An ink ribbon cassette includes a cassette case for housing an ink ribbon and feeding it along a feed path, an ink ribbon guide for guiding the ribbon along the ink path and a cantilevered spring member disposed at an intermediate portion of the feed path of the ink ribbon. The cantilevered spring member includes a frictioning portion for imparting a smaller tension to the ink ribbon when the ink ribbon is fed from a supply end to a take-up end, while imparting a greater tension to the ink ribbon when the ink ribbon is fed from the take-up end to the supply end. The spring member is provided at a free end with the frictioning portion and is bent at an intermediate portion such that a supported end of the spring member and the free end thereof face each other.