Patent ID: 7156568

Claim:
A tape printing apparatus comprising: tape mounting means for mounting a printing tape made up of a base tape having a front printing surface and a rear adhesive surface, and a release tape covering the adhesive surface; printing means for printing a plurality of print images on the printing surface, said print images being arrayed in a longitudinal direction of the printing tape; cutting means for cutting the printing tape in a widthwise direction thereof, wherein said cutting means is capable of performing normal-direction cutting in which the printing tape is cut from one end as a reference end as seen in the widthwise direction thereof to an opposite end thereof, and reverse-direction cutting in which the printing tape is cut in a reverse direction from the opposite end to the reference end, wherein said cutting means comprises: a cutter capable of performing slide cuffing in both the normal direction and the reverse direction; cutter operating means capable of transferring said cutter among: a first state in which said cutter is away from a feeding passage of the printing tape by said printing means; a second state in which said cutter is located close to the feeding passage but is on a side of the reference end relative to the feeding passage; and a third state in which said cutter is close to the feeding passage but is on a side of the opposite end relative to the feeding passage, wherein the normal-direction cutting is performed on a way of transfer from the second state to the third state, the reverse-direction cutting is performed on a way of transfer from the third state to the second state, and a state transfer is performed between the second state and the third state accompanying no cutting due to a state transfer through the first state; and control means for controlling said cutting means, said cutting means being capable of performing connection cutting in which at least a widthwise part of the release tape remains connected as a connection portion, said control means having connection-cutting control means for causing said cutting means to perform connection cutting in a space between each of the plurality of adjoining print images printed on the printing tape.