Printing apparatus

Abstract

To provide a printer which can suppress defects of a printing head while having a housing to which a cassette for printing is inserted so as to be exposed.SOLUTION: A printer includes a housing having a cassette storage part on which a cassette for printing storing a roll of a printing tape can be mounted, a printing head, and an input part provided on the housing. The printing head has a plurality of heating elements which constitute the printing surface of the printing head, and are arranged in parallel in a scanning direction crossing a virtual surface perpendicular to the insertion direction of the cassette for printing to the cassette storage part. The housing exposes its outer surface crossing the central axis of the roll in the cassette for printing mounted on the cassette storage part. The printing surface of the printing head faces downward in the state where the housing is mounted so that the input part faces upward.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a printing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] In a printing apparatus that prints on a printing tape, the printing tape is exchanged and supplied by attaching and detaching a cassette containing the printing tape to the main body of the printing apparatus. In such a cassette, a configuration in which the cassette is inserted into an opening provided in the housing of the main body of the printing apparatus is known (see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above-described housing, dust easily enters the inside of the opening when the cassette is not mounted. Therefore, dust may adhere to the print head disposed inside the opening, resulting in printing defects.

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure aims to provide a printing apparatus that can suppress defects in a print head while having a housing into which a printing cassette is inserted so as to be exposed.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure is a printing apparatus including a housing having a cassette accommodating portion in which a roll of a printing tape is accommodated, a print head provided in the cassette accommodating portion for printing on the printing tape, and an input portion provided in the housing.

[0007] The print head has multiple heating elements that constitute the printing surface of the print head, as well as elements arranged side by side along a scanning direction that intersects with a virtual plane perpendicular to the insertion direction of the print cassette into the cassette housing. The housing exposes the outer surface that intersects with the central axis of the roll in the print cassette mounted in the cassette housing. The printing surface of the print head faces downward in the vertical direction when the housing is mounted so that the input section faces upward in the vertical direction.

[0008] With this configuration, when the input unit is mounted facing upwards, the printing surface of the print head faces downwards, which suppresses dust accumulation on the print head located within the cassette housing. As a result, in a printing device having a housing into which the print cassette is inserted in an exposed manner, malfunctions of the print head can be suppressed.

[0009] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a printing apparatus comprising a housing having a cassette housing section into which a printing cassette containing a roll of printing tape can be mounted, a print head provided in the cassette housing section for printing on the printing tape, and an input section provided in the housing.

[0010] The print head has multiple heating elements arranged side by side along a scanning direction that intersects a virtual plane perpendicular to the insertion direction of the print cassette into the cassette housing. The housing exposes its outer surface that intersects with the central axis of the rolls in the print cassette mounted in the cassette housing. The housing has a main surface on which an input section is provided. The angle between the main surface and the virtual plane on the outside of the housing is 270° or more.

[0011] With this configuration, the virtual surface on which the print cassette mounted in the cassette housing is exposed has a rotation angle of 270° or more relative to the main surface, thereby suppressing the intrusion of dust into the cassette housing. As a result, in a printing device having a housing into which the print cassette is inserted so that it is exposed, malfunctions of the print head can be suppressed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1]Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of a printing apparatus in an embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of the printing apparatus shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3A is a schematic rear view of the printing apparatus shown in Figure 1, and Figure 3B is a schematic perspective view of the printing apparatus shown in Figure 3A. [Figure 4] Figure 4A is a schematic perspective view of the printing apparatus shown in Figure 1, and Figure 4B is a schematic perspective view of the printing apparatus body shown in Figure 3A. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a schematic side view of the printing apparatus shown in Figure 3A in a mounted state. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the printing cassette in the printing apparatus shown in Figure 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] [1. First Embodiment] [1-1. Structure] The printing device 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a printing device body 10 and a printing cassette 100. The printing device 1 is a device that prints on a tape-shaped printing medium.

[0014] In this embodiment, the axis parallel to the left-right direction (i.e., the width direction) of the main surface 21 is defined as the X-axis, the axis parallel to the up-down direction of the main surface 21 (i.e., the axis parallel to the main surface 21 and perpendicular to the X-axis) is defined as the Y-axis, and the axis parallel to the normal direction of the main surface 21 is defined as the Z-axis.

[0015] <Printing device body> The printing device body 10 comprises a housing 11, an input unit 12, and a display unit 13. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 3A and 3B, the printing device body 10 also includes a print head 14, a platen roller 15, a roller holder 16, a drive shaft 17, and a lever 18.

