To automatically separate an ink ribbon from a paper after printing is interrupted without utilizing a complex exclusive mechanism.

When at least one of a sensor A22 and a sensor B23 detects a paper 27 after a power is turned on, it is judged that jamming of the paper after interruption of the printing occurs. When a print head 17 is placed on a non-printing position, a head supporting member 17-2 is rotated downward to a printing position so that an ink ribbon 26 is pressed against a platen 25 by the print head 17, then the ink ribbon 26 is suspended between a top section 17-4 of the print head 17 and a winding roller 29a at an inclination having a sharp angle θ. The paper 27 is conveyed by a distance of 3mm from the top section 17-4 of the print head 17 which is brought into contact with the ink ribbon 26 at a downstream side in the conveying direction to a heating element 17-3 on the print head 17 and the winding roller 29a is driven without activating the heating element 17-3 to wind up the ink ribbon 26 by a distance of 5mm which is slightly longer than the conveyed distance of the paper.