B41J17/38

Collapsible Core System and Method

A spindle for facilitating removal of used ribbon material in a printer is disclosed. The spindle includes a shaft movably attached to the printer and a spindle arm positioned on the shaft for collecting the used ribbon material. The spindle arm has a first side and a second side opposite the first side. The spindle includes a slider disposed between the shaft and the spindle arm and configured for bidirectional movement along the shaft between a first position and a second position. The spindle also includes a first wiper connected to the slider. A button is connected to the slider and operably engaging the shaft. Engaging the button permits movement of the slider along the shaft from the first position to the second position thereby causing the first wiper to move the used ribbon material toward an end of the spindle arm.