Abstract: Provided is an image reader including a transparent plate that supports an original document on which an image is recorded, a reading member that is disposed inside a housing and reads an image of the original document supported by the transparent plate while moving, a guide member that extends in a movement direction of the reading member and guides the moving reading member, and an endless belt that is wound around a driving pulley that performs rotational driving and a driven pulley that is driven to rotate, the endless belt being rotated around the driving pulley and the driven pulley to move the reading member guided by the guide member, wherein at least one of the driving pulley and the driven pulley is attached to the guide member.

Abstract: In a printer assembly for image-wise providing a recording substance on a recording medium, the printer assembly comprises a print surface for supporting the recording medium; a gantry supporting a print head; and a medium supply assembly for step-wise supplying the recording medium over the print surface in a medium transport direction. The print head is configured to provide a swath of the recording substance on the recording medium arranged on the print surface in a scanning direction. The gantry is rotatable in a plane substantially parallel to the print surface such that the scanning direction is rotatable relative to the medium transport direction. Thus, skewing of the recording medium may be compensated such to prevent visibility of banding due to misalignment of subsequently printed swaths.

Abstract: A printing device for printing text, indicia, and images on a medium includes a housing that abuts a surface of the medium during a printing sequence and includes a print head which is moved from a starting position to an ending position during a printing sequence by a bidirectional first movement drive in cooperation with a second bidirectional movement drive. Control means disposed in the housing include motion control means for controlling said movement drives and reset means to prepare the printer for a subsequent print sequence.

Abstract: A dual-mode printer for printing on both flexible and rigid substrates includes a table providing a substantially planar support surface for supporting a substrate. A flexible-substrate feed system is configured to feed a flexible substrate in a given feed direction across the support surface. The printer has a print head configured for depositing a printing medium on a substrate as part of a printing process. A motion system is configured to generate relative displacement between the print head and the support surface in at least a first direction parallel to the feed direction. This combination of components allows the printer to be used in a flexible-substrate mode in which relative displacement between the substrate and the print head is generated at least in part by the flexible-substrate feed system and in a rigid-substrate mode in which relative displacement between the substrate and the print head is generated exclusively by the motion system.

Abstract: Disclosed are the following: a wide format thermal printer for printing a multicolor graphic product on a printing sheet; a vacuum workbed for supporting a sheet material for performing work operations, such as cutting, printing or plotting, thereon; a replaceable donor sheet assembly, which includes a memory, for use with a thermal printer; methods and apparatus for improved thermal printing, including methods and apparatus for conserving donor sheet and reducing the amount of time required to print a multicolor graphic product; a thermal printhead including a memory; and methods and apparatus for the alignment of a sheet material for printing or performing other work operations on the sheet material. The wide format thermal printer can include provision for the automatic loading of cassettes of donor sheet from a cassette storage rack.

Abstract: A dual station hot debossing stamper for a report or book cover includes a print engine having a character finger daisy wheel forcer and a logo die forcer which are actuatable independently by a common servo motor through respective gear trains. The print engine moves line-by-line and a platen moves character-by-character. A print wheel is inserted and locked into the engine in a character debossment operation with a motor driving the print wheel. When using a logo die, the print wheel and casing is removed and using a loader-unloader tool the die is articulated under the logo die forcer. Insertion of a logo transfer tape cartridge shifts the gears in the print engine. A second character tape cartridge is used with the print wheel. A dedicated personal computer and associated software and firmware programs control the stamping apparatus.

Abstract: A peripheral or stand-alone computerized stamp printer is provided particularly for office use in which a print assembly including a pressure cam and leaf spring arrangement is associated with a heated print head which contacts and impresses a daisy wheel character against an imprinting tape in a confined cartridge to serially print computer-selected letters or characters on a binder, binder spine, or other workpiece. The printer assembly may move on an X or Y axis along a fixed or movable gantry upper arm. If the gantry is fixed, means are provided for moving paper stock, binders or other workpieces into proper position for clamping on a work surface on the top surfaces of the printer chassis. A spine-holding drawer may be provided in the chassis for supporting the spine of a binder for printing letters, logos, or the like, on the binder spine. The print assembly is a discrete unit and includes a replaceable tape cartridge fitted into drive mechanisms within the printer assembly.

Abstract: By operating a Z direction position adjustment mechanism by a driving motor, a Z table movable in the X and Y directions can be moved in a Z direction while maintaining its horizontal condition. Vibrations caused in the Z table when the Z table is moved at a high speed in the X and Y directions are damped by vibration damping means provided between the Z table and a base bed fixed to a coarse adjustment table which is mounted on a base and driven in the X and Y directions. Improvement in the accuracy of positioning in the X and Y directions is achieved, as well as a vibration damping effect. A chuck holding member is formed on the table to hold a chuck by suction which in turn holds a mounted member by suction, thereby making the exchange of the chuck easy and preserving the parallelism of the upper surface of the chuck.

Abstract: A horizontal printing type printer including a head feeding motor serving as a shaft feeding motor; a feeding shaft coupled to the motor so that it is rotatable in both directions, the shaft being arranged in a vertical direction perpendicular to the printing line direction; two sheet feeding tractors mounted on the shaft, two one-way clutches provided on the tractors, respectively, the one-way clutches being engaged with the shaft to rotate together with the latter in the sheet feeding direction to feed the printing sheet; and a printing head movably supported on the shaft and a guide rod parallel with the latter, the printing head being moved backwards and forwards in the vertical direction of rotation of the shaft.

Abstract: A marking machine for marking and engraving upon a work surface. The machine comprises a rotary marking wheel having marking characters upon the periphery of the wheel and an engraving tool or stylus. The engraving tool may be employed as part of the printing wheel or as a separate attachment providing one or more different types of engraving tool. The engraving tool may be employed for scratch engraving or rotary power may be used for a printed sharp edge cutting and engraving. A work surface such as a tag or the like is supported upon a worktable formed of an upper table member carried upon a lower table member. Separate motor means are provided for each of the table members for moving the upper table toward both the front and rear of the lower table laterally to provide a simultaneous X-Y movement.

Abstract: A printing and displaying apparatus for printing characters on a heat-sensitive recording medium and, at the same time, providing a visual display of printed characters to permit visual observation of the state of printing. The apparatus comprises a transparent platen having a surface area larger than the area of one frame of the recording medium which is brought into engagement at its heat-sensitive surface with the associated surface of the platen, and a thermal printing head making printing engagement with the non-heat-sensitive surface of the recording medium. The thermal printing head is carried by a carriage which is mounted on supporting means supporting the carriage so as to be movable in both the row direction and the column direction. This supporting means is controlled by drive means and drive control means so that the printing head can be moved to any desired position within the extent of one frame of the recording medium.

Abstract: Method and machine for transferring specific ink designs, symbols, patterns, and characters in the form of the alphabet quickly and precisely from a tape onto the surface of an object. This is accomplished by moving said tape, back and forth to a desired character or symbol. Then, by applying a light rubbing pressure, the character or symbol is transferred from the tape and printed onto the paper beneath it. Each time the transfer occurs, the plate and paper are moved relative to each other automatically, a set amount of space from right to left. Thus, one can print a whole line of words formed by the characters. By moving the plate and tape relative to each other, other lines of words can be printed.