PURPOSE: To provide a printing apparatus enabled to perform printing always at constant density by providing a control means for increasing printing drive energy when printing power is insufficient at the time of initial operation, at the time of low temp. or during long-term use.

CONSTITUTION: When a printing control circuit 4 decides initial operation and a control signal 13 at the time of initial operation is sent to a delay circuit 6, the delay circuit 6 sends a delay signal 12 to a drive time control circuit 5. By this mechanism, a drive pulse (a) having a width wider than that of the drive pulse (b) at the time of usual operation is applied to a driver 2 which in turn supplies a current larger than the current at a usual time to a printing head 1A. By this method, strong impact force required in the initial operation is applied to a printing element 14A to make printing density almost equal to the density during usual printing.