Dye ribbon package for thermal printers

Abstract

An improved package for supply and take-up spools of dye ribbon for use with the cassette of a thermal printer in which the ribbon spools include a part, e.g. a flange, shaped for engagement with a correspondingly shaped socket in the carton holding the spools during transport etc. to thereby prevent relative rotation of the spools while within the carton. An improved method for transferring the dye ribbon spools to the thermal printer cassette from any package in which the take-up and supply spools are supported in generally parallel relation is also described in which by virtue of a special orientation of the spools in the package combined with a peculiar sequence of transfer steps, a sufficient length of dye ribbon is unwrapped from the two spools during their transfer to the cassette spools but without causing either spool to undergo independent rotation about its axis as to bridge a gap between the spool package and printer cassette when in spool transfer relation as well as to accommodate a greater separation between the spools when loaded within cassette than when held within the package.