PURPOSE: To secure the accurate information of the use of the outer character information for the user in the control unit of the print or display unit, by storing the characters processed as the outer characters in the memory and making possible the rewriting of the character pattern within the memory.

CONSTITUTION: Chinese character printer 3 plus control unit 2 which controls external memory medium 4 and fixed memory 5 are provided, and control unit 2 contains character code storing buffer memory 22, character pattern storing buffer memory 28, outer character information storing buffer memory 26, printer output buffer memory 25 plus register 23 and 24 to store the type face and the character size and to control the character pattern. In case no character pattern corresponding to the character code sent to the center side is stored in memory 28, the character code corresponding to the character pattern is stored in memory 26. And the use of the outer character is informed to the center side when the conversion is through with the character pattern equivalent to one line