Printer

Abstract

Provided is a printer capable of removing dust from a printing area of a plate.　The present invention provides a printer comprising a conveying unit, a printing unit, and a dust removing unit, wherein: the conveying unit is configured to convey the plate to a printing position facing the printing unit; the printing unit is configured to print onto a printing area of the plate at the printing position; the dust removing unit includes a blower unit, a guide unit, and a dust collecting unit; the blower unit is configured to supply an airflow for removing dust adhering to the plate; the guide unit is configured to guide the airflow supplied from the blower unit to the plate being conveyed by the conveying unit; and the dust collecting unit is configured to collect the dust removed from the plate, on the downstream side of a dust removal position in an air passage formed by the guide unit.

Description

printer

[0001] The present invention relates to a printer configured to print on a preparation plate having a printable area.

[0002] Conventionally, printers that print on a plate (e.g., a glass plate) for a preparation having a print area have been known (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). In such printers, ink from an ink ribbon is often transferred to the print area of ​​the plate by a thermal transfer or dot impact mechanism.

[0003] Patent No. 6773350 Patent No. 6928961

[0004] However, if dust or other particles adhere to the printing area of ​​the plate, problems can occur during the printing process. For example, if there is a large amount of dust, defects can occur in the printed image. Furthermore, if the dust is hard, such as glass cullet, the ink ribbon in contact with the printing area can become soiled.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a printer that is capable of removing dust from the printing area of ​​the plate.

[0006] According to the present invention, the following inventions are provided: [1] A printer comprising a transport unit, a printing unit, and a dust removal unit configured to print on a preparation plate having a printing area, wherein the transport unit is configured to transport the plate to a printing position opposite the printing unit, and the printing unit is configured to print on the printing area of ​​the plate at the printing position, the dust removal unit has an air blower, a guide unit, and a dust collection unit, the air blower is configured to supply air to remove dust adhering to the plate, the guide unit is configured to guide the air supplied from the air blower to the plate being transported by the transport unit, and the dust collection unit is configured to collect dust removed from the plate downstream of the dust removal position in an air path formed by the guide unit. [2] The printer described in [1], wherein the dust collection unit is a porous member configured to capture dust. [3] The printer according to [1] or [2], wherein the air passage is configured to incline downward downstream of the dust removal position, and the dust collection unit is located below the dust removal position. [4] The printer according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the air passage is arranged perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the plates and is located horizontally at the dust removal position. [5] The printer according to any one of [1] to [4], further comprising a supply unit, wherein the supply unit has at least a kick claw and a kick claw drive mechanism, and the kick claw is configured to push the lowest plate of the plates stacked in the supply unit toward the printing position one by one when driven by the kick claw drive mechanism, and the dust removal unit is located so as to be sandwiched between the printing unit and the supply unit, and has a printing unit-side partition and a supply unit-side partition between the printing unit and the supply unit, respectively. [6] The printer according to [5], wherein the width of the air passage defined by the distance between the printing unit side partition wall and the supply unit side partition wall is shorter than the length of the plate in the transport direction.[7] A printer according to [5] or [6], wherein the kick claw is made up of an upper member and a lower member, the bottom surface of the upper member is configured to be an inclined surface, the upper surface of the lower member is configured to be an inclined surface that abuts the inclined surface of the upper member, and the vertical position of the upper member is adjusted by adjusting the horizontal position of the lower member.

[0007] According to the present invention, in a printer configured to print on a plate for preparation having a print area, it is possible to remove dust from the print area of ​​the plate.

[0008] FIG. 1A is an external perspective view of the printer 10, and FIG. 1B is a schematic plan view of a plate 12 to be printed by the printer 10. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the general configuration of the printer 10 with the exterior cover removed. FIGS. 3A and 3B are perspective views showing the general configuration of the conveying unit 16 and the dust removal unit 20. FIGS. 4A and 4B are perspective views showing the general configuration of the dust removal unit 20 with the housing 22 removed. FIGS. 5A and 5B are perspective views showing the configuration of the air passage of the dust removal unit 20. FIG. 6 is a side view showing the general configuration of the supply unit 18 of the printer 10. FIG. 7A is a perspective view showing the installation state of the kick pawl 182 of the supply unit 18, and FIG. 7B is an enlarged perspective view of the kick pawl 182 and its surroundings. FIGS. 8A to 8D are views showing the operation of the kick pawl 182 to feed the plate 12. Fig. 9A is a perspective view of kick pawl 182 as seen from the front side, Fig. 9B is a perspective view of kick pawl 182 as seen from the rear side, and Fig. 9C is a rear view of kick pawl 182. Fig. 10A is a perspective view showing the configuration around sensor unit 165, and Fig. 10B is a side view showing the configuration around sensor unit 165.

