Abstract: A compact printer has a type drum having at least one row of types, the types, including at least one space, being arranged on the periphery of the drum at regular intervals. The type drum is rotated by a stepper motor and a hammer member is provided for moving a selected type towards the paper for printing. The stepper motor is turned by signals which correspond to each step necessary to move the type drum through at least one pitch distance between types. Ratchet teeth, moving with the type drum, can be engaged by a blocking lever when rotation of the type drum is reversed, so as to stop vibration of the type drum at the time of printing.

Abstract: A compact printer having a typefont belt constituting a typefont wheel maintained under tension on a support, wherein the platen is rendered displaceable in a direction away from the typefont wheel after the completion of the printing operation, and the front end of a hammer provided in the typefont wheel is inclined upwards.

Abstract: A drum type bar code line printer of the type has groups of predetermined kinds of bar code printing types which are arranged along the circumference of a printing drum in predetermined rows which are distributed along the axial direction of the drum. In each row, a non-printing (non-impact) area corresponding to the width of a bar code type is essentially formed adjacent to one end in the axial direction of the drum of each bar code type which has a black bar portion extending from said one end of the type through the predetermined modules of the type. The printer of the present invention is thereby free from the generation of so-called ghost images which are undesirably imprinted by adjacent bar code types.

Abstract: An impact printer is provided with a print member which comprises a first helical element having a first font of type characters arranged around its periphery; this first helical element is rotatably mounted so as to be linearily movable along an axis adjacent to a print medium. The print member further includes a second helical element having a second font of type characters arranged around its periphery, and this second helical element is rotatably mounted along the same axis in a position interspaced with the first helical element so as to be rotatable and linearily movable along the axis independent of the first helical element. The print member further includes means for rotating the first and second helical elements.

Abstract: The present device is a means for printing multi-lines of characters simultaneously on a continuously moving print receiving medium or form and in a manner eliminating the need for indexing the form line by line and column by column. Multiple type fonts are arranged in helical paths around a continuously rotating drum, the axis of which is positioned at an angle to the path of movement of the form whereby each font is effective to print an individual line of character on the form as it progresses along its path of movement.