Printer and attachment attached to said printer

Abstract

This printer (100) comprises: guides (22, 22) which are provided to guide a consumable M1 to a printing position and are disposed facing each other in a direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the consumables M1, M2; and an attachment (80) which is formed to guide the consumable M2 to the printing position, extends in the conveyance direction of the consumables M1, M2, and can be attached to or detached from the guides (22, 22). In addition, the guides (22, 22) are configured to be slidable in a direction intersecting the conveyance direction, and the attachment (80) is held and locked between the guides (22, 22).

Description

A printer and an attachment to be attached to the printer

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a printer and an attachment that is attached to the printer.

[0002] Conventionally, printers have been developed for directly printing terminal numbers and symbols used in electrical equipment onto consumables, such as cylindrical resin tubes and sleeves, and sheet-like plates and tapes. When printing on consumables of different shapes using a single printer, a guide structure is provided to guide one of the consumables to the printing position of the printer head, and a dedicated guide adapter is used for the other consumables. For example, the present applicant has developed a tape guide adapter that can stably guide adhesive tape with a release liner when printing on the tape in a tube printer (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-226004

[0004] Generally, attachments such as tape guide adapters are specialized for each type of consumable, with different widths, heights, shapes, etc., depending on the type of consumable. To print on multiple types of consumables with a single printer, a number of different attachments must be prepared. To install these different attachments in the printer, openings must be formed in the printer's main body. The more attachment types available, the greater the number of openings required. This can lead to concerns about insufficient strength in the printer's main body. Conversely, to prevent this, the number of compatible attachments may be limited to a small number. Furthermore, there is a risk that foreign objects may enter through the openings and, in some cases, become trapped between the consumable and the platen roller or printer head, resulting in poor transport or printing. In this case, the number of compatible attachments may be limited to a small number in order to prevent such problems.

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure aims to provide a printer that can print on multiple types of printing media with a single printer, and that can prevent insufficient strength and the intrusion of foreign matter, as well as an attachment that can be attached to the printer.

[0006] To solve the above problem, the present disclosure employs the following configuration. Specifically, a printer according to the present disclosure includes a pair of guides that are capable of transporting a first print medium and a second print medium in a predetermined transport direction and are arranged to guide the first print medium to a printing position and are disposed opposite each other in a direction intersecting the transport direction, and an attachment that is configured to guide the second print medium to the printing position, extends in the transport direction, and is detachably attached to the pair of guides. The pair of guides are configured to be slidable in the direction intersecting the transport direction, and the attachment is clamped and engaged between the pair of guides.

[0007] A printer with this configuration includes a pair of guides arranged opposite each other to guide a first print medium to a printing position, allowing printing on the first print medium in a normal printing mode. An attachment configured to guide a second print medium to a printing position is detachably attached to the pair of guides for the first print medium, enabling printing on the second print medium in this state. Since the attachment is sandwiched and locked between the pair of guides, the attachment is stably and securely secured to the pair of guides. Furthermore, since the pair of guides slide in a direction intersecting the transport direction to lock the attachment, the attachment can be easily secured to the pair of guides with a simple operation.

[0008] According to the printer of the present disclosure, an attachment configured to guide a second print medium to a printing position is detachably attached to at least one pair of guides for a first print medium, and the two are firmly and stably fixed together by a specific locking structure. Therefore, there is no need to form an attachment opening for mounting the attachment to the printer, which effectively prevents the printer body from becoming weak and prevents foreign matter from entering the printer.

[0009] 5A is a perspective view showing an example of the external configuration of a printer according to the present embodiment, as viewed from slightly left as one faces the front of the printer; FIG. 5B is a perspective view showing an example of the external configuration of a printer according to the present embodiment, as viewed from slightly left as one faces the rear of the printer; FIG. 5C is a perspective view showing the printer with the cover open, as viewed from above slightly diagonally toward the front, showing a state in which consumables have been set; FIG. 5D is a perspective view showing a state in which consumable M2 has been set instead of consumable M1 in FIG. 3; FIG. 5E is a perspective view showing a state before the attachment 80 is attached to the positioning guide 20; FIG. 5F is a cross-sectional view of the state shown in FIG. 5A viewed from downstream to upstream, and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view of the state shown in FIG. 5B viewed from downstream to upstream. These cross-sectional views are schematic diagrams showing various shapes of the bottom of the guide 22 and the bottom of the attachment 80, as well as the state of the locking portion formed by them. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing various shapes of the bottom of the guide 22 and the bottom of the attachment 80, and the state of the locking portion defined therefrom. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing various shapes of the bottom of the guide 22 and the bottom of the attachment 80, and the state of the locking portion defined therefrom. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing various shapes of the bottom of the guide 22 and the bottom of the attachment 80, and the state of the locking portion defined therefrom. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing various shapes of the bottom of the guide 22 and the bottom of the attachment 80, and the state of the locking portion defined therefrom.

