Patent ID: 7011464

Claim:
An apparatus for detecting an end portion of a recording medium, said apparatus comprising: a mechanism that guide-conveys continuous paper, which is accommodated in a roll in a hopper, along a guide passage; means for performing a print operation with a predetermined maximum print size on said continuous paper by drive-controlling a print unit and a cutter unit; a pair of supported members which are rotatably and removably supported in said hopper, and each of which comprises a flange, said flanges being removably attached to centers of both ends of said roll of continuous paper so as to be opposed to both end surfaces of said roll of continuous paper; a plurality of detection marks provided in at least one said flange around an axis of said roll of continuous paper; an optical sensor that outputs an output value which varies in correspondence with whether or not one of said detection marks is present in a detection position of said optical sensor during conveyance of said continuous paper; first determining means for determining whether one of said detection marks is present in the detection position based on the output value from said optical sensor; and second determining means for determining that a rear end of said continuous paper in said hopper has been reached if a result of the determination of whether said one of said detection marks is present in the detection position does not vary during conveyance of said continuous paper; wherein a passage length from the rear end position of said continuous paper in said hopper to said print unit is at least as long as said maximum print size.