Abstract: There is provided a recording material cutting device having a mechanism for cutting a recording material by the whole edge of a cutter blade so as to prolong the service life of the cutter blade, while allowing to simplify the structure of the device, to downsize the device, and to improve the straightness of the cut portion of the recording material. Upon starting the cutting, the cutting-in depth of the cutter blade 130 is the deepest, and the recording material 113 is cut by the near-root portion of the cutter blade 130. As the whole of the cutter unit 112 moves in the direction C while the seizing member 123 abuts onto the cammed surface of the cammed portion 132, the cutter holder 122 is gradually lifted up so that the cutting-in depth of the cutter blade 130 into the recording material 113 is gradually shallowed.

Abstract: There is provided a sheet processing apparatus that is capable of preventing a stapled sheet bundle from being misaligned at a side edge thereof or becoming torn or wrinkled when the sheet bundle is discharged. The sheet processing apparatus comprises a stapler that staples a sheet bundle comprising a plurality of sheets, downstream discharge rollers that discharge the sheet bundle, a driving motor that drives the downstream discharge rollers, and a controller that controls the driving device. The controller controls discharge of the sheet bundle in different ways between a case where the stapler staples the sheet bundle at one point thereof and a case where the stapler staples the sheet bundle at two points thereof.

Abstract: A sheet stacking apparatus including a first tray on which sheets discharged from an outlet are stacked, the first tray being movable between a stacking position at which sheets discharged from an outlet are stacked and a first retracted position above the staking position; a second tray on which sheets discharged from an outlet are stacked, the first tray being disposed below the first tray and being movable independently of the first tray, the second tray being movable between the stacking position and a second retracted position below the stacking position; and a controller that causes the second tray to descend when sheets are to be stacked on the first tray, the controller causing the second tray to stop descending when the second tray reaches a standby position where a distance between the outlet and a top surface of the sheets stacked on the second tray is a predetermined distance.

Abstract: The present invention is to provide an image reading apparatus reading image information of an original while moving the original on an original base plate comprising: a transport rotary member provided opposite the original base plate to transport the original; a supporting member that supports the transport rotary member to be rotatable; and a gap forming section provided in the supporting member to form a gap between the transport rotary member and the original base plate, wherein the transport rotary member and the supporting member each have a high reflectance surface condition.

Abstract: An example conventional method of avoiding a printing failure caused by residual bubbles in a print head involves counting from an initiation of a printing operation the accumulated number of print dots formed by the entire print head and, when the count value reaches a predetermined value, executing a recovery operation. Such a conventional method, however, requires the recovery operation to be performed frequently for the following reason. The recovery operation initiation condition has been determined by performing printing operations under a variety of conditions that cause printing failures and which change depending on the liquid chamber structure in the print head and an image pattern being printed, and then selecting a threshold value for the worst condition.

Abstract: Before starting printing and/or after finishing printing, a preliminary ejection of ink is performed for a cap, which covers a recording head, until the cap is almost filled (S17, S23, S38). Then, a sucking operation (S18, S24, S39) is performed to suck ink stored in the cap. Alternatively, based on a predetermined criterion such as the accumulated number of printed dots, the number of printed pages, or a print time (S71, S72), a first print operation (S73), which preliminarily ejects a predetermined amount of ink at least before starting printing or after printing, and a second print operation (S74), which preliminarily ejects more ink than the predetermined amount at least before starting printing or after printing, are alternately performed. This prevents ink from adhering to a restoring system of an ink-jet recorder and allows the sucking operation and the preliminary ejection operation to be performed smoothly.

Abstract: To simplify the management of unique information on printing apparatuses, the printing apparatus sends the HS data unique to a particular print head to the computer terminal equipment which, based on the HS data, corrects the print data and sends the corrected print data to the printing apparatus.

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 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: Disclosed is a sheet discharging apparatus including a charge eliminating member which is provided downstream a pair of swinging rollers for discharging a sheet, and is directed along a sheet discharging direction from its upstream side toward its downstream side. In the sheet discharging apparatus, the charge eliminating member is directed along the sheet discharging direction from its upstream side toward its downstream side, so that an area of the charge eliminating member facing a sheet is made larger than that of a conventional one, and static electricity of the sheet can be surely removed. Particularly, even when the sheet is a color sheet on which a color image charged with more static electricity than a monochromatic sheet is formed, the static electricity of the color sheet can be surely removed.

