For that particular board, the MAX7219 is powered from 5V and it controls the current going to 64 LEDs. I thought I had a schematic posted, looks like I forgot to add that.
For TPIC6B595, it is an open drain circuit ; +12v to anode1, cathode1 to anode2, cathode2 to anode3, cathode3 to anode4, cathode 4 to resistor, resistor to TPIC6B595 pin. Select resistor for 20mA per string, can drive 2-3 strings per output to make up a segment.
TPIC6B595 is driven from arduino directly.