Abstract: A polymer compound comprises a unit composed of a sulfur-containing compound (A) having at least two active hydrogen groups, a unit composed of a compound (B) having at least two isocyanate groups and a unit composed of an amine compound (C) having at least two active hydrogen groups, and having an average particle size of 200 nm or smaller. The polymer compound can be used in a recording medium.

Abstract: A document feeder for transporting a document to a predetermined reading position at which image reading is performed by an image reading portion, including: a document transport portion for transporting the document to a reading standby position upstream of the reading position; and a control portion for controlling the document transport portion so that the document is made to stop at the reading standby position if the image reading portion is not in an image readable state by the time the document arrives at the reading standby position.

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus of the invention has: a movement blocking unit for blocking a movement of a sheet which is moved to a side edge aligning unit by a moving unit, thereby allowing the moving unit to position adjustment slip move on the sheet so as to adjust a relative position with the sheet; and a block cancelling unit for allowing the movement blocking unit to cancel the block of the movement of the sheet when the moving unit slips and moves by a predetermined distance.

Abstract: The invention is to provide a sheet treating apparatus achieving a space saving and enabling easy identification of an output mode of sheets. The sheet treating apparatus of the invention for treating sheets after image formation is accommodated in a space formed in an image forming apparatus, and includes plural sheet stacking devices which stack treated sheets, and a lifting and lowering device which independently lifts and lowers the plural sheet stacking devices.

Abstract: A barcode printing device, which forms one image using plural same-color heads arranged in parallel, generates a barcode in which the effect of variations in landing position accuracy, caused by variations in the conveyance, is minimized. The barcode printing device comprises plural line heads 22K1-22K6, which eject same-color ink and are arranged in parallel with each other, and the plural line heads work together to print plural lines configuring each bar of a barcode while conveying recording paper relatively to the plural line heads. In this case, when each of plural bars configuring a barcode is formed by three or more successive lines, the two outermost lines of each bar are printed by one same line head (22K1) of the plural line heads when the barcode is printed. The inner lines between the outermost two lines of each bar are printed by any line heads.

Abstract: A sheet post-processing unit usable in an image forming apparatus includes a sheet stacking device; a sheet conveying device including at least one roller rotatably supported by an arm movably and vertically rockingly supported, an actuator for moving the arm capable of selectively conveying each sheet to be discharged and of separating from the sheet by moving in a vertical direction; a control section for setting a moving distance of the intersectional moving device corresponding to a size of each sheet to be discharged; and a sheet clamping device. The roller abuts an uppermost sheet among sheets stacked on the sheet stacking device and an intersectional moving device moves the roller in the intersecting direction by a moving distance corresponding to the sheet size set by the control section to hit against and align the uppermost sheet with an upstream side regulating member and an intersectional regulating member.

Abstract: A document feeder for transporting a document to a predetermined reading position at which image reading is performed by an image reading portion, including: a document transport portion for transporting the document to a reading standby position upstream of the reading position; and a control portion for controlling the document transport portion so that the document is made to stop at the reading standby position if the image reading portion is not in an image readable state by the time the document arrives at the reading standby position.

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes: a buffer unit which stores plural supplied sheets with upstream edges in a conveying direction thereof aligned; a processing tray on which sheets discharged from the buffer unit are stacked; and an oscillation roller pair and a return roller which convey the sheet stacked on the processing tray to bring the sheet into abutment against a stopper for receiving the upstream edge of the sheet. The buffer unit is adapted to align the upstream edges of only sheets to be stored before a sheet to be supplied last among the sheets to be stored.

Abstract: A pigment dispersion liquid capable of stably recording images having high fastness and excellent quality for a long term in any cases has been provided. A pigment dispersion liquid mainly containing a polymer dispersant, a pigment and water, wherein the polymer dispersant is a copolymer comprised of at least a hydrophobic unit and a hydrophilic unit, the hydrophobic unit has a block portion comprised of at least one hydrophobic monomer, the hydrophilic unit has at least a repeating unit structure of an acrylamide structure of the following general formula (1), and the segment number (A) of the block portion comprised of a hydrophobic monomer to the number (B) of all segments of the polymer dispersant is in a range of 0.07 to 0.85 in terms of A/B ratio.

Abstract: An ink-jet type image-forming apparatus is provided which is improved in ink ejection performance and ink ejection reliability by retarding increase of the ink viscosity. In this apparatus, the ink in nozzles is not heated immediately before the printing (no voltage pulse is applied to the heater 152) to retard the viscosity increase by evaporation of water from the ink; the interval between the succeeding ejections from the respective nozzle is estimated from the printing data; and plural voltage pulses P1 are applied to the heater 152 to a temperature so as not to cause ink ejection.

Abstract: An inkjet printing apparatus which can perform cost-down and an improvement on a print quality by simplification of an apparatus construction is realized. For realizing such an apparatus, a gas-liquid separation is achieved by the construction where air bubbles generated in an ejection portion or a reservoir can rise to a liquid surface, and a negative pressure control and at the same time, discharge of the air bubbles are performed by a fan.

