Patent ID: 7242418

Claim:
A thermal transfer printer comprising: a sheet feed roller and a pinch roller facing each other to pinch a sheet for reciprocating said sheet in a prescribed direction; a motor providing said sheet feed roller with drive force; a helical gear provided to said sheet feed roller to receive said motor's drive force; an ink ribbon used to print an image; a thermal head pressed against said sheet carried by said sheet feed roller and said pinch roller, with said ink ribbon interposed, to thermally transfer a color of said ink ribbon; a platen roller facing said thermal head and cooperating with said thermal head to pinch said sheet and said ink ribbon to allow said sheet to be carried; and a controller controlling an operation of said motor and that of said thermal head, wherein: said controller includes a function performing a sheet feeding operation performed via said sheet feed roller and said pinch roller to carry said sheet toward said thermal head, a pressing operation pressing said thermal head against said sheet with said ink ribbon posed therebetween, and an image printing operation printing an image on said sheet by said thermal head pressed against said sheet as said sheet feed roller and said pinch roller carry said sheet in a direction opposite to that of said sheet feeding operation, and includes a function performing a reverse operation after said sheet feeding operation and before said pressing operation to previously rotate said sheet feed roller in a direction opposite to that of said sheet feeding operation with said thermal head detached from said sheet.