A thermal printer cartridge is provided. The thermal printer cartridge comprising: a supply housing having a drive end and a non-drive end; a take-up housing having a drive end and a non-drive end; a stiffening linkage joining the non-drive end of the supply housing to the non-drive end of the take-up housing, the stiffening linkage being capable of elastic deflection to absorb a portion of the energy from an impact load; an elastically deformable linkage joining the drive ends, the resilient linkage being adapted to elastically deflect following a first deflection pattern and to absorb another portion of an amount of energy from a impact load; and a damping linkage joining the drive ends, the damping linkage being adapted to elastically deflect following a second deflection pattern that is different than the first deflection pattern and to absorb still another portion of an amount of energy from the impact load.