[0016] (Enclosure) As shown in Figure 2, the housing 11 has a cassette storage section 11A, an outlet 11B, and a finger rest 11C.

[0017] (Cassette storage section) The cassette storage section 11A is a space where the printing cassette 100 can be mounted. The cassette storage section 11A has an insertion port provided on the upper surface 22 of the housing 11. The printing cassette 100 is inserted into the cassette storage section 11A along the direction orthogonal to the upper surface 22 (that is, the normal direction of the upper surface 22).

[0018] The insertion direction of the printing cassette 100 into the cassette storage section 11A intersects the main surface 21 of the housing 11 where the input section 12 and the display section 13 are provided. The insertion port of the cassette storage section 11A is provided above the input section 12 and the display section 13 in the use state of the input section 12. The upper surface 22 where the insertion port of the cassette storage section 11A is provided constitutes the upper end portion of the housing 11. The upper surface 22 intersects both the Y-axis and the Z-axis.

[0019] The housing 11 exposes an outer surface 100A that intersects the central axis P of the first roll 101 (see FIG. 6) in the printing cassette 100 from the insertion port of the cassette storage section 11A. The printing cassette 100 is inserted into the cassette storage section 11A along the direction parallel to the central axis P.

[0020] The housing 11 does not have a lid that covers the printing cassette 100 mounted in the cassette storage section 11A. The printing cassette 100 inserted into the cassette storage section 11A is engaged with the housing 11 by operating the lever 18 (see FIG. 4A).

[0021] The cassette storage section 11A has an opening 11D that exposes a part of the printing cassette 100 mounted in the cassette storage section 11A as viewed from the normal direction of the main surface 21. The opening 11D is provided continuously with the insertion port of the cassette storage section 11A.

[0022] Specifically, the opening 11D is formed by recessing a portion of the edge of the insertion opening of the cassette housing 11A that is closer to the main surface 21 (i.e., the upper edge in the vertical direction) downward (i.e., toward the input section 12). In other words, the opening 11D is formed by a step created by offsetting a portion of the upper surface 22 downward.

[0023] The opening 11D exposes a label 100B, for example, that is attached to a surface intersecting the outer surface 100A of the printing cassette 100 (specifically, a surface parallel to the central axis P of the first roll 101), so that it can be seen when the input unit 12 is in use. This makes it easier for the user to identify the installed printing cassette 100.

[0024] (Exhaust port) The discharge port 11B discharges the printed tape from inside the cassette housing 11A to the outside. The discharge port 11B is provided on the first side surface 23 of the housing 11. The discharge port 11B discharges the printed tape along the Y axis (i.e., in a direction perpendicular to the first side surface 23).

[0025] The first side surface 23 is a surface that intersects with both the main surface 21 and a virtual surface (i.e., the top surface 22) that is perpendicular to the insertion direction of the printing cassette 100 into the cassette storage section 11A. The first side surface 23 is located to the left of the main surface 21 when the input section 12 is in use. Note that there is no opening on the second side surface 24 (see Figure 4A), which is opposite to the first side surface 23.

[0026] As shown in Figure 5, the angle φ between the normal direction T of the side of the printed tape that has been printed by the print head 14 (i.e., the side facing the print head 14) and the normal direction N of the main surface 21 (i.e., the Z-axis) at the discharge port 11B is less than 45°.

[0027] In other words, with the housing 11 placed on a plane S such that the input unit 12 faces upward in the vertical direction, the printed tape is discharged from the discharge port 11B such that the printed side faces upward in the vertical direction and towards the input unit 12.

[0028] (Finger rest) The finger rest portion 11C shown in Figures 4A and 4B is a recess provided continuously with the cassette storage portion 11A.

[0029] Specifically, the finger rest portion 11C is provided on the upper surface 22 at the edge facing the opening 11D in the cassette housing portion 11A. When the printing cassette 100 is installed in the cassette housing portion 11A, the printing cassette 100 is exposed within the finger rest portion 11C.

[0030] With the print cassette 100 installed in the cassette housing 11A, the user can remove the print cassette 100 from the cassette housing 11A by inserting their finger into the finger rest 11C.

[0031] (Input section) The input unit 12 shown in Figure 1 is a keyboard that can input characters, symbols, etc., to be printed on the printing tape.

