Patent ID: 7044584

Claim:
A printing mechanism that comprises a housing; a pair of spaced support members that are positioned on either side of the housing; first and second primary rollers that are mounted between the support members; a first platen that is mounted between the support members and is positioned on one side of the rollers to define the print area; a second platen that is mounted between the support members and is positioned on an opposite side of the rollers, the primary rollers and the platens defining a print medium feed path that extends over an inner side of the second platen, the second primary roller, and an outer side of the first platen, the first and second primary rollers being configured to engage a length of print medium and to drive the print medium along the feed path on rotation of the primary rollers; a support assembly that is mounted between the support members; and a printhead assembly that is positioned on the support assembly and that includes an array of printhead chips that are positioned to span the print area, each printhead chip incorporating a plurality of nozzle arrangements that are directed towards the first platen to carry out a printing operation on the print medium as it passes over the first platen.