Abstract: Disclosed are a printer and a stacker and methods. The printer prints selectively on one or both sides of a printable web and sheets or labels are cut from the web and stacked in the stacker. The printer has an unwind mechanism that accepts and holds web rolls of different widths in center-justified relationship with respect to a print head. The printer has a spindle for mounting an ink ribbon core with a detent or latch for center-justifying the ink-ribbon with respect to the print head. A spindle assembly has two latches for counter-justifying a wide range of cores of different widths.

Abstract: An ink switching cam (40) is rotated interlockingly with forward/reverse rotation of a head driving motor at all times to swing a cassette support member (20). Accordingly, ink belts can be switched with a simple construction without using a solenoid or the like. By setting a movable area of the ink switching cam (40) to be within one rotation, the operations of a print head (10) and the ink switching cam (40) which are interlocked with the forward/reverse rotation of the head driving motor can be simply associated with each other.

Abstract: According to the thermal transfer printer, a plurality of cassette holder plates each for holding ribbon cassettes stacked in plural stages are arranged side by side on a holding cover on the side opposed to a carriage, a fixed holding arm for holding the ribbon cassettes and a movable holding arm for pressing the ribbon cassettes toward the fixed holding arm are disposed respectively on both sides of each cassette holder plate of the holding cover, holding guides are erected on the holding cover at positions corresponding to ribbon cores of the ribbon cassettes in such a manner as to extend through the cassette holder plate, and a holding arm for holding the peripheral edge portion of one ribbon core of each ribbon cassette is formed integrally with one holding guide, while ribs for engagement with the other ribbon core of the ribbon cassette are formed on the other holding guide.

Abstract: A cassette transfer mechanism for a thermal transfer printer with a cassette platform and a cassette holder for holding a plurality of ribbon cassettes. The cassette transfer mechanism transfers a ribbon cassette between the cassette platform and the cassette holder by driving the platform and holder to come into and out of contact with each other. The cassette holder and the cassette platform each have movable members and stationary members for engaging a ribbon cassette. A further embodiment includes elastic members on the cassette holder for abutting the reels of the ribbon cassette to elastically bias the reels in one direction.

Abstract: A printer system includes an ink ribbon end detector for detecting that the ink ribbon cassette has been used to the end; an used ink ribbon cassette holding position memory device for storing therein information indicative of holding position of a used ink ribbon cassette held on a stocker when the ink ribbon cassette end detection means detects that an ink ribbon has been used to the end, and a cassette holding determining device for determining whether or not an ink ribbon cassette whose ink ribbon has not been used is set in the stocker based on holding information. In the printer system having the described arrangement, an optimal available ink ribbon cassette is selected, and in the case of storing plural ink ribbon cassettes in the same color, a continuous printing operation of a large capacity may be performed without using user's hands.

Abstract: Provided is a thermal transfer printer which can stably perform recording using an ink ribbon formed of a base member coated with heat-fusible ink and recording using an ink ribbon formed of a base member coated with heat-sublimated ink without needing any complicated mechanism. The thermal transfer printer has cassette type detecting means for detecting the type of a ribbon cassette, and control means for controlling rotational speeds of a carriage motor and a ribbon reel-up motor in accordance with a detection result of the cassette type detecting means.

Abstract: A thermal transfer printer wherein a desired ribbon cassette is identified and selected from among plural ribbon cassettes held by a cassette holding portion and is loaded automatically onto a cassette carrier disposed on a carriage. The carriage is provided with a photosensor for detecting an identification mark provided on each ribbon cassette and a control section which judges whether there is any ribbon cassette held by the holding portion and of which type the ribbon cassette is, in accordance with a signal provided from the photosensor as the carriage moves. The carriage is further provided with a mechanism for making control so as to prevent loosening of ink ribbon at the time of ribbon cassette replacement.

