Abstract: A thermal printer comprising a platen roller, a head mounting bracket having a thermal head attached thereto, a head holder for removably containing the head mounting bracket at a predetermined stationary position relative to the platen roller, and a pivotable support assembly pivotable about a supporting shaft, the pivotal support assembly housing the thermal head, head holder, and the head mounting bracket for pivotal movement of the thermal head, head holder, and the head mounting bracket toward and away from the platen roller, the head holder being a boxlike supporting frame having an opening at its bottom for fitting the head mounting bracket therethrough, the head mounting bracket and the supporting frame having respective front portions opposite to one another and being provided with engaging means for locating the head mounting bracket in the head holder at a predetermined fixed lateral position, the head mounting bracket and the supporting frame having respective rear portions with engaging means opp

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a ribbon feeder to prevent a ribbon from slackening when a sheet is back-fed in a thermal printer. When a ribbon is fed from a ribbon feed roller, resistance is imparted to the rotation of the ribbon feed roller by a first spring. Further, resilient force is stored in a second spring by tension produced when the ribbon is fed from the ribbon feed roller. The ribbon tends to slacken when the sheet is back-fed, such slackening ribbon is rewound by reversely rotating the ribbon feed roller by the stored resilient force.

Abstract: A paper feeding device for a printer comprising a paper feed box for containing a paper roll. The device includes a bottom slanting to the front and a front wall defining the lower edge of a drawing outlet for unrolled paper portions of the roll. The paper roll freely contacts both of the bottom and the front wall. The paper feed box may be supported by a spring at the undersurface of the feed box capable of rising and falling. Slip guide means may be provided at a predetermined position above the paper feed box so that when the paper roll is placed in the paper feed box, the upper end of the paper roll is pressed to the guide means and unrolled paper is drawn from the roll around the guide means.

Abstract: A method of measuring and expressing the unwound amount or residual amount of a web roll, such as carbon film roll or printing paper roll in terms of a unit length of the web roll includes the steps of: starting a count of pulses to be produced by a rotation displacement detecting sensor for each predetermined angle of rotational displacement when the residual amount of the web roll is considered to have been reduced to a predetermined value; and emitting a warning signal when the count reaches a predetermined count number (initially set on the basis of the average value of the amounts of unwinding rotation of the web roll per unit length) during the time when the web roll is unwound and fed by a unit length from the count start time.

Abstract: A transfer ribbon cassette including a cassette case rotatably supporting first and second reels of the same shape disposed in the same plane, wherein ribbon exposing openings are formed, in the opposite sides of the cassette, parallel with the common side tangents to the cylindrical surfaces of the two reels, the cassette case and cassette interior being of symmetrical construction with respect to an axis parallel with and intermediate between the reel axes; and wherein a thermal transfer ribbon is wound on one of the first and second reels using as the delivery side at first, the delivery end of the ribbon being secured to the other reel in an S-shaped pattern so that the ribbon can be taken up.

Abstract: A thermal printer of the present invention includes a platen for pressing a thermal head onto a print sheet through a print ribbon at the time of printing, the head is fixed, and a device for resiliently pressing the platen and the head and a device for switching the operation of applying or releasing a pressure between the platen and the head are provided on the platen side.

Abstract: A thermal printer uses a thermal line head which, when paper having a width smaller than a predetermined width is supplied in error, is able to inhibit electric supply to the heat generating devices that are situated outside of the paper to thereby prevent the heat generating devices from shortening their life span due to the idle heating thereof. There is provided a device which can be moved in the width, or lateral, direction of paper to detect the side edges of the paper and, in accordance with the moving distance of the paper side edge detection units from the reference position thereof, it is possible to specify the block of the thermal line head to which electric supply is to be inhibited.

Abstract: A printer having a cutter 6 including: program storage 2 for storing printer control programs such as a data edition program, a printing control program and a cutter control program, where the program storage has a random access memory for storing the predetermined length of each of plural sheet divisions arranged on the web to be cut out, the total length of a printing zone in each of the sheet divisions and a blank distance between adjacent two printing zones of the sheet divisions; and a central processing unit 1 for operating the cutter 6 to cut the sheet division according to the data and the programs read out from the program storage, to cut out a sheet in the predetermined length with a printed zone where the central processing unit 1 precalculates the continued travel length L of the web from a travel reference position, where any predetermined point in the sheet or a subsequent sheet division is placed in a predetermined relative position to the printer after printing of the printed zone, to a travel

Abstract: An apparatus for pressing a print head against a platen roll in a printer, which comprises a rotating profiled cam supporting the print head for moving the print head toward and away from the platen roll, a shaft in the center of and integral with the cam for rotating the cam, the profile of the claim having an arcuate cam edged section points of which along the arcuate edge section are at a gradually and smoothly continuously increasing distance from the shaft, and a circular cam edge section seamlessly continuously adjoining the arcuate edge section, points of the circular cam edge section along the circular edge being equidistant from the shaft, whereby the print head supported from the edge section of the cam is pressed against the platen roll at a constant pressure when the print head is supported from the circular edge section of the cam.

Abstract: A paper feeding device for a printer comprising a paper feed box which has a bottom slanting to the front and a front wall defining the lower edge of a drawing outlet for unrolled paper portion for containing a paper roll to freely contact to both of said bottom and said front wall, and said paper feed box includes inside thereof a pair of guide plates to press substantially the front half segment portion of both sides of the paper roll, thereby unrolled paper of said paper roll can be drawn upward to said drawing outlet along said front wall of the paper feed box and then laterally drawn out.

Abstract: A thermal head in a thermal printer is biased by a plurality of springs which are provided between the thermal head and stopper of the movable shafts, respectively. The distances between the thermal head and the stoppers are commonly adjusted by a rotating shaft through gears fixed to the rotating shaft and worms formed on the movable shafts, thereby subtly adjusting the thermal head biasing force of the springs in accordance with the condition of a sheet to be used.

Abstract: A thermal printer comprising a fixed line thermal head having a heating element array arranged in the line printing direction for carrying out a printing on a sheet and a pair of a cutting blade and a receiving blade for cutting the sheet to a predetermined size after the printing is carried out, in which said receiving blade is fixed to the front end of said thermal head in the sheet feeding direction and the sheet is sandwiched between said receiving and cutting blades.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for producing a laundry-resistant recording medium comprising a receiving substrate and thermally transferred record images formed on the receiving substrate, the method comprising the steps of forming record images on a receiving substrate of thermal transfer using a thermal transfer recording medium which comprises a layer of a heat-fusible ink comprising a hydroxyl group-containing substance having a softening point of about 50.degree. to about 300.degree. C.; and treating the record images with a polyisocyanate.

Abstract: An image-receiving sheet for a heat transfer recording system. The sheet comprises a substrate coated with an image-receiving layer comprised mainly of non-plate-shaped inorganic pigment and a binder. The smoothness of the image-receiving surface as determined according to TAPPI Standard T479 om-81 is 200 to 1,000 sec/10 ml, and the air permeability of the image-receiving sheet, as determined according to ASTM D726 Method B is below 500 sec/100 ml.