[0010] The present embodiment will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. To facilitate understanding of the description, identical components in each drawing will be assigned the same reference numerals whenever possible, and redundant description will be omitted. However, the embodiments described below are merely examples, and are not intended to exclude various modifications or technological applications not explicitly stated below. In other words, one example of the present disclosure can be implemented with various modifications within the scope of its spirit. Furthermore, the drawings are schematic and do not necessarily correspond to actual dimensions, ratios, etc. Furthermore, parts in the drawings may have different dimensional relationships or ratios. Needless to say, the embodiments described below are only some of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and do not represent all embodiments. Furthermore, other embodiments that can be obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present disclosure without requiring creative acts are all within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0011] 1 and 2 are perspective views showing an example of the exterior configuration of a printer according to this embodiment. FIG. 1 shows the printer 100 viewed from slightly to the left as one faces the front, and FIG. 2 shows the printer 100 viewed from slightly to the left as one faces the rear. As shown in these figures, the printer 100 includes a main body 1 and a lid 2 attached to the top of the main body 1 so as to be able to open and close. The main body 1 and the lid 2 are both housings, e.g., substantially rectangular parallelepipeds, with boundaries formed between them at their front faces 1F, 2F and rear faces 1B, 2B. The main body 1 and the lid 2 are connected at the boundary between their right sides 1SR, 2SR, and the left side 2SL of the lid 2 pivots about this boundary to open and close the lid 2.

[0012] The front surface 1F of the main body 1 is provided with an input / output display unit 3 for performing various input operations and displaying output to the printer 100, as well as an operation button 4 for fully cutting consumables M1 and M2 (described later). The rear surface 1B of the main body 1 is provided with a connector unit 5 including a power switch and ports for connecting a power cable and other communication cables. The right side surface 1SR and left side surface 1SL of the main body 1 are provided with an insertion opening SI and an ejection opening SO for consumables M1 and M2 (described later), respectively. The left side surface 2SL of the cover 2 is provided with an operation unit 6 for opening and closing the cover 2. The input / output display unit 3 is configured to accept user inputs (e.g., characters and numbers to be printed on consumables, a request to select a consumable type, etc.) and output notifications to the user through a plurality of operation buttons, such as character buttons, number buttons, and a print start button, and various displays displayed on a screen such as a liquid crystal display or an organic electroluminescence (EL) display.

[0013] 3 is a perspective view of the printer 100 with the lid 2 open, viewed from above at a slight angle toward the front, showing a state in which a consumable item M1 (equivalent to an example of a "first print medium"), such as a long tube, has been set. Also, FIG. 4 shows a state in which a consumable item M2 (equivalent to an example of a "second print medium"), which is a series of adhesive tape with release paper or plate-like media molded from resin, has been set instead of the consumable item M1 shown in FIG.

[0014] As described above, the cover 2 is opened and closed by operating the operation unit 6 (for example, by pulling up a biased handle or button). Specifically, the cover 2 is closed when the locking claw E2 of the cover 2 engages with the locking receptacle E1 of the main body 1 shown in Figures 3 and 4, and the cover 2 can be opened by operating the operation unit 6 to release the engagement. As shown in the figures, the interior of the printer 100 mainly contains the platen unit 110 or 120, positioning guide 20, feed amount detection unit 30, and cutting unit 40, which are provided on the main body 1 side, as well as the ink ribbon unit 50 and printer head 60, which are provided on the cover 2 side.