Abstract: A thermal transfer printer wherein a desired ribbon cassette is identified and selected from among plural ribbon cassettes held by a cassette holding portion and is loaded automatically onto a cassette carrier disposed on a carriage. The carriage is provided with a photosensor for detecting an identification mark provided on each ribbon cassette and a control section which judges whether there is any ribbon cassette held by the holding portion and of which type the ribbon cassette is, in accordance with a signal provided from the photosensor as the carriage moves. The carriage is further provided with a mechanism for making control so as to prevent loosening of ink ribbon at the time of ribbon cassette replacement.

Abstract: A thermal transfer printing apparatus has an improved ink sheet interchanging device. A fusion type or sublimation type thermal transfer printing using a combination of many kinds of ink sheets can be carried out by a single printing apparatus. A desired ink sheet cassette is selected from a plurality of ink sheet cassettes each having an ink sheet, and moved to a printing portion. A plurality of ink sheet cassettes are stacked in a stock portion arranged in the up-stream side or the down-stream side of the cassette transferring direction. A plurality of ink sheet cassettes are mounted on a rotary plate, and a desired ink sheet cassette is transferred to the printing portion by rotating the rotary plate.

Abstract: A print unit provided with one or a multi-serial heads having a plurality of print pins widely arranged in a direction of the feeding of paper and is provided laterally movably on a guide shaft. A cassette holder having a plurality of monochromatic ribbon cassettes that are juxtaposed and received therein is arranged in parallel with and close to the moving path of the print unit. A suitable one of the monochromatic ribbon cassettes is transferred, in response to a control signal, from the cassette holder to the print unit, and from the print unit to the cassette holder.

Abstract: A thermal transfer printer capable of elongating the period in which the ink ribbon can be used so that the frequency of ribbon cassette changes is reduced, the thermal transfer printer including a control unit arranged such that, if an end of an ink ribbon in the ribbon cassette mounted on a carriage is detected in a case where ribbon cassettes accommodating the same color ink ribbons are held in a plurality of cassette holding portions, the control unit causes the consumed ribbon cassette to be sent to an empty cassette holding portion and a new ribbon cassette to be selected and mounted on the carriage.

Abstract: An ink ribbon cassette which is adapted to be demountably loaded on a recording apparatus having a recording head capable of recording information on a recording medium supported by a platen, the ink ribbon cassette has the following parts: a substantially box-shaped casing constituted by an upper case and a lower case which are connected to each other at their vertical walls, the casing having a first side wall facing the platen and a second side wall opposing the first side wall, a recessed portion formed in one end of the first side wall and capable of receiving the recording head, engaging portion provided on the second side wall and adapted for engagement with retaining member on the recording apparatus, a pair of through holes constituted by pairs of apertures formed in the portions of the upper and lower cases adjacent to the first side wall, the through holes being adapted for receiving locating members on the recording apparatus so as to locate the ink ribbon cassette, and a path of an ink ribbon ext

Abstract: A cassette holder assembly includes a first cassette holder for detachably attaching a first ink ribbon cassette at a position that the ink ribbon is supplied to a printing face of a print head, and a second cassette holder detachably mounted on the first cassette holder when the first ink ribbon cassette is detached from the first cassette holder and provided with a ribbon shifting mechanism for shifting the ink ribbon of a second ink ribbon cassette with respect to the printing face of the print head. In accordance, the cassette holders can be replaced easily by an operator, and the printer can be used effectively.

Abstract: A printing apparatus has a driving motor being rotatable in the forward and backward directions, a first gear for receiving the torque of the motor, a swaying arm secured to an end of the first gear, a printing unit including a plurality of ribbon cassettes superposed on one another, and convey mechanism for conveying document or passbook to the printing unit. The printing unit comprises a taking-up gear for independently taking-up ink ribbons contained in ribbon cassettes, a cam mechanism for selectively shifting the ink ribbons to allow one to pass a printing head, and a second gear for transmitting the torque of the motor from the first gear to the taking-up gear or to the cam mechanism in accordance with sway of the swaying arm.

Abstract: A serial type thermal printer for printing while moving a carriage. The printer includes two thermal heads mounted on the carriage and arranged axially of a platen roller. Two ink film cassettes are arranged side by side on the carriage to be associated with the two thermal heads, respectively. A two-direction printing is effected where one of the thermal heads is pressed upon the platen roller during a forward movement of the carriage and the other head is pressed upon the platen roller during a backward movement thereof. A two-color or multicolor printing is carried out without changing the ink film cassettes where the cassettes contain ink films of different colors.

