Abstract: A thermal printing head comprises an array of heating elements divided into two blocks each having alternate pairs of two adjacent heating elements, the two blocks being further divided into eight subblocks. The pairs of two adjacent heating elements are supplied with electric power through power feed lines each shared by such a pair of two adjacent heating elements. Two adjacent heating elements belonging to the two blocks are drivable by a single driver. Therefore, the number of the power feed lines and the drivers can be reduced. The eight subblocks are driven two at a time in one cycle of operation, and hence can be energized by a limited allowable current supplied to the thermal printing head.

Abstract: An automatic sheet feeding apparatus in which a stack of sheets is separated from each other and separated sheets are fed out one by one. The stacked sheets are fed to a friction roller by means of a feeding roller and they are divided by two belts differing in stretching force which are arranged to have butting contact with the friction roller.