storage means in the communication step;
And a recording control step of performing recording by controlling the thermal head based on information on thermal energy obtained in the applied energy deriving step. A recording apparatus that performs recording by applying thermal energy to thermal paper using a thermal head,
A holding member for holding the thermal paper;
An ID tag provided for mounting on the holding member;
Communication means for communicating with the ID tag and writing and reading information stored in the ID tag;
Calculation means for calculating information on thermal energy to be applied to the thermal head based on information read by the communication means;
And a control unit configured to control recording by the thermal head based on the information on the thermal energy calculated by the calculation unit.

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