[0015] The platen unit 110 includes, for example, a shaft 111 having a generally cylindrical shape as a whole and a cylindrical guide 112 fitted onto the shaft 111 so as to cover a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the central portion of the shaft 111. Meanwhile, the platen unit 120 includes, for example, a shaft 121 having a generally cylindrical shape as a whole and a cylindrical roller 122 fitted onto the shaft 121 so as to cover a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the central portion of the shaft 121. The platen unit 110 is a component used when printing with the consumable M1, and the platen unit 120 is a component used when printing with the consumable M2. These platen units 110 and 120 are replaceably attached to the main body 1 of the printer 100. More specifically, the platen units 110 and 120 are rotatably and detachably supported by a bearing J provided downstream in the forward transport direction of the consumables M1 and M2 (the direction from the right side 1SR to the left side 1SL of the main body 1). In this state, the platen units 110 and 120 are driven to rotate (forward or reverse) via a platen gear PG by a transport motor (not shown), thereby transporting the consumables M1 and M2 in the forward transport direction during normal transport, and, if necessary, transporting the consumables M1 and M2 in the reverse transport direction (from the left side surface 1SL to the right side surface 1SR of the main body 1) during reverse transport.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 3 , the positioning guide 20 is provided along the transport direction of the consumable M1 and includes two pairs of guides 21 and 22 for positioning the consumable M1 from both sides and guiding it to the printing position on the platen unit 110. These guides 21 and 22 are disposed upstream and downstream, respectively, in the forward transport direction of the consumables M1 and M2. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4 , when the consumable M2 is set in place of the consumable M1, an attachment 80 is used to guide the consumable M2 to the printing position on the platen unit 120. The attachment 80 is configured to be detachable from, for example, the two pairs of guides 21 and 22 and has an elongated shape that straddles the guides 21 and 22. Details of the positioning guide 20 and the attachment 80 will be described later.

[0017] The feed amount detection unit 30 is a component that enables printing on the same transport path even when different types of consumables are used, and has a feed amount detection roller (not shown) for detecting the feed amount (movement amount) of a consumable that has a different shape from consumables M1 and M2 and does not use attachment 80. When printing on consumables M1 and M2, the feed amount detection roller is not used in this embodiment, and therefore the feed amount detection unit 30 is stored in the lower part of the main body 1 so as to be retracted from the transport path of consumables M1 and M2 (this state is shown in Figures 3 and 4).

[0018] The cutting unit 40 is located downstream of the platen units 110, 120 and the printer head 60 in the forward transport direction of the consumables M1 and M2, and has a half cutter (not shown) for half-cutting the upper surface of the consumable M1, and a full cutter (not shown) located further downstream of that for fully cutting the consumables M1 and M2.

[0019] The ink ribbon unit 50 includes the ink ribbon R, a bobbin 51 that is detachably attached to both sides of the printer head 60 and that accommodates the wound ink ribbon R, and a cassette 52. The ink ribbon unit 50 is configured such that, when the consumables M1 and M2 are transported in order, the ink ribbon R is fed from the bobbin 51 and collected in the cassette 52 by, for example, an appropriate rotary motor (not shown) that rotates the cassette 52.

[0020] The printer head 60 is disposed opposite the platen units 110, 120, and prints predetermined characters, symbols, designs, etc. on the printing surfaces of the consumables M1, M2 by applying recording energy supplied from a head drive circuit (not shown) to the ink ribbon R. The printer head 60 is moved toward or away from the platen units 110, 120 by an appropriate head movement mechanism (not shown). The printer head 60 is also configured to be pressed against the platen units 110, 120 with a predetermined pressure by a head pressing mechanism (not shown), and to abut against the platen units 110, 120 via the ink ribbon R, when transporting and printing on the consumables M1, M2 in the forward transport direction.

[0021] <Configuration Example of Positioning Guide and Attachment> Next, an example of the configuration of the positioning guide 20 and the attachment 80 will be described. Fig. 5A is a perspective view showing a state before the attachment 80 for the consumable M2 is attached to the positioning guide 20 for the consumable M1, and Fig. 5B is a perspective view showing a state after the attachment 80 for the consumable M2 is attached to the positioning guide 20 for the consumable M1. Fig. 6A is a cross-sectional view of the state shown in Fig. 5A viewed from the downstream side to the upstream side (from the left side surface 1SL to the right side surface 1SR), and Fig. 6B is a cross-sectional view of the state shown in Fig. 5B viewed from the downstream side to the upstream side (from the left side surface 1SL to the right side surface 1SR).

