Abstract: An endless ribbon follows a path around a U-shaped guide member and is driven by a drive roller which is in contact with an inking roller. The inked ribbon has a loose or slack portion in the area immediately downstream of the drive roller but the ribbon is taut or tensioned across the open end of the guide member and upstream of the drive roller. The guide member has a ribbed tracking surface with spaced flanges for maintaining the ribbon in a precise path past a printing station. The loose or slack portion of the inked ribbon enables the ribbon to adhere to or track on the ribbed surfaces and also allows the ribbon to gravitate to a flange portion of the guide member.