Patent ID: 8419305

Claim:
A cutting mechanism for a printing apparatus that cuts a printing medium, the cutting mechanism comprising: a fixed blade having a plurality of first through holes and a cutting edge which extends in a width direction of the fixed blade; and a movable blade having a plurality of second through holes and slidingly movable with respect to the fixed blade, wherein: each of a plurality of first openings is at least partly included in a first overlapping portion, the first openings being openings of the first through holes on a first sliding face, the first sliding face being one face of the fixed blade over which the fixed blade slides with respect to the movable blade, and the first overlapping portion being a portion of the fixed blade at which the fixed blade slides with respect to and overlaps with the movable blade; each of a plurality of second openings is at least partly included in a second overlapping portion, the second openings being openings of the second through holes on a second sliding face, the second sliding face being one face of the movable blade over which the movable blade slides with respect to the fixed blade, and the second overlapping portion being a portion of the movable blade at which the movable blade slides with respect to and overlaps with the fixed blade; the first openings and the second openings being located at positions such that the first openings and the second openings do not overlap completely with each other in said width direction, the width direction being the direction in which the cutting edge extends wherein no gap exists in the width direction between the first opening and the second opening that are closest to each other when the fixed blade and the movable blade overlap with each other.