Printer and ribbon winding features

A winding method for a printer, comprising:

• conveying a print medium conveyed to a printing position using a print head and a platen facing each other;
• printing on the print medium using an ink ribbon, the ink ribbon wound around a ribbon holding shaft and pulled from the ribbon holding shaft to a ribbon winding shaft around which the ink ribbon is wound;
• rotationally driving the ribbon winding shaft;
• on a conveyance path of the ink ribbon between a position where the ink ribbon is pulled from the ribbon holding shaft and a position where the ink ribbon is wound around the ribbon winding shaft through the printing position, elastically abutting a damper section against the ink ribbon when conveyance of the ink ribbon is stopped;
• controlling an amount of an input voltage applied to the winding motor;
• detecting movement of the damper section;
• calculating a winding diameter of the ink ribbon wound on the ribbon winding shaft side using the input voltage when the movement of the damper section is detected and characteristics of the damper section;
• and
• determining an input voltage to be applied to the winding motor according to the calculated winding diameter.

A thermal printer, comprising:

• a ribbon holding shaft around which an ink ribbon is wound;
• a ribbon winding shaft around which the ink ribbon pulled from the ribbon holding shaft is wound;
• a thermal printing section configured to print using the ink ribbon and a thermal print head on a print medium conveyed to a printing position where the thermal print head and a platen face each other;
• a winding motor configured to rotationally drive the ribbon winding shaft;
• a damper section, provided on a conveyance path of the ink ribbon between a position where the ink ribbon is pulled from the ribbon holding shaft and a position where the ink ribbon is wound around the ribbon winding shaft through the printing position, configured to elastically abut against the ink ribbon when conveyance of the ink ribbon is stopped;
• a controller configured to control an operation of increasing an input voltage applied to the winding motor;
• a detection section configured to detect movement of the damper section;
• a calculation section configured to calculate a winding diameter of the ink ribbon wound on the ribbon winding shaft side using the input voltage when the movement of the damper section is detected and characteristics of the damper section;
• and
• a voltage determination section configured to determine an input voltage to be applied to the winding motor according to the calculated winding diameter.