PURPOSE: To eliminate the unnecessary feed of an ink ribbon and simplify programs for a printer by installing an enclosure for ink ribbon on each ink ribbon shaft on the supply and takeup sides of the ink ribbon and also providing an identifier which determines whether the ink ribbon has multicolors or monocolor on either one of the enclosures.

CONSTITUTION: A magazine 1 for accommodating an ink ribbon before printing is installed on an ink ribbon shaft 3 on the ink ribbon supply side, and a magazine 2 for accommodating all ink ribbons already used for printing is installed on an ink ribbon shaft 4 on the ink ribbon winding side. Positioning pins 10, 11 for attaching the ink ribbon to a printer are installed on the magazines 1, 2. A photosensor 9 and an ink ribbon identifier 8 determine whether the ink ribbon is black or polychromatic by inserting the positioning pin 10 in a magazine guide 5 and the positioning pin 11 in a magazine guide 6, then attaching the ink ribbon to the printer.