[0009] <Overall Configuration of Printer 10> An embodiment of the present invention will now be described. The various features shown in the following embodiments can be combined with one another. Furthermore, each feature can be an independent invention. FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a schematic exterior view of a printer 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The printer 10 is configured to perform a printing process on a plate 12 for a slide preparation. The printer 10 includes a housing 10C that houses each unit required for the printing process.

[0010] An operation unit 10A is provided on the front surface of the housing 10C. The operation unit 10A includes a display unit for conveying necessary information to the user, an operation input unit for receiving input operations from the user, a power switch, and the like. An opening 10B for inserting and ejecting a plate 12 is provided below the operation unit 10A. In this embodiment, a glass plate for slide preparations is used as the plate 12. However, the material of the plate 12 is not limited to glass.

[0011] 1B, the plate 12 has a printing area 122 and an observation area 124. Information about the observation sample (control number, date, barcode information, and other necessary information) is printed in the printing area 122. An observation sample (specimen) 126 is placed in the observation area 124, and a cover glass 128 is placed thereon to create a slide.

[0012] The size of the plate 12 is typically about 70 to 80 mm in length (vertical direction in the drawing), about 20 to 30 mm in width (horizontal direction in the drawing), and about 0.8 to 1.2 mm in thickness (normal direction to the paper surface). The length of the print area 122 is 20 to 40% of the entire length of the plate. The dust removal unit 20, which will be described later, efficiently removes dust from the range of this print area 122.

[0013] In the printer 10, the plate 12 can be inserted through the opening 10B, but can also be fed out from a feed unit 18, which will be described later. In this case, the plate 12 can be transported with the printing area 122 of the plate 12 at the front, or with the observation area 124 at the front.

[0014] 2 is a side view of the printer 10 with the exterior cover removed. For ease of explanation, each part is shown in simplified form. Also, in FIG. 2, a plate receiving device for receiving the plate 12 ejected from the opening 10B is shown attached.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 2, the printer 10 includes at least a printing unit 14, a transport unit 16, a supply unit 18, a dust removal unit 20, and a control unit 30.

[0016] The transport unit 16 transports the plate 12 to a printing position 11A facing the printing unit 14 on the transport path 11. The transport unit 16 also transports the plate 12, which has been printed by the printing unit 14, to an opening 10B, which is the discharge position.

[0017] The printing unit 14 is configured to print on the printing area 122 of the plate 12 at the printing position 11A. The supply unit 18 includes a plate cassette 186. The plate cassette 186 is configured to stack and store plates 12 to be supplied to the printing position 11A. The supply unit 18 is configured to supply the plates 12 stored in the plate cassette 186 one by one toward the printing position 11A.

[0018] The dust removal unit 20 is disposed so as to be sandwiched between the printing unit 14 and the supply unit 18. The dust removal unit 20 is configured to remove dust adhering to the plate 12 at a predetermined dust removal position 11B on the conveying path 11, which is different from the printing position 11A.

[0019] The control unit 30 is configured to comprehensively control the operations of the operation unit 10A, printing unit 14, conveying unit 16, supply unit 18, dust removal unit 20, etc. described above. Each component of the control unit 30 may be realized by software or hardware. When realized by software, various functions can be realized by a CPU executing a computer program. The program may be stored in an internal storage unit or a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium. Alternatively, the program may be read from an external storage unit and realized by so-called cloud computing. When realized by hardware, the function may be realized by various circuits such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a DRP (Dynamically Reconfigurable Processor). In this embodiment, various information and concepts that encompass this information are handled, and these are represented by high or low signal values ​​as a collection of binary bits consisting of 0 or 1, and communication and calculations can be performed using the above-mentioned software or hardware aspects.

