Patent ID: 8360667

Claim:
A printer comprising: a cassette housing portion into which a tape cassette is detachably installed in a vertical direction, the tape cassette having a box-shaped cassette case in which is mounted a tape, and a side surface of the cassette case having an indicator portion that indicates a type of the tape; a feeding device that feeds the tape mounted in the tape cassette that is installed in the cassette housing portion along a feed path; a printing head that performs printing on the tape that is fed by the feeding device; a platen roller that is located facing the printing head and is pressed against the printing head via the tape; a roller holder that rotatably supports the platen roller and that is capable of moving rotationally between a first position and a second position around a shaft, the first position being a position in which the roller holder extends along the side surface of the tape cassette installed in the cassette housing portion and in which the platen roller presses the printing head via the tape, and the second position being a position in which the platen roller is separated from the printing head, the shaft being parallel to a direction of insertion and removal of the tape cassette; a mechanical sensor having a switch terminal that is capable of protruding and retracting; a sensor holder that holds the mechanical sensor between the shaft of the roller holder and the platen roller and that is capable of moving independently of the roller holder between a third position and a fourth position, the third position being a position in which the sensor holder presses the mechanical sensor against the indicator portion of the tape cassette installed in the tape cassette housing portion, and the fourth position being a position in which the sensor holder separates the mechanical sensor from the indicator portion; and a determination device that determines the type of the tape based on protrusion and retraction of the switch terminal of the mechanical sensor.