in fig2 in order to press the uniting band 40 against the adjacent portion of the running ribbon 15 and to thus form a splice which causes the ribbon 14 to advance with and at the speed of the expiring ribbon 15 at the same time the splicing member 19 or a separate device severs the ribbon 15 behind the splice and the brake shoe 17b is caused to engage the spindle 2a in order to prevent further unwinding of the remnant of ribbon 15 off the reel 2 the brakes including the levers 16 and 17 are responsive to tension of the respective ribbons and are designed to insure that the tension remains within a predetermined range the ribbon 15 passes through the nip of two continuously driven advancing rolls 20 21 which transport the ribbon in the direction indicated by arrow b toward and around a dancer roll 22 which is movable up and down between two pairs of upright guide rails 23 25 and 24 26 the dancer roll 22 serves to tension the ribbon 15 i e to compensate for deviations of the rate of intermittent transport or feeding of ribbon downstream of the continuously driven rolls 20 21 from the rate at which the rolls 20 21 advance the ribbon toward the dancer roll 22 the ribbon 15 thereupon passes around a further guide roll 11 and past a suitable sensor 27.