Label web over-printer

Claim 1

In a label over-printer a label web reel holder, a frame of the over-printer mounting the reel holder, guide means for guiding the label web from the reel, said guide means being adjustable and adjacent one edge of the web, a releasable brake pad operative on the upper face of the label web as it is drawn from the reel through the guide means, a printing mechanism downstream of the guide means including a rotary type drum having extruded groups of rails for receiving printing indicia accommodated in at least one axially extending recess in the periphery of the drum, a rotary platen freely-rotatable and co-operating with the type drum, means eccentrically mounting the platen whereby printing pressure between the type drum and the platen can be adjusted, cam means secured for rotation and co-axial with the type drum, further cam means synchronously driven in the opposite sense of the cam means of the type drum and arranged to co-operate therewith to index the web intermittently through the printing mechanism, and an ink roller co-operating with said printing indicia, said roller incorporating a multiplicity of discs of ink-absorbent paper arranged as a stack, and means at each end of the stack clamping the discs together, reciprocating indexing means for providing fine adjustment of the indexing stroke of the label web through the over-printer, guide rollers operable on the printed web of labels after the printing mechanism, a web take-up reel mounted on the frame after the said guide rollers, and means for positively driving said take-up reel to wind the printed web on the reel.