Printing apparatus

A printing apparatus, comprising:

• an apparatus housing;
• an ink printing device mounted in an upper portion of said apparatus housing;
• said apparatus housing having a receptacle therein in a lower portion of said apparatus housing, beneath said ink printing device;
• a box-shaped module removably inserted in said receptacle along a y-direction of a Cartesian coordinate system, which also has a z-direction and an x-direction;
• said box-shaped module comprising a contact pressure device having a contact pressure body biased to act on flat items, moving in the x-direction between said ink printing device and said contact pressure device, to urge flat items in the z-direction toward said ink printing device, said flat items sometimes being strip-shaped printing substrates;
• said contact pressure device comprising a base plate on which said contact pressure body is mounted, said base plate having a notch proceeding through an edge of said base plate in the z-direction, said notch being unobstructed above said notch by said contact pressure body;
• an additional contact pressure device for said strip-shaped printing substrates, comprising a contact pressure element mounted and biased in said box-shaped module to selectively move through said notch, from below said notch, to urge said strip-shaped printing substrates, when present, in the z-direction toward said ink printing device;
• and
• a sensor that individually detects said flat items as said flat items move in the small x-direction through a sensing region of said sensor, said sensor then triggering printing on the respective flat items dependent on the detection thereof, said sensor being situated in said apparatus housing with said sensing region thereof adjacent, along the y-direction, said contact-pressure element of said additional contact pressure device.