To provide an ink stick, system for feeding solid ink and method for loading the ink stick, wherein control of the ink stick upon a movement from a feed passage is improved.

A longitudinal feed passage support/guide rail 140C is included at a lower part of the feed passage 129C and defines a corresponding longitudinal feed passage support/guide trough or groove 141C. The feed passage support/guide rail 140C and the feed passage support/guide groove 141C are laterally offset from the center of the longitudinal axis of the feeding passage 129C and support and guide a bottom surface of the ink stick 330C. The feed passage 129C includes a longitudinal feed-passage-side support/guide rail 147C which extends horizontally inward from the substantially-vertical intermediate point of a lateral sidewall 144C, and thus interruption of downward insertion of the ink stick by the guide rail 147C is eliminated, thereby allowing the ink stick to insert.