Line printer having user replaceable platen rollers

A replaceable printer platen roll system comprising:

• a chassis having a first sidewall and a second sidewall, the first and second sidewalls configured to support, in an interior therebetween, opposed, projecting distal ends of a shaft affixed coaxially to a radially extending cylindrical printer platen roll,
• the chassis configured to receive and support an outer race of a first bearing on an interior side of the first sidewall,
• the first bearing having a first inner race configured to axially receive and rotatably support a first distal end of the shaft;
• a follower gear affixed coaxially to a second distal end of the shaft;
• a flange assembly including a flange and a second bearing,
• the chassis having a notch in the second sidewall configured to axially receive and seat a neck of the flange,
• the flange assembly further including an inner lip portion configured to contact the second sidewall when the neck of the flange is seated in the notch,
• the second bearing having a second inner race configured to receive and rotatably support the second distal end of the shaft;
• and
• a latch configured to selectively engage an outer lip portion of the flange when the flange is seated in the notch such that the flange is axially removable from the second sidewall when an outer lip thereof is disengaged from the latch,
• the follower gear configured to engage a drive gear when the latch is engaged.

A method for changing a platen roll comprising:

• locating, within a printer, a mounted platen roll assembly, the mounted platen roll assembly including
• a shaft supporting a coaxially mounted platen roll, the shaft having a first distal end in rotatable contact with a first bearing affixed to a first support, and
• a flange assembly having a second bearing in a bore thereof, the second bearing having an inner race coaxially secured to a second distal end of the shaft,
• the flange assembly secured from radial movement by contact between an interior of a crescent notch in a second support and a neck of a flange, and
• the flange assembly secured from axial movement within the crescent notch by contact between a latch secured to the second support and a lip of the flange assembly;
• operating the latch to unlatch the flange from the second support;
• and
• unmounting the mounted platen roll assembly from the printer by sliding it axially so as to remove the flange assembly from the crescent notch and expose the shaft to the interior of the crescent notch, passing the exposed shaft through an opening of the crescent notch and removing the first distal end of the shaft from contact with the first bearing.