摘要 |
PURPOSE:To automatically remove dusts from an element part, thereby obtain images with favorable quality and prolong the useful life of a head, by providing a mechanism for cleaning an element part of a thermal head of a thermal transfer printer when the head is rested. CONSTITUTION:For example, when introducing or discharging a paper, a thermal head 40 is turned by a crank wheel 42 and a crank arm 44 to be retracted from a platen 30. In this case, a roller 58 is driven to rotate by a crank arm 46 concurrently with the rotation of the crank wheel 42, whereby a cleaning belt 50 is driven to move in a looped form while being immersed in a cleaning liquid 52, and is brought into sliding contact with the element part of the head 40 at a part 60a of a cleaning roller 60, thereby cleaning the element part. |