Patent ID: 6344869
Filing Date: 2002-02-05
Classification: B41J,B41M

Abstract:
A thermal printer for recording an image to thermosensitive recording material, said thermal printer including a conveyor for conveying said recording material along a conveying path, a thermal head for thermally recording said image to said recording material being conveyed, and a fixer lamp for applying electromagnetic rays of a predetermined range of wavelength to said recording material being conveyed, for optically fixing said recording material, said thermal printer comprising:a printer casing, having a box shape of which a height is small, and including a front face oriented substantially vertically to a direction of said height, and a rear face opposite to said front face; an insertion opening, formed in said front face, and adapted to insertion of said recording material therethrough before said recording, and ejection of said recording material therethrough after said recording; an air inlet and an air outlet, formed in said front face, said insertion opening being disposed between said air inlet and said air outlet; an air passageway, disposed in said printer casing, for communicating from said air inlet to said air outlet via at least a portion of said conveying path; and a fan unit, disposed in said air passageway, for causing air from said air inlet to flow along said air passageway, to cause heat generated in said printer casing to exit from said air outlet.