COLOR PRINTER

摘要

In a color printer in which a shuttle assembly containing a plurality of impacting print hammers is reciprocated in bidirectional fashion relative to an opposing platen to impact a print paper against the platen through the different color zones of an ink ribbon to print in color, the different color zones of the ribbon are arranged in a repeating pattern along the length thereof enabling the lightest color to be printed first followed by successively darker colors as the ribbon is advanced bidirectionally between the opposite ends thereof. A pair of barrier zones having a blank ribbon zone therebetween are disposed between each adjacent pair of color zones on the ribbon to prevent ribbon contamination due to bleeding of ink between adjacent color zones when the ribbon is wound on a reel. Ribbon contamination is further prevented by the blank ribbon zones which absorb ink that rubs off onto the ribbon guides. The various different color zones are identified by one or more strips which extend across the width of the ribbon adjacent each color zone and which identify the color therein in bar code fashion. The color printer may be operated in a manner which provides multiple passes of each color zone through the print station between the shuttle assembly and the platen to prolong the life of the ribbon and to enable the printer to quickly advance to the next color zone with a minimum amount of search time. The print paper which is driven bidirectionally by tractor drives above the print station is held in tension by an arrangement below the print station which employs a torque motor having an elastomeric wheel engaging a side of the paper opposite an arrangement of non-ink absorbing rollers.