Image forming apparatus, cutting device usable therewith and method thereof

A cutter device usable with an image forming apparatus including a carriage device and a media transport path, the cutter device comprising:

• a cutter housing to selectively engage the carriage device of the image forming apparatus to move across the media transport path thereof;
• a pair of rotary cutting wheels rotatably coupled to the cutter housing and forming an overlap region therebetween, the rotary cutting wheels to pass through a cutting region to cut media transported along the media transport path;
• a cutter guide disposed lower than the pair of rotary cutting wheels;
• and
• a gear assembly to engage the cutter guide and one of the rotary cutting wheels to rotate at least one of the rotary cutting wheels in response to a movement of the cutter housing across the media transport path.

A method of cutting media in an image forming apparatus, the method comprising:

• transporting media along a media transport path in a media advancement direction;
• reciprocating a printhead assembly across the media transport path in a printing mode to print on the media and in a cutting mode;
• selectively engaging the reciprocating printhead assembly by a cutter housing of a cutter device to move across the media transport path in the cutting mode;
• passing a pair of rotary cutting wheels rotatably coupled to the cutter housing through a cutting region traverse to the media transport path to cut media in the cutting mode;
• and
• engaging a cutter guide disposed outside of the cutting region and one of the rotary cutting wheels by a gear assembly such that the cutter guide remains in a same position in the printing mode and the cutting mode and at least the one rotary cutting wheel rotates in the cutting mode.