Abstract: A printing apparatus for effecting printing on a printing medium, comprising a rotatably supported platen roller, a printing head which faces the platen roller and which is designed to allow a printing medium to pass between it and the platen roller, rotary support members arranged on either side in the axial direction of the platen roller and the printing head, a mechanism for rotating the rotary support members, and printing medium retaining devices for continuously retaining the printing medium on the respective outer peripheries of the rotary support members in such a manner that it is movable with respect to the peripheries.

Abstract: A thermal printer wherein a sheet of recording paper is interposed between two drums provided on axially opposite sides of a shaft of a platen roll facing a line-type thermal head and an endless belt mounted on outer peripheries of the drum. One way clutches provided on a shaft of the drum will cause the paper to rotate together with the drums during recording and the recording paper is driven by the endless belt during paper feed and delivery operations to slide relative to the drums. The sheet of paper is fed to a lower portion of an open portion of the drums and is removed from an upper portion of the open portion of the drums so that the feed and delivery of the sheet of paper can be effected upon rotation of the drums in one direction, and the printing operation is started after a detection of a trailing end of the sheet of paper so that the printing operation can be reformed regardless of the length of the sheet of paper immediately after the feed of the sheet of paper.