A head unit is used for production of a media sheet that has a medium region row including a plurality of medium regions, the medium regions being to be separate personal information media. The head unit includes a plurality of thermal heads configured to thermally transfer dots exhibiting a structural color from a ribbon to a target. The plurality of thermal heads are arranged so that each thermal head corresponds to a respective one of the medium regions constituting the medium region row.

A method for monitoring a characteristic of a printed image of a thermal transfer printer. The method comprises providing a ribbon and a substrate at a printing location of the thermal transfer printer. The method further comprises printing an image on the substrate at the printing location by transferring ink from a region of the ribbon in a printing operation, a negative image being formed on the region of ribbon. The method further comprises transporting the region of ribbon, by a ribbon transport system, from the printing location towards an imaging location along a ribbon transport path. The method further comprises when a characteristic of the ribbon transport meets a predetermined criterion, obtaining, by an image capture system, a ribbon image of the negative image. The method further comprises processing said ribbon image to generate data indicative of the characteristic of the printed image.

An example disclosed printer configured to peel media from a backing, the printer having a peeler assembly that is engageable between a peeling position, wherein the printer is configured to peel the media from the backing, and a non-peeling position, wherein the printer is not configured to peel the media from the backing. The printer further including a sensor configured to send a signal corresponding to a position of the peeler assembly. The printer further including a communication interface configured to receive the position of the peeler assembly from the sensor and configured to transmit the position of the peeler assembly to a secondary component.

An example disclosed printer configured to peel media from a backing, the printer having a peeler assembly that is engageable between a peeling position, wherein the printer is configured to peel the media from the backing, and a non-peeling position, wherein the printer is not configured to peel the media from the backing. The printer further including a sensor configured to send a signal corresponding to a position of the peeler assembly. The printer further including a communication interface configured to receive the position of the peeler assembly from the sensor and configured to transmit the position of the peeler assembly to a secondary component.

The invention relates to a method (400) for protecting printed data on a transfer film of a heat-transfer printer for a plastic card comprising a print head (112), the protection method (400) comprising: a first printing step (402) during which the transfer film and the plastic card advance simultaneously over a printing length L.sub.0 under the print head and during which the print head heats according to the text to be printed, a rewinding step (404) during which the transfer film is rewound over a rewinding length L.sub.0+/d different from the printing length L.sub.0, and during which the plastic card is brought upstream of the print head, a subsequent printing step (408) during which the transfer film and the plastic card (10) advance simultaneously over another printing length under the print head and during which the print head heats according to the text to be printed, and an ejection step (410) during which the plastic card is expelled from the printer.

The invention relates to a method (400) for protecting printed data on a transfer film of a heat-transfer printer for a plastic card comprising a print head (112), the protection method (400) comprising: a first printing step (402) during which the transfer film and the plastic card advance simultaneously over a printing length L.sub.0 under the print head and during which the print head heats according to the text to be printed, a rewinding step (404) during which the transfer film is rewound over a rewinding length L.sub.0+/d different from the printing length L.sub.0, and during which the plastic card is brought upstream of the print head, a subsequent printing step (408) during which the transfer film and the plastic card (10) advance simultaneously over another printing length under the print head and during which the print head heats according to the text to be printed, and an ejection step (410) during which the plastic card is expelled from the printer.

An ink ribbon support cassette includes a plate, a shaft extending from the plate, a rotational body provided to be movable along the shaft between a first position and a second position that is farther separated from the plate than is the first position, and a support member switchable between a support state where at least a part of the support member is located outward, in a radial direction of the shaft, than an outer surface of the rotational body in a case where the rotational body is at the first position, and a separation state where the at least a part is located inward in the radial direction with respect than the outer surface of the rotational body in a state where the rotational body is at the second position, the support member being provided on the rotational body.

An ink ribbon support cassette includes a plate, a shaft extending from the plate, a rotational body provided to be movable along the shaft between a first position and a second position that is farther separated from the plate than is the first position, and a support member switchable between a support state where at least a part of the support member is located outward, in a radial direction of the shaft, than an outer surface of the rotational body in a case where the rotational body is at the first position, and a separation state where the at least a part is located inward in the radial direction with respect than the outer surface of the rotational body in a state where the rotational body is at the second position, the support member being provided on the rotational body.

In an example, a clamp may include a chassis, a swingarm disposed on the chassis, a clamp wheel disposed on a first end of the swingarm to engage with a drag portion of the chassis, and an auxiliary bias member to exert a force against the clamp wheel to resist a rotation of the clamp wheel. The force may periodically increase in magnitude.

In a printer that drives by a ribbon motor (302), a winding axle that holds an ink ribbon positioned between a thermal head that performs a photographic printing operation with respect to a photographic medium conveyed along a sub-scanning direction and a platen that opposes the photographic print head with the photographic medium between the photographic print head and the platen, a flywheel (303) is coupled to a shaft of the ribbon motor (302), and a rotational force of the ribbon motor (302) is transmitted to the winding axle, via a worm gear (501) and a helical gear (502).