THERMAL TRANSFER PRINTER AND PRINTING CONTROL METHOD

摘要

PURPOSE:To demand the replacement of an ink ribbon cassette having no ribbon end detection means by providing a detection means detecting the stop of the rotation of either one of drive motors driving the delivery shaft and taking-up shaft of the ink ribbon cassette and the taking-up shaft of a ribbon core to the loading member of the ink ribbon cassette. CONSTITUTION:A carriage 12 is equipped with a drive motor 18 and a detection means 19 and a taking-up shaft 14 is engaged with the output shaft of the motor 18 when an ink ribbon cassette 11 is mounted to take up an ink ribbon 17. The detection means 19 electrically detects that the ink ribbon 17 is perfectly taken up and shafts 13, 14 and the motor 18 are stopped as the rapid monotonous increase of the supply current to the motor 18. When the ribbon 17 is perfectly taken up by a ribbon core 16, the ribbon 17 and the rotation of the delivery shaft 13 and the core 15 are stopped. The detection means 19 detects the stop of these rotations to stop printing operation by a detection signal and retracts a head to replace the cassette 11.