[0020] 3A and 3B, the conveying unit 16 includes at least a pair of conveying rollers 162, a platen roller 164, a pair of discharge rollers 166, and a conveying drive unit 168. The pair of conveying rollers 162 is configured to convey the plate 12 by clamping both sides of the plate 12 in the width direction (the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction). The platen roller 164 is disposed opposite the print head of the printing unit 14. The platen roller 164 is also configured to contact the back surface of the plate 12 being conveyed while being printed at the printing position 11A. The pair of discharge rollers 166 conveys the plate 12 to be discharged through the opening 10B. The pair of discharge rollers 166 also introduces the plate 12 inserted through the opening 10B onto the conveying path 11.

[0021] The transport drive unit 168 is configured to transmit the power required for the transport roller pair 162, the platen roller 164, the discharge roller pair 166, etc. As the configuration of the transport drive unit 168 can be, for example, the configuration detailed in the applicant's prior application (for example, Japanese Patent No. 6773350, etc.), a detailed description thereof will be omitted here. Also, a sensor unit 165 for detecting the plate 12 is disposed in the transport unit 16, but the position of the sensor unit 165 will be described later.

[0022] 2, the printing unit 14 includes an ink ribbon 142, an ink ribbon supply unit 144, an ink ribbon take-up unit 146, and a thermal transfer unit 148. The printing unit 14 is configured to transfer ink corresponding to print data to the printing area 122 of the plate 12 by a thermal head of the thermal transfer unit 148 at the printing position 11A (a position facing the platen roller 164). The printing unit 14 can use the configuration of a conventional thermal transfer printing unit, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0023] 3A and 3B , the dust removal unit 20 includes a housing 22 having at least a printing unit-side partition 22 A and a supply unit-side partition 22 B. The housing 22 contains various components necessary for the dust removal process.

[0024] 4A and 4B show the configuration of the dust removal unit 20 without the housing 22. The dust removal unit 20 includes, inside the housing 22, a blower 24 as a blower, an upper guide member 26A, and a lower guide member 26B.

[0025] The blower 24 is configured to supply air to remove dust adhering to the plate 12 (particularly the printing area 122). The blower 24 is, for example, a sirocco fan. However, various types of fans other than a sirocco fan can be appropriately used as long as they are small, high-volume fans that can be placed in the narrow space between the printing unit 14 and the supply unit 18.

[0026] The upper guide member 26A and the lower guide member 26B are each configured to guide the air generated by the air blower 24 to the plate 12 passing through the dust removal position 11B of the conveying path 11. The dust removal unit 20 further includes a porous sponge member 28 serving as a dust collection unit (porous member). The sponge member 28 is disposed downstream of the dust removal position 11B in the air path formed by the upper guide member 26A and the lower guide member 26B. The sponge member 28 is configured to capture and collect dust removed from the plate 12 downstream of the dust removal position 11B in the air path.

[0027] 5A and 5B , the dust removal unit 20 will be further described. The upper guide member 26A and the lower guide member 26B are arranged to extend in a direction perpendicular to the conveying path 11 of the plate 12. The upper guide member 26A is arranged in a substantially vertical direction at the end connected to the air blower 24. The upper guide member 26A is configured so that its inclination angle decreases as it approaches the conveying path 11, and is arranged horizontally above the conveying path 11. On the opposite side of the conveying path 11 from the air blower 24, the upper guide member 26A is arranged at a downward incline so as to guide the air to the sponge member 28, which is arranged below the conveying path 11.

[0028] The lower guide member 26B is provided so as to extend from the end connected to the blower 24 to just before the conveying path 11. Like the upper guide member 26A, the lower guide member 26B is configured so that the angle of inclination decreases as it approaches the conveying path 11, and becomes nearly horizontal near the conveying path 11.

[0029] As a result, the wind guided by the upper guide member 26A and the lower guide member 26B travels horizontally along the conveying path 11. Because the wind strikes the printing area 122 of the plate 12 directly from the side, dust adhering to the printing area 122 is captured and collected by the sponge member 28 without scattering to the surrounding area. The sponge member 28 captures dust within its pores (mesh structure). Therefore, dust captured by the sponge member 28 is less likely to scatter again. Because the sponge member 28 has countless pores (mesh structure), it can continue to collect a large amount of dust for a long period of time. For example, while dust can also be collected using an adhesive member, using the sponge member 28 allows for a larger amount of dust to be collected for a longer period of time.

