Printer of ribbon cassette fixed type

Abstract

A printer of a ribbon cassette fixed type, to which a ribbon cassette is detachably mounted, has a main body and a cassette mounting portion provided on the main body. The mounting portion has a cassette loading plate for loading the cassette thereon. The cassette includes two spools in parallel winding an ink ribbon therebetween. The printer includes a feed reel disposed at the loading plate and adapted to engage with one of the spools for feeding the ribbon, and a take-up reel disposed at the loading plate and adapted to engage with the other of the spools for taking-up the ribbon. A carriage is mounted in the main body movably along a printing direction. A print head is disposed on the carriage, to which a portion of the ribbon is set, for printing by using the ribbon discharged from the cassette by a movement of the carriage in the printing direction. The printer further includes a moving device provided to the mounting portion for moving the loading plate to a loading position, in which the cassette is positioned in a vicinity of the carriage so as to set the portion of the ribbon to the head along with a loading motion of the cassette, and an operating position, in which the cassette is positioned away from the carriage so as not to disturb the movement of the carriage.