[0022] As shown in these figures, the pair of guides 21, 21 and the pair of guides 22, 22 that make up the positioning guide 20 are both arranged opposite to each other in a direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the consumables M1, M2 (the direction indicated by the double-headed arrow Ya in FIGS. 6A and 6B ), and are configured to be slidable along the guide grooves 21 g, 22 g in that direction. Furthermore, when installed in the main body 1, the attachment 80 extends as a whole in the conveyance direction of the consumables M1, M2, and is formed from a main body 81, both wing portions 82, and a leading portion 83 that are arranged from the upstream side to the downstream side.

[0023] The attachment 80 is installed on the main body 1, for example, as follows. That is, first, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 6A , the positioning guide 20 is slid outward in the direction of the double arrow Ya to move the opposing guides 21, 21 and the opposing guides 22, 22 away from each other. Then, when the attachment 80 is in that position, the attachment 80 is inserted between them, and as shown in FIGS. 5B and 6B , the guides 21, 21 and the guides 22, 22 are brought close to each other, so that the guides 21, 21 and the guides 22, 22 abut against the attachment 80 from the sides. As a result, the attachment 80 is inserted between the guides 21, 21 and the guides 22, 22 of the positioning guide 20, and then is clamped and fixed by the positioning guide 20.

[0024] The attachment 80 is fixed to the positioning guide 20 when the bottom 22a of the guide 22 and the bottom 83a of the front end 83 of the attachment 80 engage with each other and stop (lock). That is, as is clear from Figures 6A and 6B, the abutting surface of (the downward protrusion of) the bottom 22a, which forms a substantially L-shaped stepped structure defined by the bottom wall of the guide 22 and the side walls connected thereto, abuts against the abutting surface of the bottom 83a, which forms a stepped structure at the front end 83 of the attachment 80, thereby forming an interlocking structure between the two. In other words, this interlocking portion is defined by the operation of, after the attachment 80 is inserted between the guides 22, 22, bringing the guides 22, 22 close to each other and abutting each other from the sides so as to sandwich the attachment 80, as described above.

[0025] 7A to 7E are cross-sectional views (viewed from the same direction as FIGS. 6A and 6B ) that schematically illustrate various shapes of the bottom portion 22 a of the guide 22 and the bottom portion 83 a of the attachment 80, as well as the state of the locking portion defined thereby. The locking structure shown in FIG. 7A is substantially the same as that shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B . That is, the left sidewall and bottom surface of the bottom portion 22 a, which have a stepped structure, abut against the right sidewall and top surface of the bottom portion 83 a, which also have a stepped structure. Thus, when the attachment 80 is locked with the guides 22, 22, the guides 22, 22 abut against the contact portions (sidewalls of the bottom portion 83 a) from the sides intersecting the transport direction of the consumables M1, M2, and the locking portions (bottom walls of the bottom portion 83 a) located below the guides 22, 22. Meanwhile, when the guides 22, 22 are engaged with the attachment 80, they have a contact portion (side wall of the bottom 22a) that contacts the attachment 80 from the side, which is in a direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the consumables M1, M2, and a locking portion (bottom wall of the bottom 22a) located above the locked portion of the attachment 80. Furthermore, when the locked portion of the attachment 80 (bottom wall of the bottom 83a) is loosely inserted or fitted into the guide groove 22g, an engagement structure between the attachment 80 and the guides 22, 22 is created.

[0026] At this time, the forces acting on and reacting to both bottom portions 22 a, 83 a are the resultant force of horizontal force F1 and vertical force F2. As a result, attachment 80 is fixed to positioning guide 20 so that movement of attachment 80 in the horizontal direction (lateral direction) and vertically upward (upward direction) is restricted.

[0027] 7B and 7C, the inclined surfaces are different from each other in that they are flat and curved, respectively, but in both cases, the inclined outer surface of bottom portion 22a, which has an inclined structure with respect to the horizontal or vertical direction, abuts against the inclined outer surface of bottom portion 83a, which has a similar inclined structure. Therefore, even with such a structure, attachment 80 is fixed to positioning guide 20 so that movement of attachment 80 in the horizontal direction (lateral direction) and vertically upward (upward direction) is restricted.

