Roll sheet holder and tape printer

A tape printer including a roll sheet wound on a cylindrical sheet core having a through hole opening at both ends, a feeding device which draws the roll sheet to feed an unwound part thereof, and a printing device which prints on the part of the roll sheet fed by the feeding device, the tape printer comprising:

• a roll sheet holder which holds the roll sheet wound on the sheet core, the roll sheet holder including:
• a guide member including a first cylindrical part which is formed with a cylindrical through hole and is fitted in one open end of the sheet core and a first flange part which is formed in an outer periphery of an outer end face of the first cylindrical part and is brought into contact with one end face of the roll sheet;
• a positioning holding member which is arranged in contact with the other end face of the roll sheet and formed with a second cylindrical part on an inner surface, the second cylindrical part being fitted in the other open end of the sheet core;
• a cylindrical shaft including a first end which is fitted in the through hole of the first cylindrical part of the guide member and is provided with a second flange part fixed in contact with an outer surface of the first flange part and a second end which is fitted in the second cylindrical part to be fixed to the positioning holding member;
• the first flange part including:
• a first extended portion extending downward in a predetermined length from a lower periphery of an outer end face of the first cylindrical part, the extended portion being brought into contact with a bottom surface of the tape printer when the roll sheet holder is mounted therein;
• and
• a frontward extended portion formed extending downstream in a direction of drawing the roll sheet from the outer periphery of the outer end face of the first cylindrical part to have a front end which is located outside of an outermost surface of the roll sheet of a maximum diameter;
• an insertion opening in which the unwound part of the roll sheet is inserted;
• and
• a support mechanism which removably supports the roll sheet holder in the tape printer, the support mechanism including:
• a support portion which is provided upstream of the insertion opening in a direction of feeding the unwound part of the roll sheet and has an upper surface with which a lower edge of the frontward extended portion of the guide member of the roll sheet holder is brought into contact when the roll sheet holder is mounted in the tape printer;
• wherein the roll sheet holder is arranged to unwind the roll sheet from above the sheet core and inserted in the insertion opening when the roll sheet holder is mounted in the tape printer.