A tape cassette that includes a housing having a front wall and a tape feed exit located on the front wall, a tape included at least partially within the housing, and a pressing portion and a first non-pressing portion on the front wall. The pressing portion and the first non-pressing portion are positioned to oppose tape type detecting switches of the label printer when the cassette is in the label printer. The pressing portion is configured to change a state of an opposing one of the tape type detecting switches, and the first non-pressing portion is configured to avoid changing a state of an opposing one of the tape type detecting switches. The first non-pressing portion is a planar area of the front wall extending in a tape width direction from a top surface of the housing to a bottom surface of the housing.

A tape cassette that includes a housing having a front wall and a tape feed exit located on the front wall, a tape included at least partially within the housing, and a pressing portion and a first non-pressing portion on the front wall. The pressing portion and the first non-pressing portion are positioned to oppose tape type detecting switches of the label printer when the cassette is in the label printer. The pressing portion is configured to change a state of an opposing one of the tape type detecting switches, and the first non-pressing portion is configured to avoid changing a state of an opposing one of the tape type detecting switches. The first non-pressing portion is a planar area of the front wall extending in a tape width direction from a top surface of the housing to a bottom surface of the housing.

A system is provided for transferring a marking material from a ribbon to a substrate. The system includes a ribbon take-up device; a ribbon supply source that supplies the ribbon to the ribbon take-up device such that the ribbon is moved in a process direction; a pressure roll located between the ribbon supply source and the ribbon take-up device in the process direction, the pressure roll being configured to apply pressure to the ribbon at a pressure location when the ribbon is positioned between the pressure roll and the substrate; and a laser beam source that directs a plurality of laser beams through the pressure roll and onto the ribbon at the pressure location such that a marking portion of the ribbon is heated by the laser beams and transferred to the substrate.

A system is provided for transferring a marking material from a ribbon to a substrate. The system includes a ribbon take-up device; a ribbon supply source that supplies the ribbon to the ribbon take-up device such that the ribbon is moved in a process direction; a pressure roll located between the ribbon supply source and the ribbon take-up device in the process direction, the pressure roll being configured to apply pressure to the ribbon at a pressure location when the ribbon is positioned between the pressure roll and the substrate; and a laser beam source that directs a plurality of laser beams through the pressure roll and onto the ribbon at the pressure location such that a marking portion of the ribbon is heated by the laser beams and transferred to the substrate.

A tape cassette that includes a housing having a top surface, a bottom surface, a tape feed path, a front wall, a tape feed exit adjacent to the front wall configured to expose a tape guided in the housing along the tape feed path in a tape feed path direction towards the tape feed exit, and a tape guide downstream, in the tape feed path direction, from the tape feed exit. The tape cassette also includes a tape at least partially included within the housing and configured to be fed along the tape feed path to the tape feed exit, and a first aperture formed in an area of the front wall. The area is positioned upstream, in the tape feed path direction, of the tape feed exit, and a length of the area in the tape feed path direction at the front wall is equal to or less than a distance between the tape feed exit and the tape guide in the tape feed path direction at the front wall.

A tape cassette that includes a housing having a top surface, a bottom surface, a tape feed path, a front wall, a tape feed exit adjacent to the front wall configured to expose a tape guided in the housing along the tape feed path in a tape feed path direction towards the tape feed exit, and a tape guide downstream, in the tape feed path direction, from the tape feed exit. The tape cassette also includes a tape at least partially included within the housing and configured to be fed along the tape feed path to the tape feed exit, and a first aperture formed in an area of the front wall. The area is positioned upstream, in the tape feed path direction, of the tape feed exit, and a length of the area in the tape feed path direction at the front wall is equal to or less than a distance between the tape feed exit and the tape guide in the tape feed path direction at the front wall.

A printing device conveys an ink ribbon and a printing medium in a sub-scanning direction. In the ink ribbon, a base layer, a first ink layer, and a second ink layer are overlaid in this order. A processor of the printing device supplies a first energy to a first heating element to heat the ink ribbon and supplies a second energy to a second heating element to heat the ink ribbon. The second energy is different from the first energy. The first heating element is one of a plurality of heating elements in a thermal head. The second heating element is different from the first heating element. The processor transfers both the first ink and the second ink onto the printing medium from the ink ribbon by supplying the first energy. The processor transfers the second ink onto the printing medium from the ink ribbon by supplying the second energy.

A printing device conveys an ink ribbon and a printing medium in a sub-scanning direction. In the ink ribbon, a base layer, a first ink layer, and a second ink layer are overlaid in this order. A processor of the printing device supplies a first energy to a first heating element to heat the ink ribbon and supplies a second energy to a second heating element to heat the ink ribbon. The second energy is different from the first energy. The first heating element is one of a plurality of heating elements in a thermal head. The second heating element is different from the first heating element. The processor transfers both the first ink and the second ink onto the printing medium from the ink ribbon by supplying the first energy. The processor transfers the second ink onto the printing medium from the ink ribbon by supplying the second energy.

A system is provided for transferring a marking material from a ribbon to a substrate. The system includes a ribbon take-up device; a ribbon supply source that supplies the ribbon to the ribbon take-up device such that the ribbon is moved in a process direction; a pressure roll located between the ribbon supply source and the ribbon take-up device in the process direction, the pressure roll being configured to apply pressure to the ribbon at a pressure location when the ribbon is positioned between the pressure roll and the substrate; and a laser beam source that directs a plurality of laser beams through the pressure roll and onto the ribbon at the pressure location such that a marking portion of the ribbon is heated by the laser beams and transferred to the substrate.

A system is provided for transferring a marking material from a ribbon to a substrate. The system includes a ribbon take-up device; a ribbon supply source that supplies the ribbon to the ribbon take-up device such that the ribbon is moved in a process direction; a pressure roll located between the ribbon supply source and the ribbon take-up device in the process direction, the pressure roll being configured to apply pressure to the ribbon at a pressure location when the ribbon is positioned between the pressure roll and the substrate; and a laser beam source that directs a plurality of laser beams through the pressure roll and onto the ribbon at the pressure location such that a marking portion of the ribbon is heated by the laser beams and transferred to the substrate.