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 ink jet printing method and device in which an interpreter of the ink jet recording device reduces a splash (splash event) of ink during the printing of a solid-drawing area. The interpreter analyzes a command and data which indicate the drawing of a thick-line or a filled-in area. After the analysis, vector data of the thick line or the filled-in area is converted into raster data based on a given data pattern and, based on the raster data, ink is ejected with the recording head moving over a recording medium. Prior to the rasterization, the interpreter checks each of the thick line or the filled-in area to be drawn as to whether the data pattern indicates solid-drawing (S44). If the data pattern indicates solid-drawing, the interpreter changes the data pattern to a lower-density pattern (S47).

Abstract: An image forming device capable of detecting the presence/absence of ink as well as whether an ink tank is mounted. A detachable ink tank 32 on a carriage 31 includes a prism 32C, and a reflective optical sensor 33 detects the presence/absence of ink depending on the difference in refractive index between the two states, that is, filled with ink and empty. A reflector lever 35, movable in response to the ink tank 32 being mounted or not, is provided on the bottom of an ink tank holder 34. The reflector lever 35 has one end fixed on a lower part of the ink tank and the other end that is a free end consisting of a triangular reflector 35D. The reflector lever 35 is normally urged upward by a resilient member 35A, and it will not direct the reflection toward the sensor 33 in the absence of the ink tank whereas it is deformed in the presence/absence of the ink tank to direct the reflection toward the sensor 33. As a result, the presence/absence of the ink tank is detected.

Abstract: A first lever 70 is linked to coupling unit 60 to couple and decouple a pair of rollers 26, 30 which pinch and deliver a recording sheet 20 in a delivery direction toward an image-forming zone for image formation. This first lever 70 is placed near an inlet port 16.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a sheet cutting apparatus comprising cutting means for cutting a sheet bundle, receiving means for receiving the cutting means, receiving position moving means for moving a receiving position on the receiving means for receiving the cutting means; and counting means for counting a number of cutting times of the sheet bundles. The receiving position moving means moves the receiving position on the receiving means according to information out of the counting means.

Abstract: A recording medium cutter capable of moving between two positions, a cutting position and a non-cutting position, in a short time, and also capable of cutting a recording medium at accurate positions. A main body (40) rotatably holding a rotary blade (32) and a driven blade (34) is located between side plates (36 and 38) of the cutter (30). A main shaft (39) serving as the center shaft of the rotary blade (32) is rotatably secured to the side plates (36 and 38). The main shaft (39) also serves as the rotating shaft of the main body (40). A driving motor is secured to the mounting plate (42) of the side plate (36). When the main shaft (39) is rotated by the driving motor (44), the rotary blade (32) rotates. Because the driven blade (34) is pressed against the side face of the rotary blade (32), as the rotary blade (32) rotates, the driven blade (34) revolves around the main shaft (39). As a result, the main body (40) also rotates around the main shaft (39).

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 reference medium is scanned both with a medium sensor (44) capable of detecting a low-transmittance printing medium with high accuracy and with a medium sensor (45) capable of detecting a high-transmittance medium with low accuracy so as to find edge positions Ry0, Ry1 of the reference medium. The difference Diff0 between the edge positions is calculated and stored as a correction value. If it is hard to detect a printing medium by means of the medium sensor (44), the medium sensor (45) is used to detect the medium, and the resulting edge position is corrected using the correction value Diff0. In addition, for any given printing medium, a first driving level of a light source for outputting a predetermined output amount of the sensor (44) and a second driving level of a light source for outputting a predetermined output amount of the sensor (45) are calculated and, based on the difference between the two driving levels, the type of the printing medium is determined.

Abstract: The invention provides an ink-jet recording apparatus capable of automatically adjusting the feed of a recording medium without troubling a user. Such an ink-jet recording apparatus is provided with a means for forming at least two adjustment charts for one band by means of at least one nozzle disposed at both end portions of a print head, a nozzle width detecting means for detecting the nozzle width of the print head on the basis of information of two adjustment charts in the same band printed by both end portions, a feed detecting means for detecting an actual feed of the recording medium on the basis of information of adjustment charts printed in adjacent bands by either one end portion out of both end portions, and a compensating means for performing a compensation for a predetermined feed for one band of the recording medium on the basis of the detected nozzle width and the actual feed.

Abstract: Between adjacent pinch rollers 22, an auxiliary roller 44 is provided coaxially with the pinch rollers 22. A large diameter portion 44a of the auxiliary roller 44 presses down a recording medium on a platen 12. Between the auxiliary roller 44 and an image formation zone 41, there is provided a downstream sheet-pressing member 46. The large diameter portion 46a of the downstream sheet-pressing member 46 also presses down the recording medium against the platen 12.