Patent ID: 7956881

Claim:
A printing apparatus for compressing a thermal head against a medium via an ink ribbon to print an image on the medium, the apparatus comprising: a ribbon supply reel for winding an unused portion of an ink ribbon; a ribbon takeup reel for winding a used portion of the ink ribbon; a thermal head moving device for moving the thermal head between a print position and a retract position separated from the print position; a takeup reel driving device for driving the ribbon takeup reel; a ribbon position detecting device for detecting a position of the ink ribbon; a medium registering device for registering the medium to the print position; and a control device for controlling driving of the takeup reel driving device, the control device aligning a predetermined area of the ink ribbon with a print start position according to a first distance over which the ink ribbon moves as a result of the takeup reel driving device driving the takeup reel in a direction in which a slack in the ink ribbon is eliminated, when printing is completed with the thermal head moving to the retract position, and a second distance between a print end position obtained by the ribbon position detecting device and a next print start position.