[0032] The input unit 12 consists of a plurality of keys or buttons arranged on the main surface 21 of the housing 11. The input unit 12 also has operation keys for inputting processing such as print settings and print execution.

[0033] The main surface 21 is the surface on which the functions for user input operations and display confirmation are concentrated when the printing device body 10 is in use. The user performs input operations while holding or placing the printing device body 10 in a position where the input unit 12 and the display unit 13 are visible. The vertical length of the main surface 21 when the input unit 12 is in use is greater than the horizontal length.

[0034] (Display) The display unit 13 displays the input content (i.e., the print content) from the input unit 12. The display unit 13 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic LED, or the like.

[0035] The display unit 13 is located on the main surface 21 of the housing 11. The display unit 13 is located closer to the insertion opening of the cassette storage unit 11A (i.e., the top surface 22) than the input unit 12. In other words, the display unit 13 is located above the input unit 12 when the input unit 12 is in use, and below the insertion opening of the cassette storage unit 11A.

[0036] As shown in Figure 5, the cassette housing section 11A overlaps with a portion of the display section 13 in the direction normal to the main surface 21 N (i.e., the direction parallel to the Z-axis).

[0037] (Print head) The print head 14 shown in Figures 3A and 3B prints onto the print tape held by the print cassette 100.

[0038] The print head 14 is located within the cassette housing section 11A. The print head 14 has a plate shape, with its thickness direction parallel to the thickness direction of the printed tape discharged from the discharge port 11B.

[0039] The print head 14 has multiple heating elements (i.e., heating components) whose heating is individually controlled. The print tape, which is transported by the platen roller 15 to a position overlapping with the print head 14, is pressed against the print head 14, which is heated by the heating elements, via the ink ribbon. As a result, some of the ink placed on the surface of the ink ribbon is transferred to the print tape, and characters, symbols, etc. are printed on the print tape.

[0040] Multiple heating elements constitute the printing surface 14A of the print head 14. Furthermore, the multiple heating elements are arranged side-by-side along a scanning direction that intersects a virtual surface (i.e., the upper surface 22) perpendicular to the insertion direction of the print cassette 100 into the cassette housing 11A. In this embodiment, the scanning direction is parallel to the insertion direction of the print cassette 100.

[0041] As shown in Figure 5, the printing surface 14A of the print head 14 is positioned to face downward in the vertical direction, with the housing 11 placed on a plane S such that the input unit 12 and the display unit 13 face upward in the vertical direction.

[0042] Here, "the printing surface 14A faces downward in the vertical direction" means that the normal vector of the printing surface 14A includes a component that points vertically downward. In other words, the print head 14 is pressed against the printing tape from above in the vertical direction.

[0043] Furthermore, when the housing 11 is placed on a plane S such that the input unit 12 and the display unit 13 face upward in the vertical direction, the normal vector of the main surface 21 and the normal vector of the top surface 22 are both inclined with respect to the vertical direction and have a vertically upward component.

[0044] Furthermore, the first angle Θ1 formed on the outside of the housing 11 between the main surface 21 and the virtual surface V (i.e., the top surface 22) which is perpendicular to the insertion direction of the printing cassette 100 into the cassette storage section 11A is 270° or more. In other words, the second angle Θ2 formed on the inside of the housing 11 between the main surface 21 and the virtual surface V is less than 90°.

[0045] The first angle Θ1 is the angle between the principal surface 21 and the virtual surface V in a counterclockwise direction in the YZ plane, where the origin O is the intersection line of the plane extended from the principal surface 21 and the virtual surface V, when the normal vector of the principal surface 21 points to the first quadrant and the principal surface 21 is the boundary between the first and fourth quadrants.

[0046] (Platen Roller) The platen roller 15 shown in Figures 3A and 3B is a roller for transporting the printing tape from inside the printing cassette 100 to the outside. The rotation axis of the platen roller 15 is parallel to the direction in which the printing cassette 100 is inserted into the cassette housing 11A (i.e., the scanning direction of the print head 14).

[0047] The platen roller 15 is positioned inside the housing 11, facing the print head 14. The platen roller 15 is held by a roller holder 16. The platen roller 15 is displaced by the movement of the roller holder 16 between a nip position, where it nips the print tape together with the print head 14 (i.e., presses the print tape against the print head 14), and a non-nip position, where it is away from the print tape.

[0048] (Drive shaft) The drive shaft 17 is located inside the housing 11. The drive shaft 17 is inserted into the printing cassette 100 within the cassette housing 11A.

