PRINT MEDIA HANDLING SYSTEM FOR COMPACT PRINTER WITH TRAVERSING, MULTIPLE PRINT HEAD CARRIAGE

摘要

PRINT MEDIA HANDLING SYSTEM FOR COMPACT PRINTER WITH TRAVERSING. MULTIPLE PRINT HEAD CARRIAGE Printer apparatus of the kind having: (i) print/cartridges for printing on successive line sectors of print media that are advanced into and out of the print zone; (ii) a platen means 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 for positioning a stack of sheet print media at a position upstream of the sheet ingress zone; and (iv) structure for effecting periodic feeding engagements between the platen and successive face sheets of a positioned stack, features a pressure roller, 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, 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 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 precisely parallel to the longitudinal axis of the feed/transport platen and carriage structure to index upon that reference surface during traverse.