Abstract: An inkjet image forming device records a test pattern 901 composed of plural lines running along the nozzle array, at least one end positions of the lines being shifted in increments of one unit amount, using a first line recording head 202. After that, the same test pattern as the test pattern described above is sequentially recorded using the second and the subsequent line recording heads, 203-205. The lines of each recorded test pattern are detected by an optical sensor 210 provided downstream of the plural line recording heads. Based on the detection results of the lines of the test patterns recorded by the line recording heads, the amounts of nozzle array direction registration errors between the line recording head, which is one of the plural line recording heads and is used as the base, and other line recording heads are detected. Based on the amounts of errors, the registration of the line recording heads is corrected.

Abstract: Magnetic force lines 51 are generated in the direction from a first limited portion 52 of an inside peripheral face 50a of a ribbon-delivering cylindrical core toward an opposing second limited portion 54. A first magnet is fixed at the first limited portion: a second magnet is fixed at the opposing second limited portion. With the ink ribbon cassette 40 set in a main body of a printer 10, a magnetic sensor 24 takes the position in the middle of the inside of the ribbon-delivery core 50, and detects the magnetic force line 51.

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus is provided with a processing tray on which sheets are to be stacked and subjected to a processing, a stack tray provided in the downstream of the processing tray with respect to the sheet conveying direction on which sheets are to be stacked, an oscillation roller pair for conveying the sheets stacked on the processing tray to the stack tray, and a trailing edge assist for conveying the sheet stacked on the processing tray toward the stack tray. The sheets stacked on the processing tray are discharged to the stack tray by the oscillation roller pair and the trailing edge assist.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus is provided which is capable of forming an image on an intended position on a recording medium regardless of the paper sheet width (whether the sheet is wide or narrow). The image-forming apparatus 10 has a first recording head 31 which moves only within a first one side (right side in FIG. 1) of a first delivery belt 21 in the paper sheet width direction (arrow-B direction and arrow-C direction) perpendicular to the arrow-A direction. In the downstream side of the first delivery belt 21 in the arrow-A direction and slightly rightward in the paper sheet width direction, a second delivery belt 22 of an endless type extending in the arrow-A direction is provided for delivering the recording medium in the arrow-A direction. A second recording head 32 is provided which moves in the paper sheet width direction only within a second one side of the second delivery belt 22 opposite to the first one side.

Abstract: Ink is smoothly supplied so as to increase ink ejection speed to achieve high-speed printing. Thus, a filter is used to partition an ink storing chamber into a first and second storing chambers. Ink stored in the first storing chamber is supplied to a common liquid chamber in an ejection element. Ink introduced into the second ink storing chamber through a joint is supplied to the first storing chamber through the filter. An ink storing chamber member is joined to an ink storing chamber cover member to form the first and second ink storing chambers partitioned by the filter.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sheet processing apparatus comprising a sheet holding device capable of storing supplied sheets, a first sheet stacking tray on which sheets are stacked at a downstream side of the sheet holding device in a sheet conveying direction and on which the sheets are subjected to processing, a sheet discharging device for discharging the sheets stacked on the first sheet stacking tray, a second sheet stacking tray on which the sheets discharged by the sheet discharging device are stacked, and a controller for controlling the sheet discharging device and the sheet holding device if sheet jam occurs at an upstream side of the sheet holding device, in such a manner that, after the sheets on the first sheet stacking tray are discharged onto the second sheet stacking tray, the sheets stored in the sheet holding device are discharged onto the first sheet stacking tray.

Abstract: A recording system includes a first recording unit, including a recording module having a recording head and a cleaning unit which cleans the recording head, a conveying section which conveys a recording medium, and at least a second recording unit provided at a downstream side in a conveying direction of the recording medium, wherein the first recording unit records a first image portion and the second recording unit records a second image portion.

Abstract: An image forming system is provided that uses printing apparatus groups each consisting of a plurality of printing apparatuses. The printing apparatuses hold print heads each provided with nozzles arrayed in a predetermined direction, are arranged two-dimensionally to cooperate with each other in printing rasters extending in the predetermined direction. Two printing apparatus groups are arranged in a medium conveying direction. In forming images in areas divided in the predetermined direction, the printing apparatuses or print heads located on the upstream side and the downstream side are appropriately set to participate in the printing of the same raster. In printing for one divided area, when only one print head is used to reduce electric power consumption or when two print heads are used for faster printing or for higher print quality, a selection is made of a combination of printing apparatuses or print heads that considers the printed image quality.

Abstract: The present invention provides a print module, an information processing device, a print system, a print unit, an ink supply unit, a print method and program, all capable of quickly and easily meeting demands for a print medium size change, particularly to increased sizes, while at the same time coping with demands for faster printing speed. To this end, this invention constructs the print heads (811) in the form of print modules (M) so that their ink systems and signal systems are independent among the print modules. Each print module is set with identity information for its identification.