An imprinter with a lifting system for lowering the platen roller during the imprint stroke and raising the platen roller during the return stroke. The lifting system includes a lift cam lever and lifting cam associated with the front wheel and kept under constant bias. The lifting cam lever engages in slots arranged along a track of the imprinter bed, and the front axle is eccentrically mounted in the lifting cam such that when a carriage assembly having a platen roller is moved through the imprint stroke the platen roller applies pressure, and as the carriage assembly is ready to be returned, the lifting cam lever will be in registration with a slot on the track such that upon the return stroke the lifting cam lever will lift the carriage assembly.
