Esselte N.v.

Martin Christopher Edwards

Graham Scott Gutsell

Nicholas James Hastings

Ian Morgan George

Robert Charles Day

Stijn Jans

Tony Dunn

The present invention relates to a label printer that has a plurality of keys for defining a label to be printed. Such keys include keys for defining the format of the label. The label printer also includes a display for displaying an image of the label, a printing unit for printing the label and a control unit for controlling the label printer to operate in a layout mode. In the layout mode, the control unit causes the display to display an image of the label in a selected label format and a plurality of layout parameters for defining the label format. Each of the layout parameters is alterable. Thereby, the label image displayed on the display alters with each selection of one of the layout parameters by actuating the format keys.

Printing apparatus

A label printer having a plurality of input keys for inputting data defining a label image to be printed on an image receiving medium. The input keys include a plurality of data entry keys for entering character data and a plurality of function keys for use in controlling printing of the character data. The label printer includes a display area for displaying information relating to a label image to be printed, a printing unit for printing the label image and a controller for controlling operation of the label printer and including addressing unit for addressing the display area. The display area comprises first and second display zones, each being selectively addressable by the addressing unit to display information relating to the label image. The first display zone is addressable to display a plurality of editing options in relation to each function key. The second display zone is addressable to display prestored selectable data corresponding to each editing option in relation to a function key actuated to thereby assist a user in defining a label.

Hand-held label printer with dedicated function keys for creating and

A tape printing device for printing frames with complicated shapes on a label. The device includes a mechanism for inputting a plurality of characters, selecting a frame from a plurality of frames of different shape, and generating print data for the characters and the selected frame. Also, a print head is used for printing the characters and the frames onto the tape according to the generated print data. Only a small amount of memory is required to represent frames, and the operator is offered a large selection of frames. Instead of storing dot patterns for each frame, each frame is represented with a program which can be executed on the tape printing device to generate the pixel pattern corresponding to the selected frame and to print the selected frame on the receiving medium according to the generated pixel pattern. Since the programs generate the pixel pattern dynamically as required by the operator of the device, less memory is required than prior art devices. Also, a larger selection of frames is offered without increasing the cost of the tape printing device.

Tape printer capable of printing frames with different shapes

The invention relates to a printer which can print both text and bar code data on an elongated web-like tape. The printer is provided with a display having a first display mode in which both text data and bar code data are displayed. A bar code display unit is provided to advise the user when the cursor is assigned to bar code data in the first display mode. A second display mode can also be provided. In the second display mode, only the bar code data is displayed and only it can be entered and edited. When characters comprising either text data or bar code data are entered, they are placed sequentially in an input buffer, which comprises a first area of a storage device. The start and end positions of the bar code data within the input buffer are stored in a second area of the storage device. During printing operations, the position of each character in the input buffer is compared to the start and end positions to determine whether that particular character is to be printed as text or as a bar code.

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West Ratting, United Kingdom

Martin Christopher Edwards