[0049] The drive shaft 17 inputs the driving force for winding the ink ribbon to the printing cassette 100. The rotation axis of the drive shaft 17 is parallel to the Y-axis. The drive shaft 17 rotates around its rotation axis by a drive source (not shown).

[0050] (lever) The lever 18 shown in Figures 4A and 4B is a plate-shaped member that displaces the platen roller 15 between the nip position and the non-nip position. The lever 18 is connected to the roller holder 16 inside the housing 11.

[0051] The lever 18 is located on the back surface 25 of the housing 11. The back surface 25 is the surface located on the opposite side of the main surface 21, with the print head 14 and platen roller 15 in between. The back surface 25 is inclined with respect to the main surface 21. Also, the back surface 25 is perpendicular to the top surface 22.

[0052] The lever 18 is displaceable between the locked position shown in Figure 4A and the unlocked position shown in Figure 4B. The lever 18 is pivotably connected to the housing 11 around a rotation axis parallel to the back surface 25.

[0053] In the locked position, the lever 18 is housed inside the housing 11 so as to be flush with the back surface 25. When the lever 18 moves to the locked position, the platen roller 15 moves to the nip position and the printing cassette 100 is fixed to the housing 11.

[0054] In the release position, the lever 18 is raised relative to the back surface 25. When the lever 18 moves to the release position, the platen roller 15 moves to the non-nip position, and the fixing of the printing cassette 100 is released.

[0055] <Printing Cassette> The printing cassette 100 contains the printing tape, which is the printing medium. The printing cassette 100 is detachable from the printing device body 10. By replacing the printing cassette 100, the printing medium can be replenished and the type of printing medium (e.g., color, material, etc.) can be changed.

[0056] As shown in Figure 6, the printing cassette 100 comprises a first roll 101, a first supply spool 102, a second roll 103, a second supply spool 104, an input spool 105, a clutch spring holder 109, a first case 110A, a second case 110B, a third case 110C, and a fourth case 110D.

[0057] (case) Case 110A, Case 210B, Case 310C, and Case 410D and Case 110 are divided cases that house the rolls, spools, and gears.

[0058] The case of the printing cassette 100 is a rectangular parallelepiped having sides parallel in the vertical direction, sides parallel in the front-to-back direction, and sides parallel in the left-to-right direction. The outer wall of the first case 110A facing the first roll 101 includes an outer surface 100A (see Figure 2) that intersects with the central axis P.

[0059] The third case 110C is provided with a head opening 111 into which the print head 14 is inserted when the print cassette 100 is installed in the cassette housing section 11A. Printing onto the print tape is performed by the print head 14 in the head opening 111.

[0060] The width direction of the printed tape in the head opening 111 is parallel to the scanning direction in which the multiple heating elements of the print head 14 are arranged. The printed tape printed in the head opening 111 is discharged from the discharge port 11B of the housing 11.

[0061] (First roll) The first roll 101 is a printed tape on which printing will be performed, wound around the first supply spool 102.

[0062] Printing is performed on the surface of the printing tape by the print head 14 and ink ribbon of the printing device body 10. Two spacer films 101A and 101B are positioned on the axial outer side of the first roll 101, sandwiching the first roll 101.

[0063] The central axis P of the first roll 101 is parallel to the insertion direction I of the printing cassette 100 into the cassette housing 11A. Furthermore, the first roll 101 is positioned offset from the head opening 111 in the insertion direction I.

[0064] Therefore, with the print cassette 100 installed in the cassette housing 11A, the multiple heating elements of the print head 14 are positioned differently from the first roll 101 in the scanning direction (i.e., the insertion direction I).

[0065] (First supply spool) The first supply spool 102 is rotatable around its rotation axis. The first supply spool 102 rotates in conjunction with the transport of the printing tape by the platen roller 15 of the printing device body 10, thereby supplying the printing tape to the print head 14.

[0066] (Roll 2) The second roll 103 is an ink ribbon used for printing on the printing tape, wound around the second supply spool 104. The second roll 103 is positioned offset from the first roll 101 in the insertion direction I.

[0067] The ink ribbon is placed on top of the printing tape and used for printing by the print head 14. The ink ribbon used for printing is wound onto the input spool 105. The second roll 103 is subjected to rotational resistance by a clutch spring 109A held in the clutch spring holder 109.