[0030] If the plate 12 is made of glass, hard dust such as glass powder (glass cullet, etc.) may adhere to the printing area 122 of the plate 12 inside the plate cassette 186 of the supply unit 18 that loads the plate 12. Such hard dust will contaminate the ink ribbon 142 of the printing unit 14, so it is important to remove the plate 12 before it reaches the printing unit 14.

[0031] In the printer 10, the blowing operation of the blower 24 starts at the timing when the supply unit 18 sends out the plate 12. Then, before the printing area 122 of the plate 12 passes the dust removal position 11B on the transport path 11, the air from the blower 24 reaches the dust removal position 11B. Then, before the printing area 122 of the plate 12 reaches the printing position 11A, the blowing operation of the blower 24 stops.

[0032] Therefore, even if hard dust adheres to the printing area 122, the hard dust is removed from the printing area 122 before the plate 12 reaches the printing unit 14. Such hard dust has a certain weight, so it is easily captured by the sponge member 28, which is located below the dust removal position 11B on the transport path 11. As a result, it is possible to prevent problems such as the ink ribbon 142 breaking due to hard dust.

[0033] The air path for the air guided by the upper guide member 26A and the lower guide member 26B is formed in the narrow space between the printing unit-side partition 22A and the supply unit-side partition 22B, as shown in Figures 3A and 3B. This narrows the width of the air path, making it possible to concentrate the air on the printing area 122 of the plate 12. Therefore, the air from the air blower 24 is less likely to adversely affect, for example, the observation area 124 of the plate 12. For example, problems such as the observation sample (specimen) 126 or cover glass 128 in the observation area 124 being displaced by the wind are less likely to occur.

[0034] In principle, the dust removal process is performed on the printing area 122 of the plate 12, but an operating mode for different target areas of the dust removal process may be provided. For example, when the plate 12 is transported without an observation sample (specimen) 126 or cover glass 128, the blowing operation of the blower 24 may be controlled so that the dust removal process can be performed on the entire plate 12, including the observation area 124. Specifically, when the plate 12 is supplied from the supply unit 18, the blowing operation of the blower 24 may be controlled so that the entire plate 12 is constantly exposed to air while passing through the dust removal position 11B. On the other hand, when the plate 12 is supplied from the opening 10B, there is a possibility that the observation sample (specimen) 126 or cover glass 128 has already been placed on the plate 12, so the blowing operation of the blower 24 may be controlled so that the air is only exposed to the printing area 122 of the plate 12. The user may be able to select the target area of ​​the dust removal process (only the print area 122 or the entire plate 12) via the operation unit 10A.

[0035] The air passage width defined by the distance between the upper guide member 26A and the lower guide member 26B is preferably shorter than the length of the plate 12 (75 mm in this example), for example. Furthermore, it is preferably longer than the length of the printing area 122 of the plate 12 and shorter than half the overall length of the plate 12. The air passage width may be, for example, 20 mm, 25 mm, 30 mm, 35 mm, 40 mm, 45 mm, or 50 mm, or may be within a range between any two of the numerical values ​​exemplified here.

[0036] In addition, since dust is less likely to scatter to the outside from the closed space within the housing 22 having the printing section side partition 22A and the supply section side partition 22B, it is less likely that the dust removal process of the dust removal section 20 will cause problems such as soiling other parts within the printer 10.

[0037] Since dust accumulates on the sponge member 28 with continued use, it is preferable that the sponge member 28 be configured to be detachable from the mounting jig, etc. If the sponge member 28 is configured to be easily detachable, the sponge member 28 can be removed periodically to suck up or shake off the dust.

[0038] <Supply Unit 18> Next, the supply unit 18 will be described using Figures 6 to 9. The supply unit 18 includes at least a kick claw 182 and a kick claw drive mechanism 184. The kick claw 182 is configured to push out the bottommost plates 12, one by one, of the multiple plates 12 stored in a plate cassette 186 (not shown in Figures 6 to 9 for ease of explanation), toward the printing position 11A.

