Patent ID: 7824031

Claim:
A print cartridge for an inkjet printer with a media drive assembly, the cartridge comprising: a printhead with an array of ink ejection nozzles; a support structure configured for insertion and removal from the inkjet printer; a drive shaft connected to the support structure for feeding a media substrate past the ink ejection nozzles in a media feed direction, the drive shaft positioned such that it engages the media drive assembly upon installation of the cartridge, and disengages the media drive upon removal of the cartridge from the inkjet printer; a media guide surface for biasing the media against the drive shaft such that the media substrate slides over the media guide surface as the drive shaft feeds the media substrate past the printhead by contact friction, the media guide surface having a section inclined to the media feed direction for engaging a leading edge of the media and directing it towards the drive shaft; a capping mechanism with a capper moveable between a capping position in which the capper is urged into a capping relationship with the printhead, and an uncapped position in which the capper is displaced away from the printhead such that the media is fed between the printhead and the capper to be printed; and, a force transfer mechanism connected to the capper and configured such that a force provided by an edge of the media as it moves relative to the printhead is transferred to the capper by the force transfer mechanism, to maintain the capper in the uncapped position until the media disengages the force transfer mechanism; wherein during use, the force transfer mechanism does not contact the media surface printed by the printhead.