Recording apparatus with mechanism for cutting printed tape covered by backing tape

A recording apparatus, comprising:

• a printing device for printing on a recording tape in a longitudinal direction of said recording tape;
• means for superposing a backing tape with an adhesive layer on a printed length of said recording tape printed by said printing device, to thereby provide a multi-layered tape, such that a surface of said recording tape on which a printing is effected by said printing device is covered by said adhesive layer of said backing tape;
• a tape feeding device for feeding said multi-layered tape in a longitudinal direction of said multi-layered tape which is parallel to said longitudinal direction of said recording tape;
• and
• a cutting mechanism for cutting said multi-layered tape into cut segments such that each of said cut segments has a partial cut formed through only a thickness of said backing tape at a position near each end of said cut segment so as to divide said backing tape into a center part and two end parts, wherein said center part may be first removed and said end parts provide gripping means for aligning and initially mounting the cut segment;
• said tape feeding device comprising an electrically operated drive source for feeding said multi-layered tape, and control means for controlling said electrically operated drive source so as to feed said multi-layered tape in said longitudinal direction thereof until a part of said multi-layered tape a predetermined length spaced away from a last character printed on said recording tape in said longitudinal direction thereof reaches a cutting position aligned with said cutter mechanism, said control means turning off said electrically operated drive source when said part of said multi-layered tape reaches said cutting position.