Docking station for a removable printer mechanism and methods of providing a removable printer mechanism

A method for providing a removable printer mechanism, comprising:

• providing a docking station for the printer mechanism, the docking station comprising:
• a base with parallel side arms adapted to be fixed to an interior of a printer housing;
• a side wall extending from each of the parallel side arms, the side walls being adapted to guide the printer mechanism into a docked position in the printer;
• a bridge element extending between the parallel side arms at a rear side of the base;
• a clamping element fixed to the bridge element and adapted to receive a printer-side cable connector and to hold the printer-side cable connector in position to accept a corresponding cable connector of the printer mechanism;
• providing a removable printer mechanism adapted to be guided by the side walls of the docking station into the docked position;
• removably fixing the printer mechanism in the docking station in the docked position;
• establishing a removable connection between the printer-side cable connector and the corresponding cable connector of the printer mechanism when the printer mechanism is in the docked position.