Serial printer provided with cutter

Abstract

Serial printer provided with cutter, the printer being of the type in which printing is performed by a printing head mounted on a carriage sliding on guides parallel to the printing line and a continuous printing support moves perpendicularly to the direction of such guides leaning against a substantially vertical platen. A rotating cutter is lever-mounted on the carriage over the printing head in a position very close to the printing line and it can be actuated in order to partially overlap a cutting edge of the platen, the edge being parallel to the printing line. Owing to the printing head movement along the printing line, the rotating cutter when actuated operates the transversal cutting of the continuous form. The cut form is disposed in a collecting drawer behind the platen owing to the movement imposed by the rotating cutter and to the reduced thickness of the platen which constitutes a drawer wall. A transparent elastic leaf coupled to the lever on which the rotating cutter is mounted assures the form steadiness during the cutting by pressing it against the platen near the cutting zone. It further provides an elastic reaction which brings the rotating cutter in rest position when it is not actuated to be in cutting position. The leaf does not hamper print visibility nor does it hamper the loading of the form in the printer when the carriage is at its end of travel position.