Printer

A tape cassette for holding a printing tape having a layer of ink thermally transferable to a printing surface, for mounting in a printing apparatus which includes a thermal print head having a plurality of heat generating elements, and a carriage for carrying said print head along a line of printing wherein the path of the heat generating elements defines a print plane, said tape cassette comprising:

• a supply spool for supplying said printing tape;
• a take-up spool on which said printing tape is wound after said thermal head has passed over a line of printing;
• a casing accomodating said supply and take-up spools and having means for rotatably mounting the supply and take-up spools within the casing so that the axes of rotation of said spools are generally perpendicular to the print plane of the printer when mounted in the printer apparatus, said casing including:
• a pair of housings disposed at both sides of said casing for containing said supply spool and said take-up spool respectively;
• a bridge for connecting said housings;
• a pair of tape guides each projecting perpendicularly toward the front surface of the printing apparatus;
• a back tension spring;
• and a pair of guide rollers disposed upright on said mounting surface, one of said guide rollers being disposed at the upper right hand portion of said bridge and sufficiently apart from said tape guide so as to facilitate a 90.degree. angle change in the orientation of said printing tape, said second guide roller being disposed in the vicinity of said supply reel and used to enlarge the stroke of said printing tape retained to said back tension spring.

A printing apparatus using a printing tape having a layer of material thermally transferable to the printing surface of a sheet of paper, comprising:

• paper support means for holding said sheet of paper;
• a thermal print head having a plurality of selectively activated heat generating elements;
• a carriage carrying said thermal print head and movable along a line of printing;
• carriage drive means for moving said carriage along said line of printing;
• a cassette mounting member disposed along the front of said printing apparatus;
• a tape cassette mounted in a vertical position on said mounting member, and comprising:
• a supply spool and take-up spool, which spools are rotatably mounted within said cassette, a length of said printing tape being stretched between said spools and extending throughout the length of said line of printing and being held in contact with said sheet of paper while said carriage carrying said head is placed in a printing position proximate said sheet and is moved relative to said sheet;
• and a tape take-up means which winds up said printing tape after said thermal print head has reached the end of a line of printing, in such a manner that the relative speed thereof to the thermal head is substantially zero, said take-up means being in working cooperation with said carriage drive means.