An image forming apparatus includes a first sheet cassette, a first transport route, an image forming device, and a second transport route. The first sheet cassette is for storing therein a sheet. Along the first transport route, the sheet delivered from the first sheet cassette is transported. The image forming device forms an image based on image data, on the sheet transported along the first transport route. The second transport route communicates with outside of the image forming apparatus, and a sheet inserted by a user from outside is transported along the second transport route, to the image forming device. The second transport route is formed so as to circumvent a region between the image forming device and the first sheet cassette.

This disclosure relates to a label printer with separated consumables, which includes a housing, a carbon ribbon cassette, a thermal transfer printing core, a printing head assembly and a synchronizing rotating shaft mechanism, a printing channel is arranged in the housing, and the printing head assembly is arranged on one side of the printing channel, a rubber roller assembly is provided at the other side of the printing channel, and the carbon ribbon in the carbon ribbon cassette passes through the printing channel.

A cartridge configured to be mounted on a tape printer, the cartridge includes a ribbon roll around which an ink ribbon is wound, and a cartridge case configured to accommodate a tape roll around which a tape is wound and that accommodates the ribbon roll, in which the cartridge case includes a third case portion, a first case portion that constitutes a tape roll accommodating portion accommodating the tape roll between the first case portion and the third case portion, and a second case portion that is separated from the first case portion and accommodates the ribbon roll between the second case portion and the third case portion, and the first case portion is configured to open and close the tape roll accommodating portion.

A cartridge configured to be mounted on a tape printer, the cartridge including a cartridge case, in which the cartridge case is provided with a tape feed port through which a tape fed from an accommodated tape roll is fed out of the cartridge case, a tape insertion port into which the tape is configured to be inserted in a first direction from one end portion in a width direction of the tape, and a tape guide that is positioned in the first direction with respect to the tape insertion port and guides feeding of the tape by the tape printer, the tape guide is provided with a protruding portion that comes into contact with the tape, and a tape guide chamfered portion is provided at an end portion of the protruding portion in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

A cartridge configured to be mounted on a tape printer, the cartridge including a cartridge case in which the cartridge case includes a third case portion, a first case portion configured to accommodate a tape roll, and a second case portion and a fourth case portion that are separate from the first case portion, and a tape feed port through which a tape fed from the tape roll is fed out of the cartridge case, and a tape insertion port into which the tape pulled out from the tape roll is configured to be inserted in a first direction from one end portion in a width direction of the tape, so that a leading edge of the tape comes out of the cartridge case from the tape feed port, are provided between the second case portion and the fourth case portion.

A label printer and a label printing method for precise positioning thereof are provided. The label printer includes an outer shell and a label cartridge arranged inside the outer shell, a power mechanism and a control mechanism configured to control paper output of the label cartridge and winding and unwinding of a carbon ribbon, and a print head configured to realize label printing. An inner space of the label cartridge is reasonably planed, and a linear label paper output channel and a label rollback release space are arranged, thereby ensuring smoothness of paper feeding and paper rollback, and preventing label paper from wrinkling in a rollback process. A gear transmission system is improved to realize forward and reverse rotation of gears relying on the same electric motor. A photoelectric sensor with its own reflecting prism is arranged to reduce an occupied space of the label cartridge.

An information processing apparatus coupled to and configured to communicate with a tape printing apparatus which prints a printing image on a tape fed from a tape cartridge includes: an acquiring section that acquires cartridge information indicating a type of the tape cartridge attached to the tape printing apparatus; a determining section that determines whether or not a shrinkable tape is loaded in the tape cartridge in accordance with the cartridge information; and a printing control section that, when the determining section determines that the shrinkable tape is not loaded in the tape cartridge, causes the tape printing apparatus to print a normal printing image and, when the determining section determines that the shrinkable tape is loaded in the tape cartridge, causes the tape printing apparatus to print an enlarged printing image to be printed on the tape as an enlarged image of the normal printing image.

A described example includes a ribbon cartridge having a first spool housing to receive a first spool. The ribbon cartridge further having a second spool housing to receive a second spool. The ribbon cartridge further having at least one frame member extending between the first spool housing and the second spool housing and a spool lock, wherein the spool lock is configured to engage at least one of the first spool or the second spool in response to the ribbon cartridge not being received within a ribbon positioning assembly.

A cassette tape includes: a cassette case; a first tape roll and a second tape roll accommodated in the cassette case and rotatably supported thereby; and an RFID tag disposed at one of an upper wall and a lower wall of the cassette case. The first tape roll includes a first tape wound about a first winding axis extending in an axial direction. The second tape roll includes a second tape wound about an axis different from the first winding axis and extending in the axial direction. The second tape roll has a smaller diameter than the first tape roll. The RFID tag includes an antenna and a storage element for radiocommunication to read and write data. A part of the RFID tag is positioned to overlap with a part of the first tape roll in a predetermined direction parallel to the axial direction.

A printer includes a housing having a first surface having a cassette mounting opening, a print head extending toward the cassette mounting opening from an inside of the housing, a platen roller, and a printing cassette mountable on the housing by insertion to the cassette mounting opening in a first direction. The first surface has first and second areas both adjacent to the cassette mounting opening. The second area is opposite to the first area with respect to the cassette mounting opening in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. The first and second areas are located upstream from the print head in a cassette mounting direction. In a state where the printing cassette is mounted on the housing, respective portions of the printing cassette adjacent to the first and second areas are located outside the housing beyond the first and second areas, respectively, in the first direction.