Patent ID: 7309178

Claim:
An image formation device, comprising: a ribbon supply unit for storing a rolled ribbon having ink on its surface; a ribbon roll-up unit configured to roll up the ribbon supplied from the ribbon supply unit, a recording unit placed between the ribbon supply unit and the ribbon roll-up unit for forming an image on a recording medium by making contact with a back of the ribbon and transferring the ink from the surface of the ribbon to the recording medium, a feeding unit configured to face the recording unit via the ribbon for feeding the recording medium sandwiched between the surface of the ribbon and the feeding unit; and a roll-up control unit configured to drive the ribbon roll-up unit without allowing the feeding unit to operate in a ribbon roll-up mode, in which the ribbon roll-up unit rolls up the ribbon while the feeding unit does not feed the recording medium, wherein the feeding unit feeds the recording medium while the ribbon roll-up unit is driven so that a first roll-up speed of the ribbon will be greater than a feeding speed of the recording medium when the image formation on the recording medium is executed by the recording unit, and wherein the roll-up control unit drives the ribbon roll-up unit in the ribbon roll-up mode so that the ribbon will be rolled up at a second roll-up speed greater than the first roll-up speed.