[0028] On the other hand, the locking structures shown in Figures 7D and 7E are, so to speak, a combination of the locking structures shown in Figures 7A and 7B, i.e., a configuration that functions as both a step structure and an inclined structure. That is, in the locking structure shown in Figure 7D, the left sidewall and inclined left sidewall of the bottom 22a abut against the right sidewall and inclined right sidewall of the bottom 83a, respectively. At this time, the forces acting on and reacting to both bottoms 22a and 83a are the resultant of a horizontal force F1 and an inclined force F3. In addition, in the locking structure shown in Figure 7E, the left sidewall, bottom lower surface, and inclined left sidewall of the bottom 22a abut against the right sidewall, bottom upper surface, and inclined right sidewall of the bottom 83a, respectively. Furthermore, the forces acting on and reacting to both bottoms 22a and 83a are the resultant of a horizontal force F1, a vertical force F2, and an inclined force F3. These locking structures also fix the attachment 80 to the positioning guide 20 so that movement of the attachment 80 in the horizontal direction (lateral direction) and vertically upward direction (vertically upward direction) is restricted.

[0029] The printer 100 configured as described above includes a positioning guide 20 for the consumable M1, and an attachment 80 for the consumable M2 is detachably attached to the positioning guide 20, enabling printing on different types of consumables M1 and M2. Furthermore, the attachment 80 is sandwiched and locked between the guides 22, 22 of the positioning guide 20, ensuring stable and secure fixation of the attachment 80. The guides 22, 22 slide in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the consumables M1 and M2 (the direction indicated by the double-headed arrow Ya), creating a locked state between the two, making it easy to fix the attachment 80 to the guides 22, 22 with a simple operation. This eliminates the need for an opening or dedicated member for attaching the attachment 80 to the main body 1 of the printer 100, thereby preventing insufficient strength of the main body 1 of the printer 100 and preventing foreign matter from entering the main body 1. As a result, it is possible to prevent transport failures and printing failures caused by foreign matter getting caught between the consumables M1 and M2 and the platen units 110 and 120 or the printer head 60.

[0030] Furthermore, it is possible to reduce the cost and number of parts required to form an opening for the attachment 80 or to form a dedicated member, thereby improving economy (reducing costs). In addition, since multiple types of attachments 80 can be attached to the positioning guide 20, the versatility of the printer 100 can also be improved.

[0031] Furthermore, if the locking structure of the guide 22 and the attachment 80 is configured to have a stepped structure and / or an inclined structure as exemplified in Figures 7A to 7E, the attachment 80 can be more reliably and firmly attached to the positioning guide 20. In this case, various structures such as those shown in Figures 7A to 7E can be adopted, making it possible to accommodate various designs of attachments 80 that correspond to the structure and properties of the consumable M2.

[0032] Furthermore, it is also preferable that the locking structures of the guides 22, 22 and the attachment 80 be defined by their respective bottoms 22 a, 83 a. More specifically, as in this embodiment, the abutting portion of the attachment 80 (the side wall of the bottom 83 a) abuts against the abutting portion of the guides 22, 22 (the side wall of the bottom 22 a), and the locked portion of the attachment 80 (the bottom wall of the bottom 83 a) engages with the locking portion of the guides 22, 22 (the bottom wall of the bottom 22 a). It is also preferable to employ the locking structures illustrated in FIGS. 7A to 7E, including this structure. This simplifies the configuration of the locking structure, thereby further improving the economy of manufacturing the printer 100 and the ease of handling parts of the printer 100.

[0033] Furthermore, the guides 21 and 22 are configured to be slidable in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the consumables M1 and M2 (for example, the horizontal direction indicated by the double-headed arrow Ya), and the attachment 80 is provided to be insertable between the guides 22 and 22. This makes it easy to securely fix the attachment 80 to the positioning guide 20 with an extremely simple operation, further improving the handleability and operability of the printer 100. In addition, the locking structure between the attachment 80 and the guides 22 and 22 is created when the locking portion of the attachment 80 (the bottom wall of the bottom portion 83a) is loosely inserted or fitted into the guide groove 22g, so the locking structure can be made compact (simplified or the installation space can be reduced).

