Abstract: A thermal head in a thermal transfer printer in which a tension is given to an ink ribbon that has warped as being heated by the thermal head to reduce friction force generated between the thermal head and the ink ribbon. A ribbon transport direction changing member 30 pushes the ink ribbon 13 away from a heat generator 21, as a transport direction of the ink ribbon 13 is slightly moved toward a platen roller 10, so a constant tension is given to a film layer 24 of the ink ribbon immediately after being heated.

Abstract: A printing device capable of detecting an error type, that is, at which step in a printing process an error has occurred and capable of performing a simplified procedure for identifying the cause of the error. The printing device includes a reader/writer for writing information into an RFID tag and for detecting errors at a plurality of steps in a procedure for writing the information into the RFID tag and a ROM for storing each of the error patterns at respective steps at which errors have been detected by the reader/writer. When an error is detected by the reader/writer, a control unit reads, from the ROM, one of the error patterns corresponding to a step at which the error has been detected and prints the detected error on an RFID label.

Abstract: A linerless label roll-up preventing device for a thermal printer that prevents roll-up of the linerless label 3 on the platen roller 13. A roll-up preventing plate 23 is applied to a slit (22) formed in the outer surface of the platen roller (13), and protrudes to form a roll-up preventing edge (29) at a portion of the roll-up prevention plate (23). A roll-up preventing plate 23 being fixed to a slit (22), formed in the radial surface of the platen roller (13), relatively to the platen roller (13), and formed with a roll-up preventing projection edge, at a portion of the roll-up preventing plate (23), projecting out slightly from the outer circumferential surface of the platen roller (13) and capable of contacting the back surface of the linerless label (3).

Abstract: A thermal printer in which a thermal head can be attached easily to a print unit without requiring a tool such as a screw driver. The thermal printer has a printing unit (40) having a left ribbon frame (43) and a right ribbon frame (42) facing each other. A head housing (60) is attached between the frames (42, 43) while supporting a thermal head (12). A supporting-recess in the surface of the left ribbon frame (43) faces the right ribbon frame (42) and supporting the left side face (64) of the head housing (60). A frame cover (70) is fitted on and removed from a fitting portion provided on the outer surface of the right ribbon frame which is at the back side of the surface facing the left ribbon frame (43) and the cover supporting a right side face (62) of the head housing (60) through a through-hole (50a) formed on the right ribbon frame (42).

Abstract: A label affixing system with which a signal can be supplied to a label affixing machine from an image capturing unit which detects a conveyed object to be labeled. The label affixing system includes a plurality of conveyance lines, a CCD for capturing an image of the conveyed object, and a label affixing machine that includes a plurality of printing formats and affixes a printed label to the conveyed object. The system measures a distance to the conveyed object subjected to image capture by the CCD; selects one printing format from the plurality of printing formats on the basis of the measured distance to the conveyed object; prints the label on the basis of the selected printing format; and affixes the printed label to the conveyed object.

Abstract: A thermal printer allows ink ribbon replacement without interference of a hook positioned in the opened state particularly in an ink ribbon replacement operation. A thermal printer includes a head lock lever 40 which includes a hook 41 at the tip of the lever. The hook is mounted such that it can be moved in the longitudinal direction relative to a turn shaft 26 during turning of the turn shaft 26, allowing the distance between the turn shaft 26 and the hook 41 to be changed. A movement control moves the head lock lever 40 such that the distance between the turn shaft 26 and the hook 41 in the opened state in which the thermal head 12 is separated from the platen roller 11 is smaller than that in the pressed state in which the thermal head 12 is pressed into contact with the platen roller 11.

Abstract: An ink roller cover device of a portable type label printing applicator so that the ink does not dry-up easily in stored or standby state by closed storage of the ink roller. An ink roller is stored in a cover including a fixed cover part which can cover and store a part of a roller body in a standby state of the ink roller and a complementary movable cover part which covers and stores the other parts of the roller body when the cover parts are closed in a standby state of the ink roller. The movable cover part is capable of exposing the roller body towards a printing device in an operating state of the ink roller. An operating lever moves the ink roller with the movable cover part away from the fixed cover part.

Abstract: A label printer includes a cutter mechanism, a main body frame, and an upper cover. The cutter mechanism includes an upper blade which is a fixed blade and a lower blade which is a moving blade that advances and retreats relative to the upper blade, and that cuts a printing medium by causing the lower blade to advance and retreat relative to the upper blade. The lower blade is attached to the main body frame. The upper blade is attached to the upper cover, which opens and closes an upper portion of the main body frame. The upper blade is separated from the lower blade when the upper cover is opened.

Abstract: A system and method for operating a printing device is disclosed. A connection is provided between a computing device and the printing device, wherein the printing device is configured with a software application. Instructions are executed on the computing device, which provide the software application on the computing device. The computing device receives at least one input in the software application on the computing device, and transmits to the printing device at least one command associated with the at least one input. The printing device operates in response to the at least one command substantially in the same manner as it operates in response to at least one second input received in the software application provided on the printing device. The at least one first input in the software application on the computing device corresponds to the at least one second input in the software application on the printing device.