Abstract: A method of printing multi-color images using a printer 12 having the capacity to print only one color at a time, a plurality of interchangeable colored ribbons 14 for use with said printer 12, a computer 10, and a computer monitor 11, having a list of steps 101 of displaying on the computer monitor all that is to be printed, and then removing from the display all that is to be printed that is not black and selectively identifying each single color from a plurality of colors displayed with the desired multi-color printed image displayed upon the screen. The operator then installs into the printer 12 a colored ribbon 14 for printing the selected color and prints the selected color. After which the paper 13 is reset and the operator repeats the procedure for each of the plurality of colors contained within the desired multi-colored printed image.

Abstract: A printer having a printing head provided with a plurality of printing elements disposed substantially along a line, a cylinder supporting a print sheet such as a sheet of paper held by an edge clamp and an ink ribbon changer. Four ink ribbons, for example, are contained each in a cartridge removably attached to a support and indexing mechanism. The support and indexing mechanism of ink ribbons and providing an accurate multi-color printing.

Abstract: The present invention relates to polychromatic thermal printer of transferring type designed to print with any color selected from monochromic colors and mixed colors on a recording medium by arranging printably on said recording medium a plurality of ink ribbons having different colors to each other and received in a plurality of different cassette ribbons and by actuating selected thermal head from a plurality of thermal heads incorporating a plurality of separated heaters capable to be actuated selectively.

Abstract: A color printer includes a print head assembly including a plurality of independently actuable print heads serially arranged along a printing direction. Each print head includes a plurality of impact pins and an associated different color printing ribbon having a portion disposed between the associated print head and a media to be printed upon. The serial alignment of the print heads enables four color images to be produced by a single pass of the print head assembly along the media in a printing direction. Control apparatus includes pulse modulation circuitry for controlling the impact force of each impact pin to cause intensity modulation of printed colored marks. In addition, a feedback system enables the control apparatus to vary the impact force of each impact pin to maintain good color fidelity.

Abstract: A color printer includes a print head assembly including a plurality of independently actuable print heads serially arranged along a printing direction. Each print head includes a plurality of impact pins and an associated different color printing ribbon having a portion disposed between the associated print head and a media to be printed upon. The serial alignment of the print heads enables four color images to be produced by a single pass of the print head assembly along the media in a printing direction. Control apparatus includes pulse modulation circuitry for controlling the impact force of each impact pin to cause intensity modulation of printed colored marks. In addition, a feedback system enables the control apparatus to vary the impact force of each impact pin to maintain good color fidelity.

Abstract: Disclosed is a cartridge and a cartridge assembly for a typewriter, the assembly comprising a pair of case members, each case member having a separate chamber and including means for releasably connecting the two case members in superimposed overlapping relation. First and second pairs of spaced apart ribbon guide means are associated with each of the case members and dimensioned to be aligned, first pair to second pair. Each of the case members includes a separate supply and take-up spool, the supply spool having a fixed axis of rotation and the take-up spool having a shiftable axis of rotation along a translatory path. An opening is provided along one edge of each of the case members, the openings being aligned in the paths while the take-up spools are biased in their respective paths towards the opening.

Abstract: A device for facilitating location of the printing point and/or the correction of characters comprises a mechanism actuated by a back space key to shift the printing point back. A second mechanism, also actuated by the back space key, moves a pointer to a set position over the printing point simultaneously with the back spacing. A restoring element controlled by a typing mechanism automatically restores the pointer to an inoperative position clear of the printing point before the typing of the selected character. A correcting key, when actuated, sets a suppressor which arrests the movement of a spring actuated actuator to lock the escapement and prearranges a lift mechanism for raising a correcting ribbon into an operative position. A positioner connected to the lift mechanism holds the suppressor in the set position in opposition to the action of a returning spring when the mechanism is prearranged for use and releases the suppressor when the correcting ribbon is raised into the operative position.