PURPOSE: To provide a serial printer with a stablized action thereof free from malfunctioning by positioning a print head returning fast accurately to the home position with a return spring to prevent the generation of an unnecessary bound and a false signal.

CONSTITUTION: A serial printer is composed of a print head 26 supported reciprocatively along a platen 10, a means of feeding the print head to be driven to printing as desired, a means of returning the print head 26 quickly and accurately to the home position to retain after the end of the printing, and a means of releasing the retention of the print head with said retaining means when printing operation is started. In the printer thus obtained, the returning force of the print head 26 being returned with a return spring 50 is absorbed near the home position through collision with an elastic stopper 58 and then, the print head is retained with the retaining means (retaining plate 52 or the like).