[0068] (Second supply spool) The second supply spool 104 is rotatable around its rotation axis. The second supply spool 104 rotates in conjunction with the winding of the ink ribbon by the input spool 105, thereby supplying the ink ribbon to the print head 14.

[0069] (Input spool) The input spool 105 is rotatable around its rotation axis. Driving force is input to the input spool 105 from the drive shaft 17 of the printing device body 10.

[0070] <How to use the printer> The following describes the printing procedure on the printing tape in the printing device 1. First, the printing cassette 100 is inserted into the cassette housing section 11A of the printing device body 10.

[0071] After inserting the printing cassette 100, the lever 18 is moved from the unlocked position to the locked position. This moves the platen roller 15 to the nip position, and the printing device body 10 becomes ready for printing.

[0072] When the printer is ready to print, characters, symbols, etc., entered by the user via the input unit 12 are displayed on the display unit 13. After the user confirms the input on the display unit 13, they input a print command via the input unit 12. This causes the print head 14 to print onto the print tape in the print cassette 100.

[0073] The printed tape printed by the print head 14 is discharged from the discharge port 11B. At this time, the printed tape is discharged from the housing 11 so that the printed side of the tape faces the user.

[0074] To replace the print cassette 100, the lever 18 is moved from the locked position to the unlocked position, thereby moving the platen roller 15 to the non-nip position. The user can then remove the print cassette 100 from the cassette housing 11A by inserting their fingers into the finger rests 11C and the opening 11D.

[0075] [1-2. Effects] According to the embodiments described in detail above, the following effects can be obtained. (1a) When the input unit 12 is mounted facing upward, the printing surface 14A of the print head 14 faces downward, thereby suppressing the accumulation of dust on the print head 14 located in the cassette housing 11A. As a result, malfunctions of the print head 14 can be suppressed in the printing device body 10 which has a housing 11 into which the print cassette 100 is inserted so that it is exposed.

[0076] (1b) With respect to the main surface 21, the virtual surface V on which the printing cassette 100 mounted in the cassette housing 11A is exposed has a rotation angle of 270° or more, thereby suppressing the entry of dust into the cassette housing 11A. As a result, in a printing device body 10 having a housing 11 into which the printing cassette 100 is inserted so as to be exposed, malfunctions of the print head 14 can be suppressed.

[0077] (1c) The cassette housing section 11A has an opening 11D that exposes a part of the printing cassette 100 installed in the cassette housing section 11A when viewed from the direction normal to the main surface 21, so that the user can recognize the installed printing cassette 100 when performing input operations.

[0078] (1d) The lever 18 is provided on the back surface 25 of the housing 11, which allows space to be secured on the main surface 21 for the display unit 13, while also allowing the printing surface 14A of the print head 14 to be directed in a predetermined direction.

[0079] (1e) The finger rest portion 11C makes it easy to remove the printing cassette 100 from the cassette storage portion 11A. (1f) The cassette storage section 11A overlaps with the display section 13 in the direction normal to the main surface 21, thereby making the housing 11 smaller.

[0080] [2. Other Embodiments] While embodiments of this disclosure have been described above, it goes without saying that this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above and can take various forms.

[0081] (2a) In the printing apparatus of the above embodiment, the insertion opening for the cassette storage section may be provided on the first side or the second side of the housing. The discharge opening may be provided on the top surface or the second side of the housing.

[0082] (2b) In the printing apparatus of the above embodiment, the cassette housing section does not necessarily have to have an opening that exposes a part of the printing cassette installed in the cassette housing section.

[0083] (2c) In the printing apparatus of the above embodiment, the lever does not necessarily have to be provided on the back surface of the housing. For example, the lever may be provided on the main surface, first side surface, second side surface, or top surface of the housing.

[0084] (2d) In the printing apparatus of the above embodiment, the display unit may be located below the input unit. Also, the vertical length of the main surface may be less than or equal to the horizontal length.

[0085] (2e) In the printing apparatus of the above embodiment, the lever may be configured to displace the print head between the nip position and the non-nip position instead of the platen roller. Alternatively, the lever may displace both the platen roller and the print head.

[0086] (2f) In the printing apparatus of the above embodiment, with the printing cassette installed in the cassette housing, the multiple heating elements of the print head may be arranged in the same position as the first roll in the scanning direction (i.e., in a position that overlaps with the radial direction of the first roll).

