Abstract: A printer is provided comprising an elongate printhead for printing across the pagewidth of print media, a rotatable, elongate platen arranged to support the print media being printed on by the printhead, a sensor for sensing a thickness of the print media, and a controller arranged to rotate the platen. The platen can support the print media at a plurality of predetermined distances from the printhead with the rotation of the platen providing selection of the plurality of predetermined distances. The controller rotates the platen in response to the sensed print media thickness so as to select a predetermined distance of the plurality of predetermined distances which accommodates the print media.

Abstract: An inkjet printhead assembly includes a carrier. An ink supply assembly is mounted on the carrier and defines a plurality of printhead chip receiving formations that are each dimensioned to engage a printhead chip and a plurality of ink supply conduits that terminate at the formations to supply ink to printhead chips engaged with the formations. A plurality of inkjet printhead chips is engaged with respective said formations to receive the ink via passages defined by the printhead chips in fluid communication with respective ink supply conduits. A rotary platen assembly is mounted on the carrier. The rotary platen assembly includes a platen body that is mounted on a shaft and defines a platen surface for supporting sheets of a print medium as the printhead chips carry out a printing operation on the sheets. The shaft is rotatable to bring the platen surface into and out of alignment with the printhead chips.

Abstract: This invention relates to a hot-stamping device comprising a stamping arm with one end being a free end, a stamping section adapted to apply pressure to a hot-stamping foil positioned at the free end to a value-added medium such as ticket wherein the hot-stamping foil is transferred to the value-added medium. A first cam, in contact with said stamping arm, is used for moving a stamping section to close proximity of the value-added medium. A first drive section driving said first cam and a second cam for bringing pressure-exerting load to bear on the stamping section is used to move to close proximity a value-added medium. A second drive section is used for driving a second cam.

Abstract: A platen has an impact surface positioned to oppose a printhead so that a part of a printhead strikes paper loaded on the impact surface. The platen includes a first impact surface having a curved surface, a second impact surface having a curved surface, and an opening formed between the first and second impact surfaces. The platen is rotatable about an axis such that the first and second impact surfaces are selectively positioned to oppose the printhead. Paper advances into the platen and passes through the opening from an inside of the platen to outside of the platen so that the paper extends to cover the first impact surface, and another paper advances to the second impact surface. The impact surfaces may have different curvatures with respect to the axis. A projection may be formed on the impact surface and extends transversely of the paper advancement. The projection is substantially configured to the flection of the paper.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for printing information on a web of material utilizing a roller platen located on the opposite side of a web feed path from a printhead. The roller platen has an outer arcuate surface which presses the printing material against the head and draws the material and a printing ribbon past the printhead in a printing operation. The roller platen has flattened surfaces on its circumference that facilitate feeding of the web of material between printing operations.

Abstract: A thermal printer which includes a thermal print head (15) which is displaceable in the line direction and a print bar (6) which extends in the line direction, the print bar being located opposite the print head and being pivotable about an axis parallel to the line direction. A supporting part (19) of the print bar constitutes an abutment for the print head, and is connected by an elongated resilient hinge part (20) to a mounting part (21) of the print bar.

Abstract: A keyboard assembly for selecting characters to be recorded includes a substrate carrying an array of characters arranged on one face thereof. A character selection device moves between advanced and retracted positions along each of two axes of the array and, by means of an optical viewfinder, registers a given character with respect to the position of the selecting device. Registration openings distributed along each of the two axes cooperate with an associated detent carried by the selecting device so as to retain the selecting device in a fixed position relative to the locus of the character which has been selected. Movement of the character selection device to the locus of a given character serves to control the recording of the character selected.

Abstract: A printing color indicating member is furnished to a non-printing portion of an ink impregnated porous substance body, so that a desired printing color can be exactly designated, and the porous substance body of the desired color may be easily chosen, irrespectively of the colored outer appearance of the ink impregnated porous substance body. The color indicating member being higher in density than the ink impregnated porous substance.

Abstract: A polychrome printing platen of a printer having a platen shaft comprises an axially elongated platen body rotatably mounted on the platen shaft and having a plurality of grooves formed therein to extend in the axial direction and spaced from each other in the circumferential direction, and a plurality of permanent magnets each arranged in each of the grooves. A plurality of axially elongated elements having inks of different colors impregnated therein are attached to the platen body. Each ink impregnated element has an upper face and a lower face and has a magnetizable plate secured to the lower face thereof. All ink impregnated elements are detachably attached to the platen body by the permanent magnets which attract the magnetizable plates.

Abstract: A print head travelled lengthwise with respect to a cylindrical rotary drum provided on its outer periphery with a plurality of ridges extending parallel to the axis has two or more print hammers electromagnetically driven. The print hammers are arranged parallel to one another at a distance corresponding to a horizontal pitch of a dot matrix and are changeably driven with intervals which the corresponding ridge of the drum requires to move a vertical pitch of the dot matrix. Further, in order to avoid a bad influence of a nonuniformity of rotation of the drum to the printing quality, the print hammers have a plurality of bumps for forming dots on the respective striking surfaces and each of the ridges has a periphery surface of a width greater than a thickness of the print hammer.