Character-erasable printing apparatus

Claim 1

A character erasable printing apparatus comprising: inputting means for inputting data, print data memory means for storing data inputted from said inputting means corresponding to a desired print position; printing means having a thermal printing head for printing characters in character strings beginning with a head character and ending with a last character corresponding to data inputted from said inputting means on a print paper, while moving rightward; present position memory means for storing data of the present position of the printing head corresponding to its print position; erasing means for erasing a character string printed by said printing means in response to an erase command from said inputting means sequentially from the head character to the last character while moving rightward; a single thermo-transfer ribbon capable of printing and erasing using a common area of said ribbon for said printing means and said erasing means; ribbon driving means for playing out said thermo-transfer ribbon only when the thermal printing head moves rightward during printing and erasing; and erase controlling means for, on the basis of the data in said print data memory means and the data in said present position memory means upon receiving an erase command from said inputting means, initially outputting, to said printing means a control signal for moving said printing head to the print position of the head character of the character string indicated by the present position of said printing head and subsequently outputting an erase control signal for erasing printed characters of the character string sequentially from the head character to the last character to the erasing means, and for controlling the printing means to move the printing head to the position of the head character of the erased character string after erasing of said character string.