[0034] Furthermore, the attachment 80 further has a protrusion 82a that extends in a direction (e.g., horizontally) that intersects with the transport direction of the consumable M2 (i.e., the extension direction of the attachment 80), and the main body 1 of the printer 100 further has a receiving portion 25 that abuts against the protrusion 82a. In this way, the attachment 80 abuts against the receiving portion 25, and the attachment 80 is supported by the main body 1 at points other than the locking portion, thereby making it possible to further stabilize the posture of the attachment 80.

[0035] The present embodiment has been described above with reference to specific examples. However, these examples are provided to facilitate understanding of the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In other words, the present disclosure is not limited to these specific examples. Design modifications made by a person skilled in the art to these specific examples are also encompassed within the technical scope of the present disclosure as long as they incorporate the features of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the elements, arrangements, materials, conditions, shapes, dimensions, sizes, scales, etc. of the above-described specific examples are not limited to those exemplified, unless otherwise specified, and may be modified as appropriate. Furthermore, the elements of the above-described specific examples may be combined in various ways as long as no technical contradictions arise. For example, the main body 81 of the attachment 80 may be shortened, and the attachment 80 may be mounted so that it is clamped by only a pair of guides 22, 22. Alternatively, multiple pairs of guides having the same configuration as the guides 22, 22 may be provided.

[0036] This application is based on a Japanese patent application (Patent Application No. 2024-030211) filed on February 29, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0037] It is possible to provide a printer that can print on multiple types of print media with a single printer and that can prevent insufficient strength and the intrusion of foreign matter, as well as an attachment that can be attached to the printer.

[0038] 1 Main body 1B, 2B Rear 1F, 2F Front 1SL, 2SL Left side 1SR, 2SR Right side 2 Lid 3 Input / output display 4 Operation button 5 Connector 6 Operation unit 20 Guide 21, 22 Pair of guides 21g, 22g Guide groove 22a Bottom 25 Receiving portion 30 Feed amount detection unit 40 Cutting unit 50 Ink ribbon unit 51 Bobbin 52 Cassette 60 Printer head 80 Attachment 81 Main body 82 Both wing portions 82a Protruding portion 83 Leading portion 83a Bottom 100 Printer 110, 120 Platen unit 111 Shaft 112 Cylindrical guide 120 Platen unit 121 Shaft 122 Cylindrical roller E1 Engagement receiver E2 Locking claws F1, F2, F3 Force J Bearing part M1 Consumables (first printing medium) M2 Consumables (second printing medium) PG ​​Platen gear R Ink ribbon SI Insertion port SO Ejection port Ya Double arrow (sliding direction)

Claims

1. A printer capable of transporting a first print medium and a second print medium in a predetermined transport direction, comprising: a pair of guides arranged to guide the first print medium to a printing position and facing each other in a direction intersecting the transport direction; and an attachment formed to guide the second print medium to a printing position, extending in the transport direction, and removably attached to the pair of guides, wherein the pair of guides are configured to be slidable in the direction intersecting the transport direction, and the attachment is clamped and engaged between the pair of guides.

2. A printer according to claim 1, wherein the attachment has abutment portions that are abutted by the pair of guides from the side in a direction intersecting the transport direction when the attachment is engaged with the pair of guides, and an engaged portion located below the pair of guides.

3. A printer according to claim 1, wherein the pair of guides have abutment portions that, when engaged with the attachment, abut against the attachment from the side in a direction intersecting the transport direction, and a locking portion located above the attachment.

4. The printer according to claim 3, wherein the contacting portions and the locking portions of the pair of guides, and the contacted portions and the locked portions of the attachment have a stepped structure and / or an inclined structure.

5. The printer according to claim 4, wherein the guide is configured to be slidable and includes a guide groove into which the engaged portion is loosely or fitted.

6. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the attachment has a protruding portion extending in a direction intersecting the transport direction, and the printer further comprises a receiving portion that abuts against the protruding portion from below.

7. An attachment that can be attached to a printer capable of transporting a first print medium and a second print medium in a predetermined transport direction, that guides the first print medium to a printing position, and that has a pair of guides configured to be slidable in a direction intersecting the transport direction, and that is formed to extend in the transport direction and guide the second print medium to the printing position, that is detachably provided on the pair of guides, and that is clamped and engaged between the pair of guides.

Images