A printer improved in the accuracy of detection as to whether or not recording paper exists. The printer has a sensor provided upstream a printing head in a paper feed direction to detect whether or not recording paper exists, a device for measuring a paper feed quantity of the recording paper, a central processing unit that controls the measuring device and a printer control circuit, and a comparator that makes a comparison between the measured paper feed quantity and a predetermined value. When "paper empty" is detected by the sensor, the central processing unit judges it to be "real paper empty" when no "paper existence" is detected during the period that predetermined paper feed is conducted after the detection of the "paper empty", and then suspends the printing operation. Thus, it is possible to prevent the central processing unit from erroneously judging a printed portion of the recording paper to be the trailing end of the recording paper.