[0087] (2g) The functions of one component in the above embodiment may be distributed among multiple components, or the functions of multiple components may be integrated into one component. Also, some parts of the configuration of the above embodiment may be omitted. Also, at least some parts of the configuration of the above embodiment may be added to, substituted for, or otherwise replaced with the configuration of other above embodiments. Any aspect of the technical concept specified by the wording of the claims is an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0088] 1...Printing device, 10...Printing device body, 11...Housing, 11A...Cassette storage section, 11B...Discharge port, 11C...Finger rest, 11D...Opening, 12...Input section, 13...Display section, 14...Print head, 14A...Print surface, 15...Platen roller, 16...Roller holder, 17...Drive shaft, 18...Lever, 21...Main surface, 22...Top surface, 23...First side surface, 24...Second side, 25...Back, 100...Printing cassette, 100A...Outer surface 100B...Label, 101...First roll, 102...First supply spool 103...Second roll, 104...Second supply spool, 105...Input spool, 109...Clutch spring holder, 110A...First case, 110B...Second case, 110C...Third case, 110D...Fourth case, 111...Head opening.

Claims

1. A housing having a cassette storage section into which a printing cassette containing a roll of printing tape can be installed, A print head is provided within the cassette housing section for printing on the print tape, The aforementioned housing includes an input section, Equipped with, The print head has a plurality of heating elements that constitute the printing surface of the print head and are arranged side by side along a scanning direction that intersects with a virtual plane perpendicular to the insertion direction of the print cassette into the cassette housing, The housing is provided inside the housing, and the platen roller facing the print head exposes the outer surface that intersects with the central axis of the roll in the printing cassette mounted in the cassette housing when the print head and the platen roller are in the nip position where they nip the printing tape. A printing apparatus in which the printing surface of the print head faces downward in the vertical direction when the housing is mounted such that the input section faces upward in the vertical direction.

2. The printing cassette mounted in the cassette housing has an outer surface on the housing side which is the outer surface facing the housing and an outer surface on the opposite side which is the outer surface facing the opposite side of the housing, The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the housing exposes the entire opposite outer surface of the printing cassette mounted in the cassette housing when the platen roller is in the nip position.

3. The aforementioned enclosure is The main surface on which the input section is provided, A side surface that intersects both the main surface and the virtual surface, An outlet for discharging the printed tape is provided on the aforementioned side, A printing apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, having the following features.

4. The housing has a main surface on which the input section is provided, The housing has an opening that exposes a portion of the printing cassette that is installed in the cassette storage section. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the opening is formed by recessing the portion of the edge of the insertion opening for the printing cassette into the cassette housing section that is close to the main surface toward the input section.

5. The printing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the housing has a finger rest portion located on the edge of the insertion slot of the printing cassette facing the opening, and the portion is formed by recessing the said portion toward the input section.

6. A lever that displaces at least one of the print head and the platen roller between the nip position and a non-nip position where the print head and the platen roller are away from the print tape, Furthermore, The aforementioned enclosure is The main surface on which the input section is provided, The back surface, which is positioned on the opposite side from the main surface, with the print head and the platen roller in between, It has, The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the lever is provided on the back surface.

7. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the housing has a finger rest portion provided in continuous with the cassette storage portion.

8. The housing has a main surface on which the input section is provided, The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the vertical length of the main surface in the state of use of the input section is greater than the horizontal length.

9. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the input unit is a keyboard capable of inputting characters.

10. The system further includes a display unit that displays the input content from the aforementioned input unit, The housing has a main surface on which the input section and the display section are provided. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the display unit is located closer to the insertion opening of the cassette storage unit than the input unit.

11. The printing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the cassette storage section overlaps with the display section in the direction normal to the main surface.

12. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein, with the printing cassette installed in the cassette housing, the plurality of heating elements of the print head are arranged in a position different from the roll in the scanning direction.

13. A housing having a cassette storage section into which a printing cassette containing a roll of printing tape can be installed, A print head is provided within the cassette housing section for printing on the print tape, The aforementioned housing includes an input section, Equipped with, The print head has a plurality of heating elements arranged side by side along a scanning direction that intersects with a virtual plane perpendicular to the insertion direction of the print cassette into the cassette housing, The housing is provided inside the housing, and the platen roller facing the print head exposes the outer surface that intersects with the central axis of the roll in the printing cassette mounted in the cassette housing when the print head and the platen roller are in the nip position where they nip the printing tape. The housing has a main surface on which the input section is provided, A printing apparatus in which the angle between the main surface and the virtual surface on the outside of the housing is 270° or more.

Images