[0039] The kick pawl drive mechanism 184 is configured to drive the reciprocating movement and vertical movement of the kick pawl 182. The kick pawl drive mechanism 184 uses a drive belt mechanism for the reciprocating movement of the kick pawl 182 and a link mechanism for shifting the base of the kick pawl 182 up and down between a first height (upper side) and a second height (lower side). As the configuration of the drive belt mechanism and the link mechanism can be, for example, the configurations detailed in the applicant's prior applications (e.g., Japanese Patent No. 6928961, etc.), a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0040] 8A to 8D, the operation of sending out plates 12 by kick claw 182 will be described. Fig. 8A shows the kick claw 182 in the home position. As shown in Fig. 8B, the kick claw 182 slides in the direction indicated by the arrow while abutting the rear end surface of the plate 12, thereby sending out the lowest plate 12 onto the transport path 11.

[0041] When the lowest plate 12 is sent out onto the transport path 11 and is no longer present, the plate 12 that was above the lowest plate 12 descends onto the mounting portion of the plate cassette 186, as shown in FIG. 8C. At the same time, the kick claw 182 shifts from the first height (upper side) to the second height (lower side) by the link mechanism. When the kick claw 182 is at the second height (lower side), as shown in FIG. 8D, the kick claw 182 can return to directly below the home position without contacting the plate 12. Thereafter, the kick claw 182 returns to the home position by shifting from the second height (lower side) to the first height (upper side).

[0042] For example, if the thickness of the plates 12 is 1 mm, it is preferable for the convenience of the feeding operation to set the height of the kick claw 182 so that it abuts within a range of approximately 0.7 mm from the bottom surface of the lowest plate 12. Normally, the position of the plate cassette 186 (the position of the lowest plate 12) is adjusted to match the height of the transport path 11, and the height of the kick claw 182 must be optimally adjusted relative to the position of this lowest plate 12.

[0043] 9A to 9C, this embodiment allows for easy fine adjustment of the height of the kick pawl 182 by dividing it into two members, an upper member 182A and a lower member 182B. The upper member 182A and the lower member 182B are attached to a jig 183 with screws 181A and 181B, respectively. The jig 183 is a member for connecting the kick pawl 182 to a kick pawl drive mechanism 184.

[0044] 9C, upper member 182A has elongated hole 180A extending in the height direction, through which the shank of screw 181A can be inserted. The bottom surface of upper member 182A is inclined. Meanwhile, lower member 182B has elongated hole 180B extending in the horizontal direction, through which the shank of screw 181B can be inserted. The top surface of lower member 182B is inclined so as to come into close contact with the bottom surface of upper member 182A.

[0045] With the screws 181A and 181B loosened, the height of the upper member 182A can be adjusted by horizontally moving the lower member 182B. In the example of Fig. 9C, when the lower member 182B is moved to the left, the upper member 182A is pushed up by the inclined surface. On the other hand, when the lower member 182B is moved to the right, the upper member 182A is lowered.

[0046] By tightening the screw 181A when the upper member 182A is at the optimum height, the upper member 182A can be fixed in the optimum position. Furthermore, by tightening the screw 181B with the lower member 182B in contact with the upper member 182A, the lower member 182B functions as a stopper.

[0047] As a result, the height of the upper member 182A can be adjusted continuously, and furthermore, misalignment is less likely to occur after the positioning of the upper member 182A is completed. For example, even if a dimensional error occurs during the manufacturing of the kick pawl 182, by adjusting the height of the upper member 182A, it is possible to bring the kick pawl 182 into contact with the plate 12 with an optimal amount of contact.

[0048] Moreover, the height of the kick claw 182 can be easily adjusted using the screws 181A, 181B, upper member 182A, and lower member 182B, which are readily accessible once the exterior cover is removed, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0049] Next, the position of the sensor unit 165 will be described with reference to Figures 10A and 10B. The sensor unit 165 is positioned so that a sufficient gap is formed between it and the plate 12 being transported along the transport path 11. For example, if the thickness of the plate 12 is 1 mm, the sensor unit 165 is preferably positioned so that a gap of at least twice the thickness of the plate 12 (at least 2 mm) is formed from the top surface of the plate 12. The gap may be, for example, 2.0 mm, 2.5 mm, 3.0 mm, 3.5 mm, 4.0 mm, 4.5 mm, or 5.0 mm, or may be within a range between any two of the values ​​exemplified here.

