PURPOSE: To perform printing at the same printing position in both of a rough paper mode and a usual paper mode, by a method wherein the home position of a printing head is altered or the supply timing of a printing signal is adjusted corresponding to a first printing mode transferring the ink pattern remaining on an ink ribbon and a second printing mode performing direct transfer from the ink ribbon.

CONSTITUTION: In printing at the time of a rough paper mode transferring the ink pattern remaining on an ink ribbon to a printing object, a printing signal is applied to a first thermal head 7A and, in printing at the time of a usual paper mode, the printing signal is applied to a thermal head 7B. Therefore, shift is generated between printing positions due to both modes in the quantity corresponding to the distance between two thermal heads. The difference between the length of a marker 11A and that of a marker 11B is made equal to the distance of the positional shift of the thermal heads 7A, 7B in two modes to eliminate 'shift'. Further, as a marker 15 and a detector 16, for example, a light reflecting plate and a reflected light measuring type detector are used to discriminate whether an ink cartridge is for the rough paper mode or for the usual paper mode and the transmitting timing of printing information to the first thermal head is adjusted.