Abstract: The object of the present disclosure is to provide a label application device which can easily perform label applying operation by protruding a portion of the label towards an article in a mountain-shape and automatically applying the label.

Abstract: A printer which enables both of position adjustment and attachment/detachment of a printing head.

Abstract: A magnetic coupler arrangement that includes two quarter wave length strip patches, an input signal source, a signal splitter that splits an input signal from the input signal source into two signals and phase-shifts one of the two signals, wherein the phase-shifted signal and the non-phase-shifted signal are fed into the patches of the coupler to achieve a balanced signal configuration.

Abstract: A label affixing apparatus enables an RFID tag to be affixed to a product at a distance from the product. The apparatus comprises: a folding/affixing device which conveys a label, a label holder holds a front surface side of the label, a folding device causes a part of the label including a tag attachment site to project by folding the part from a rear surface side to the front surface side into an angular shape. Either traction is suppressed when the label is affixed to the product. A reader/writer has an antenna in a position facing the part of the label when the part of the label is folded, for reading and writing information from and to the RFID tag. A fold detector detects if the label is folded. The label holding device moves between a label suction position and a label affixing position. Folding is assisted from a rear surface side of the part of the label.

Abstract: A RFID tag is partially separable from an article to which the tag is applied such that influence on the RFID tag from the article may be reduced thereby. A label is applied to an article, wherein the label is tacked on a backing paper. The label is fixed with a tag-fixed portion fixed with a RFID tag comprising an IC chip and a communication antenna. The tag-fixed portion has a predetermined size and is partitioned from a common label portion. The common label portion is partitioned into a first label portion that is articulated with the tag-fixed portion and a second label portion, from which the tag-fixed portion is separable along a partition line extending across the common label portion from a side of the tag-fixed portion.

Abstract: To provide a gear unit apparatus for a printer in which the assembling characteristics and maintenance workability of driving sections for transferring a printing paper to be printed can be improved, and particularly assembling, replacement and maintenance work can be easily performed on a platen roller and a transfer roller. The present invention focuses on unitizing a group of belts and a group of gears independently of a printer main body, and is configured such that a unit bracket that is detachable to a printer bracket is provided independently of the printer bracket, a drive motor, the belt group and the gear group are assembled to the unit bracket, and, when the unit bracket is attached to the printer bracket, a platen roller gear of a platen roller and a transfer roller gear of a transfer roller can be engaged with each other.

Abstract: A thermal transfer printer having a configuration in which a drive power of one motor is transmitted to a platen roller and a ribbon conveying mechanism can be easily assembled. The printer has: (a) a printing medium feed reel, (b) a ribbon feed reel, (c) a platen roller, (d) a thermal head, (e) a ribbon conveying roller, (f) a ribbon take-up reel, (g) a motor that drives the platen roller, (h) a rotary drive mechanism that transmits a drive power of the motor to the ribbon conveying roller via a first belt and transmits a drive power of the motor to the ribbon take-up reel via the first belt and a second belt, and (i) a tension unit comprising a plurality of pulleys that are in contact with the first and second belts and rotate following the movement thereof, a plurality of elastic members that adjust positions of the plurality of pulleys so as to apply tension to the first and second belts, and a plurality of fixing members that fix the positions of the plurality of pulleys.

Abstract: A winding reel for a band-shaped material that makes it possible to remove the wound band-shaped material by a simple operation, without adjusting the winding speed of the band-shaped material. A winding reel for a band-shaped material is configured by attaching an outer circumferential member to a member with a reducing outer diameter of an inner circumferential member. The outer diameter of the member with a reducing outer diameter and the inner diameter of mating members that constitute the outer circumferential member decrease from the base end side toward the distal end side. In the outer circumferential member attached to the member with a reducing outer diameter, the inner surfaces of the mating members are brought into contact with the outer surface of the member with a reducing outer diameter and supported by the outer surface of the member with a reducing outer diameter.

Abstract: A thermal printer allows ink ribbon replacement without interference of a hook positioned in the opened state particularly in an ink ribbon replacement operation. A thermal printer includes a head lock lever 40 which includes a hook 41 at the tip of the lever. The hook is mounted such that it can be moved in the longitudinal direction relative to a turn shaft 26 during turning of the turn shaft 26, allowing the distance between the turn shaft 26 and the hook 41 to be changed. A movement control moves the head lock lever 40 such that the distance between the turn shaft 26 and the hook 41 in the opened state in which the thermal head 12 is separated from the platen roller 11 is smaller than that in the pressed state in which the thermal head 12 is pressed into contact with the platen roller 11.

Abstract: A label printer includes a cutter mechanism, a main body frame, and an upper cover. The cutter mechanism includes an upper blade which is a fixed blade and a lower blade which is a moving blade that advances and retreats relative to the upper blade, and that cuts a printing medium by causing the lower blade to advance and retreat relative to the upper blade. The lower blade is attached to the main body frame. The upper blade is attached to the upper cover, which opens and closes an upper portion of the main body frame. The upper blade is separated from the lower blade when the upper cover is opened.