Printer

Abstract

In a printer that performs printing on a label of a continuous paper while feeding the continuous paper unwound from a paper sheet supply unit to a side of a printing head portion via a damper portion, a head pressure plate is arranged between an operating portion that adjusts a pressing force against a thermal head portion and a printing line of the thermal head portion such that the head pressure plate is formed extended to connect them.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A printer comprising:
 a feeding unit configured to feed a print medium along a medium feed path; 
 a printing unit disposed to oppose the feeding unit in the medium feed path, the printing unit being configured to print on the print medium fed along the medium feed path; and 
 a pressing unit configured to press the printing unit onto the feeding unit in a state where the print medium is nipped between the printing unit and the feeding unit, wherein 
 the pressing unit includes:
 a pressing-force adjustment portion disposed at an upstream side in a feed direction of the print medium with respect to a printing portion of the printing unit, the pressing-force adjustment portion adjusting a pressing force on the printing unit; and 
 a pressing member disposed between the pressing-force adjustment portion and the printing unit in a state where the pressing member connects a pressing portion of the pressing-force adjustment portion and the printing portion of the printing unit, the pressing member being configured to transmit the pressing force from the pressing-force adjustment portion to the printing portion through a tip end of the pressing member, and 
 
 an elastic member separated from a location where the pressing force is transmitted to the printing portion. 
 
     
     
       2. The printer according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the pressing member has a bent portion formed by bending downward, and 
 the tip end is a tip of the bent portion. 
 
     
     
       3. The printer according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the pressing-force adjustment portion includes:
 an operating portion disposed to operate the pressing force on the printing unit; 
 a pressure changing unit disposed to be stepwise in order to change the pressing force on the printing unit; and 
 anthe elastic member disposed in order to change the pressing force on the pressing member. 
 
 
     
     
       4. The printer according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the pressing-force adjustment portion includes:
 an operating portion disposed movably to operate the pressing force on the printing unit; 
 a pressure changing unit disposed to be stepwise in order to change the pressing force on the printing unit in stages corresponding to a position where the operating portion moves; and 
 anthe elastic member disposed in order to change the pressing force on the pressing member corresponding to the position where the operating portion moves. 
 
 
     
     
       5. The printer according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the pressing member is disposed swingably. 
 
     
     
       6. The printer according to  claim 1 , wherein
 a plurality of the pressing members are disposed along a width direction of the print medium. 
 
     
     
       7. The printer according to claim 1, wherein
 the pressing unit further comprises a rotary shaft that extends through a hole portion formed in a rear side of the pressing member such that a front side of the pressing member that includes the tip end of the pressing member is adjustable in a vertical direction around the rotary shaft.   
     
     
       8. The printer according to claim 7, wherein
 the hole portion completely encloses the rotary shaft.   
     
     
       9. The printer according to claim 1, wherein
 the pressing member consists of a single piece.   
     
     
       10. A printer comprising:
 a platen roller configured to feed a print medium along a medium feed path;   a thermal head disposed to oppose the platen roller in the medium feed path, the thermal head being configured to print on the print medium fed along the medium feed path;   a pressing member configured to press the thermal head onto the platen roller in a state where the print medium is nipped between the platen roller and the thermal head, the pressing member being configured to exert an adjustable pressing force on the thermal head through a front side of the pressing member; and   an elastic member configured to generate force to adjust the adjustable pressing force exerted by the pressing member on the thermal head, wherein   the pressing member is pivotally supported by a rotary shaft at a rear side of the pressing member such that the front side of the pressing member is adjustable around the rotary shaft, and   the elastic member is (1) completely offset from the platen roller when the printer is viewed in a direction perpendicular to a feeding direction of the print medium and (2) separated from a location where the pressing member exerts force on the thermal head.   
     
     
       11. The printer according to claim 10, wherein
 the pressing member comprises a hole portion that at least partially encloses the rotary shaft.   
     
     
       12. The printer according to claim 10, wherein
 the pressing member consists of a single piece.   
     
     
       13. The printer according to claim 10, wherein
 the pressing member has a downwardly extending protrusion.   
     
     
       14. The printer according to claim 13, wherein
 the protrusion of the pressing member is aligned with a printing line of the thermal head and the platen roller when the printer is viewed in a direction perpendicular to the feeding direction of the print medium.   
     
     
       15. The printer according to claim 13, wherein
 the protrusion is provided at the front side of the pressing member configured to press a back of a printing line of the thermal head.   
     
     
       16. The printer according to claim 10, wherein
 the elastic member is configured to adjust the adjustable pressing force in a stepwise manner.   
     
     
       17. The printer according to claim 10, further comprising:
 a rotatable operating portion configured to increase or decrease a compression of the elastic member such that the adjustable pressing force is correspondingly increased or decreased.   
     
     
       18. The printer according to claim 17, wherein
 the operating portion is configured to rotate in a first direction in which the compression of the elastic member is increased and in a second direction opposite to the first direction in which the compression of the elastic member is decreased such that the adjustable pressing force is respectively increased or decreased as the operating portion rotates.   
     
     
       19. The printer according to claim 10, wherein
 the elastic member is configured to act directly upon the pressing member to adjust the adjustable pressing force exerted by the pressing member on the thermal head.