[0050] In particular, assuming that an observation sample (specimen) 126 and a cover glass 128 are placed on the plate 12, the plate 12 is inserted through the opening 10B on the front of the printer 10, and printing is performed, it is preferable to adopt a configuration in which the sensor unit 165 is selectively separated from the transport path 11.

[0051] For this reason, the printer 10 employs a configuration in which, when a printing mode is selected in which the plate 12, with the observation sample (specimen) 126 and cover glass 128 placed on it, is inserted through the opening 10B, the sensor unit 165 is further spaced away from the transport path 11. The distance to be selectively spaced away is preferably about 0.5 to 5 times the thickness of the plate 12 (about 0.5 to 5.0 mm).

[0052] In the above embodiment, a configuration has been described in which the upper guide member 26A and the lower guide member 26B extend in a direction perpendicular to the transport path 11 of the plate 12, and the air passage is perpendicular to the transport path 11, but this configuration is not limited to this. The air passage may intersect the transport path 11 at an angle, for example, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the air passage intersects the transport path 11 at any angle between 45 degrees and 90 degrees. Also, although an example has been described in which the sponge member 28 is disposed below the dust removal position 11B in the air passage, it is also possible to dispose the sponge member 28 and the dust removal position 11B at the same height.

[0053] 10: printer, 10A: operation unit, 10B: opening, 10C: housing, 11: transport path, 11A: printing position, 11B: dust removal position, 12: plate, 14: printing unit, 16: transport unit, 18: supply unit, 20: dust removal unit, 22: housing, 22A: printing unit side partition wall, 22B: supply unit side partition wall, 24: air blower, 26A: upper guide member, 26B: lower guide member, 28: sponge member, 30: control unit, 122: printing area, 124: observation area, 128: cover Bar glass, 142: ink ribbon, 144: ink ribbon supply unit, 146: ink ribbon winding unit, 148: thermal transfer unit, 162: pair of conveying rollers, 164: platen roller, 165: sensor unit, 166: pair of discharge rollers, 168: conveying drive unit, 180A: oblong hole, 180B: oblong hole, 181A: screw, 181B: screw, 182: kick claw, 182A: upper member, 182B: lower member, 183: jig, 184: kick claw drive mechanism, 186: plate cassette

Claims

1. A printer comprising a transport unit, a printing unit, and a dust removal unit, and configured to print on a preparation plate having a printing area, wherein the transport unit is configured to transport the plate to a printing position opposite the printing unit, and the printing unit is configured to print on the printing area of ​​the plate at the printing position, the dust removal unit has an air blowing unit, a guide unit, and a dust collection unit, the air blowing unit is configured to supply air to remove dust adhering to the plate, the guide unit is configured to guide the air supplied from the air blowing unit to the plate being transported by the transport unit, and the dust collection unit is configured to collect dust removed from the plate downstream of the dust removal position in the air path formed by the guide unit.

2. A printer according to claim 1, wherein the dust collection section is a porous member configured to capture dust.

3. A printer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the air passage is configured to incline downwardly downstream of the dust removal position, and the dust collection section is positioned below the dust removal position.

4. A printer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the air passage is arranged so as to be perpendicular to the conveying direction of the plate, and is arranged horizontally at the dust removal position.

5. A printer as described in claim 1, further comprising a supply unit, the supply unit having at least a kick claw and a kick claw drive mechanism, the kick claw being configured to push out the lowest plate among the plates stacked and stored in the supply unit, one by one, toward the printing position when driven by the kick claw drive mechanism, and the dust removal unit being positioned so as to be sandwiched between the printing unit and the supply unit, and having a printing unit side partition and a supply unit side partition between the printing unit and the supply unit, respectively.

6. A printer according to claim 5, wherein the width of the air passage defined by the distance between the printing section side partition and the supply section side partition is shorter than the length of the plate in the transport direction.

7. A printer as claimed in claim 6, wherein the kick claw comprises an upper member and a lower member, the bottom surface of the upper member is configured to be an inclined surface, the top surface of the lower member is configured to be an inclined surface that abuts against the inclined surface of the upper member, and the vertical position of the upper member is adjusted by adjusting the horizontal position of the lower member.

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