Patent ID: 7150573

Claim:
A printer and feeder assembly for printing labels carried on a flexible web of material formed into a supply roll, the supply roll having a central opening therethrough, the printer and feeder assembly comprising a housing, a supply roll support on the housing for supporting the supply roll, a feeder for feeding the web from the supply roll, a printer having a print station with a print head, the web being directed through the print station with a printable surface thereon facing the print head for printing, and a roll drive for moving the supply roll to maintain a slack web loop on an output side of the supply roll, the roll drive comprising a drive roller mounted on an interior of the central opening of said supply roll and frictionally engaging a portion of an inner surface of the central opening of the supply roll, said drive roller being substantially smaller than the central opening of the supply roll, said supply roll being rotationally driven by rotating the drive roller, the slack web loop comprising a portion of the web that extends from the supply roll and below the supply roll, the web forming the slack web loop passing over an upper side of the supply roll and the web extending from the upper side of the supply roll to the print station, a sensor for sensing the position of the slack web loop at a lower side of the supply roll, and a motor to drive the drive roller in response to signals from the sensor.