Portable label printer

Apparatus for preparing printed labels comprising a portable lable printer having

• a housing capable of being held in one hand by a user;
• a label magazine with a cavity therein, said cavity being arranged to receive and maintain a plurality of serially linked, pressure sensitive labels;
• a pair of openings into said housing;
• means for guiding a flat master plate into the housing through one said opening;
• a flat master plate having raised indicia projecting from one face thereof, said master plate being removably positioned by the guide means in the one said opening;
• means for sequentially moving said labels into position overlying the raised indicia and out of the housing through the other of said openings, said means including
• a hole between each serially linked label;
• a follower arm having one end pivotally connected to a support means, a hook on the other end of the follower arm, said hook being aligned with the holes between labels and having a cam surface on the end of the hook most remote from the pivot connection of the arm;
• means biasing the hook of the follower arm against the labels;
• and
• means for rolling over each said label to press it against the master plate, whereby the indicia acts on the pressure sensitive label to reproduce the indicia on the label said means including
• a roller carried by the support means for the follower arm;
• means biasing said roller to a position adjacent to the openings;
• means for guiding said roller away from said openings to roll over each label after the label is positioned to overlie the raised indicia;
• and
• means for moving said roller over each label as the label is positioned to overlie said raised indicia and for pressing said label against the flat master plate, in opposition to said means biasing said roller.