Printing apparatus

A printing apparatus for applying markings to a plurality of moving articles, said apparatus comprising a housing, a driving rod mounted for reciprocable movement within said housing, a stamp having opposite ends and including a holder having a longitudinal slot at one of said ends, a printing head at the other end of said holder and at least one spring connecting said printing head with said holder, said printing head having an end face, coupling means for coupling said stamp with said driving rod including a cross-piece fixedly attached to said driving rod, a T-shaped link including a leg and a cross-beam, said link being pivotally suspended from a fixed point of said housing at one end of said cross-beam and being pivotally connected with said holder in the vicinity of said printing head at the other end of said cross-beam while being pivotally connected with said cross-piece at the end of said leg, and a roller fixedly arranged in said housing and engaged in said slot such that said stamp can be displaced by reciprocating movement of said driving rod between a rest position, and an operating position at right angles with said rest position, an abutment in the path of said driving rod for interrupting the downward movement of said rod before said printing head has reached an article to be imprinted, whereby outward movement of said holder due to the rotation of said link around said fixed point is likewise interrupted, so that said printing head advances by its kinetic energy to strike the article and subsequently be retracted by said spring, an ink pad constituted by a rigid porous synthetic material positioned to engage said printing head in the rest position of said stamp, an ink container, a bearing ring attached to said ink container and having an inwardly directed flange retaining said ink pad against the bottom of said ink container, and a resilient ring mounted in the end face of said printing head so as to protrude from the same and be compressed and tightly engage the flange of said bearing ring in the rest position of said stamp, whereby a suction is exerted when said stamp is displaced to the operating position to draw the ink from said ink container into said ink pad.