PURPOSE: To obtain a small printer capable of performing printing by manually moving a printing head, by printing the output of the printing head on a printing object in synchronous relation to the movement of the printing head.

CONSTITUTION: A printer 2 is manually moved on a printing object 3. For example, when a character (a) of katakana is printed, it is detected that a printing head reaches a position x1 and the dot D6 of an inline head is prined. Next, when the printing head reached a position x2, D5 is printed and, thereafter, if a smeared-out dot is printed when the printing head respectively reached x3, x4... x7, the character (a) can be printed. When the relative position with the printing object change, wheels 9, 13 are rotated corresponding to said change. The rotation of the wheel 9 rotates a rotary encoder 11 to output a position signal and the printing head 8 generated head and the ink of a ribbon 12 is transferred to the printing object. The ribbon 12 is wound up by one hub 18 with the rotation of the wheel 13 and the ribbon 12 at an unused part is always contacted with the printing head 8 and the printing object.