Abstract: A printer for printing indicia upon media having a frame defining a media cavity, the media cavity accessible for front loading of the media via a pivotable top cover carrying the print head. During media loading, a spindle supporting the media engages a pair of media guide rails located on opposing sides of the media cavity whereby the media is supported pushable to the rear of the media cavity into an operating position. A pair of movable centering guides are operable to center the media between them and with respect to the print head. An encoder may be coupled to the movable centering guides, to identify the media width to the printer, enabling the printer to adapt to the loading of a range of different media widths automatically. A front door carrying a take-up reel for media liner may be further incorporated into the printer.