Print media handling system for compact printer with traversing, multiple print head carriage.

摘要

Printer apparatus of the kind having: (i) print/cartridges (20) for printing on successive line sectors of print media that are advanced into and out of the print zone; (ii) a platen (8) including a feed/transport periphery that is movable around an endless path past a sheet ingress zone, the print zone and a sheet egress zone; (iii) a sheet supply station (28) for positioning a stack (S) of sheet print media at a position upstream of the sheet ingress zone; and (iv) structure (25a) for effecting periodic feeding engagements between the platen and successive face sheets of a positioned stack, features a pressure roller (27), located proximate the sheet ingress zone at a position upstream of the print path, for biasing a sheet moving therepast into drive transmission relation with the platen. The printer can also comprise a downstream guide (35), located proximate the sheet egress zone at a position downstream of the print zone printing means. In a related feature, the printer includes a carriage (41, 42) constructed to support a plurality of print heads so that each can traverse the complete line width of the print zone and a control means for synchronizing movement of the carriage with the platen to effect initial sheet feed. In another related feature the printer has a reference surface (48) precisely parallel to the longitudinal axis of the feed/transport platen and carriage structure (47) to index upon that reference surface during traverse.