Abstract: In a high speed contact printing system in which a measurement roller is installed to measure the running speed of either a master or slave magnetic tape, the remaining amount or length of the slave magnetic tape wound on a supply reel is automatically and accurately determined on the basis of information as to the thickness of the slave magnetic tape in addition to the rotational speeds of the measurement roller and of the supply reel for the slave magnetic tape. Consequently, the printing system always determines whether one of the programs recorded on the master magnetic tape can be printed on the remaining portion of the slave magnetic tape.

Abstract: A master tape and a slave tape are driven so that successive portions of each are brought into substantial contact with successive portions of the other at a printing station. A printing magnetic field is applied to such successive portions while they are in substantial contact with each other at the printing station, so that data on the master tape is copied onto the slave tape and the slave tape becomes a copy of the master tape. A single master tape can thus be employed to produce a plurality of copies. A counter counts the number of copies thus produced, and an indicator provides an indication corresponding to the remaining life expectancy of the master tape.