JPS6487282A - Thermal transfer color printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate the need for a separate color for indicating the end of one printing cycle and enable effective use of the length of an ink ribbon, by detecting and discriminating the end of one printing cycle based on a color of a color ink ribbon. CONSTITUTION:A detecting means 16 comprises a spectral filter 21 which transmits only cyan, and a light detector 22 for detecting the transmitted light. When a yellow ink-coated region 2 or a magenta ink-coated region 3 of an ink ribbon 1 is passed through the detecting means 16, light from a light source 15 is cut off by the filter 21, so that the light detector 21 does not operate. Transfer recording in yellow and in magenta is conducted on a transfer recording paper by a thermal head 14. When a cyan ink-coated region 4 is passed through the detecting means 16, the light from the light source 15 is transmitted through the filter 21, so that the light detector 22 operates to generate an output signal, which is led through an amplifying circuit 23 and a rectifying circuit 24 to be applied to a signal-forming circuit 25. The circuit 25 sends the output signal as a printing end signal to a delay circuit 26. The delay circuit 26 outputs the printing end signal to an output terminal 27, with a delay required for transfer recording in cyan on the transfer recording paper.