Patent ID: 8297864

Claim:
A printer comprising: a recording medium accommodating unit; a printer main body that includes a printing unit that prints on a recording medium conveyed from the recording medium accommodating unit; a cover unit that is rotatably attached to the printer main body and covers the recording medium accommodating unit; a fixed blade that is attached to the cover unit downstream from the printing unit in a recording medium conveyance direction; a movable blade that faces the fixed blade, freely reciprocates relative to the fixed blade when the cover unit is closed, and upon reciprocating and in cooperation with the fixed blade, cuts the recording medium inserted between the movable blade and the fixed blade by overlapping a side of the fixed blade downstream in the recording medium conveyance direction; a movable blade driving unit that causes the movable blade to reciprocate; and a movable blade unit that includes the movable blade, the movable blade driving unit, and an accommodating unit accommodating the movable blade, the movable blade unit being provided at the printer main body, wherein the printer further comprises a mechanism and an operating unit to operate the printer such that, when the movable blade is protruded from the accommodating unit and is stopped, the mechanism widens a space over which the fixed blade and the protruding movable blade face each other before the movable blade driving unit accommodates the protruding movable blade in the accommodating unit, as initiated by operation of the operating unit; and the printer further comprises a cover unit locking mechanism that locks with the printer main body when the cover unit is closed, wherein the printer is configured to release the cover unit locking mechanism by operation of the operating unit.