THERMAL TRANSFER PRINTER

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thermal transfer printer which minimizes generation of creases in an ink ribbon even when forward and backward feeds are carried out continuously or intermittently. SOLUTION: A second abutting piece 22 is provided which is arranged in a conveying route of an ink ribbon 2 orthogonally to the ink ribbon 2, and abuts on the ink ribbon 2 at such a point as to be symmetrically slope shaped by having the concave deepest at the center in the width direction. In the forward feed where a printing medium is conveyed in a direction to make printing, the second abutting piece 22 is moved into the operation condition where the ink ribbon 2 abuts on its all area in the width direction, and in the backward feed where the printing medium is conveyed in the opposite direction of the forward feed, the second abutting piece 22 is moved into the non-operation condition where the ink ribbon 2 does not abut on all the area in the width direction. COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT