Apparatus for guiding a printing head

A franking machine, comprising:

• a base element;
• a printing-head mounting moveably connected to said base element;
• a printing head displaceably connected to said printing-head mounting;
• said printing-head mounting configured to move, during printing, between a first longitudinal position and a second longitudinal position in a given direction with respect to said base element to effect a relative movement between said printing head and a medium to be printed;
• an offsetting device for printing images offset to one another transverse to said given direction, said offsetting device configured to offset said printing head relative to said printing-head mounting from a first transverse position into at least one second transverse position spaced from said first transverse position in a direction transverse to said given direction;
• and
• a holder for holding said printing head in at least one of said first transverse position and said second transverse position during printing, said holder having at least one first holding device and at least one second holding device, each of said at least one first holding device and said at least one second holding device having at least one stop for limiting movement of said printing-head transverse to said given direction, said holder including a force member for providing a contact force, said at least one first holding device being configured to hold said printing head in at least one of said first and second transverse positions by said contact force acting on said stop, and said force member being a magnetic device.

A franking machine, comprising:

• a base element;
• a printing-head mounting moveably connected to said base element;
• a printing head displaceably connected to said printing-head mounting;
• said printing-head mounting configured to move, during printing, between a first longitudinal position and a second longitudinal position in a given direction with respect to said base element to effect a relative movement between said printing head and a medium to be printed;
• an offsetting device for printing images offset to one another transverse to said given direction, said offsetting device configured to offset said printing head relative to said printing-head mounting from a first transverse position into at least one second transverse position spaced from said first transverse position in a direction transverse to said given direction;
• and
• means for holding said printing head in at least one of said first transverse position and said second transverse position during printing, said holding means having at least one first holding device and at least one second holding device, each of said at least one first holding device and said at least one second holding device having at least one stop for limiting movement of said printing-head transverse to said given direction, said holding means including a force member for providing a contact force, said at least one first holding device being configured to hold said printing head in at least one of said first and second transverse positions by said contact force acting on said stop, and said force member being a magnetic device.