Abstract: In order to stack a larger number of sheets on trays by reducing a total thickness of the trays and enabling the trays to ascend and descend actually over long distances, a sheet stacking device includes an upper-tray and a lower-tray which are ascendible and descendible and on which sheets delivered from a delivery roller pair are stacked, a motor and a belt for allowing both the trays to ascend and descend, a clutch for disconnecting the upper-tray and the belt from each other, and a claw and a rack for stopping self-weight descent of the upper-tray when the clutch effects the disconnection. A clearance between the upper-tray under the disconnection by the clutch and in the stop of the self-weight descent by the claw engaged with the rack and the lower-tray connected to the belt is adjustable by ascent and descent of the lower-tray by the motor.

Abstract: The present invention prevents a succeeding sheet from being caught in holes of preceding punched sheets.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus which has an improved follow-up property indicating how a toner supply amount follows a toner consumption amount to prevent a defective image, including: a photosensitive drum; a developing device; a toner replenishing device; a toner sensor configured to detect a toner amount inside the developing device; and a controller configured to drive the toner replenishing device to replenish the developing device with toner based on a detection result of the sensor during a developing device driving time and to stop the toner replenishing device during a non-image forming period to stop replenishing the developing device with toner, wherein if the toner amount inside the developing device detected by the sensor is reduced to a level equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold value, the controller drives the developing device and the toner replenishing device even during the non-image forming period.

Abstract: An image formation processing system is provided with an image formation portion, an adhesive applying portion which receives a plurality of sheets from the image formation portion, gathers the received sheets in the shape of a bundle to form a sheet bundle, and applies an adhesive to an end face of the sheet bundle, and a post-processing portion which receives a plurality of sheets from the image formation portion, gathers the received sheets in the shape of a bundle to form a sheet bundle, and performs predetermined post-processing on the sheet bundle, where the adhesive applying portion is disposed downstream of the image formation portion in the sheet transport, while the post-processing portion is disposed downstream of the adhesive applying portion in sheet transport.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a bar code generator which improves a print quality of a bar code and further enhances reading precision thereof, as to both vertical and horizontal bar codes. In this bar code generator, bar width information is set independently for each of the vertical and horizontal bar codes, as a precondition for printing the vertical and horizontal bar codes, selectively. When the bar code is printed (S802), it is determined whether the bar code is vertical or horizontal (S803), and according to the result of the determination, the bar width information of the determined bar code orientation is read out for drawing an image of the bar code (S804, S805, and S806). The result being drawn is transmitted to the printer, and the bar code is printed.

Abstract: In order to simultaneously prevent both curl generation and fixation performance deterioration upon both-surface image formation of a recording medium P, a fixation temperature control means which subjects a transporting-direction trailing end region of a first surface (front surface) of the recording medium P to fixation at a low heating treatment temperature, thereby suppressing the curl generation amount in the region subjected to the low-temperature heating treatment, at the same time, subjects the region except for the region that has undergone the low-temperature heating treatment to fixation at a normal heating treatment temperature, thereby preventing deterioration in the fixation performance, and subjects the region which has undergone the low-temperature heating treatment to heating treatment of a high temperature upon fixation of a second surface (back surface), thereby preventing defective fixation in the low-temperature heating treatment region is provided.

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus including a cross-directionally moving device for moving a sheet in a direction crossing a sheet discharging direction, and a cross-side restricting member for receiving one side edge of the sheet moved in the crossing direction by the cross-directionally moving device, and restricting the movement of the sheet, wherein the cross-directionally moving device moves the next sheet from a position between the other side edge of the sheet received by the cross-side restricting member and the cross-side restricting member to the cross-side restricting member.

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus that processes sheets transported in a transport direction and stacked on a tray, including: a sheet moving device configured to be brought into contact with an upper surface of a sheet stacked on the tray and to be moved in a width direction intersecting with the transport direction to move the sheet in the width direction; an alignment member against which a side edge of the sheet moved in the width direction by the sheet moving device is brought into abutment, to align the sheet; and a guide member configured to hold down the sheet between the sheet moving device and the alignment member with the sheet moving device in contact with the upper surface of the sheet, wherein the guide member is moved integrally with the sheet moving device in the width direction.

Abstract: The image forming device, by providing an amount of toner remaining detection system, calculates the amount of relative change in the electrostatic capacitance in the amount of toner remaining over a prescribed number of sheets of recording paper (R) to sense the amount of toner remaining, and indicates that the amount of toner remaining is too low when it is judged that the amount of relative change in the electrostatic capacitance of said amount of toner remaining exceeds a reference amount of change, sensing of the amount of toner remaining and indication that it is too low are performed based on the relative change in one sensing signal relating to the amount of toner remaining, comparing two sensing signals relating to the amount of toner remaining as in the past is eliminated, and the process for adjusting the sensing output is made unnecessary.

Abstract: A sheet post-processing apparatus includes a cutting device for cutting a fore-edge portion of a center-folded bunch of sheets disposed in a position spaced from a sheet discharge outlet to eliminate the risk for inflicting a wound on the body of an operator, an end binding device for gathering sheets received from a carry-in entrance and performing binding processing in the end portion of a bunch of sheets, a saddle-stitching device for gathering sheets received from the carry-in entrance and performing binding processing in the center portion of a bunch of sheets, and a center-folding device for performing center-folding processing on the bunch of sheets subjected to the saddle-stitching processing. A cutting device is subjected to the center-folding processing. A second discharge outlet is disposed in the other side face of the apparatus frame to discharge the bunch of sheets subjected to the center-folding processing in the center-folding device.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus is provided which prevents irregularity of an image density and improves the life of heating elements. In a half of recording heads (a group of recording heads 22K2, 22K4, 22K6 not adjacent to each other), off time T2 is shortened at a timing of PWM renewal 1; in the other recording heads (22K1, 22K3, 22K5, another group of the recording heads not adjacent to each other) the off time T2 is not changed at the timing of PWM renewal 1 but is shortened at the timing of PWM renewal 2. As the result, in the region corresponding to the timing from PWM renewal 1 to PWM renewal 2, the amount of the ink droplets ejected from the nozzles of the recording heads 22K2, 22K4, 22K6 is decreased to decrease slightly invisibly the image density formed by the ink droplets ejected from the nozzles 22K2, 22K4, 22K6.

Abstract: The conveying device has contact portions that extend in a conveyance direction of the conveying belt and which contact with the same surface of the print medium that is attracted by suction to the conveying belt. This realizes a conveying device that assures a high quality printing. Even when a print medium with warped or undulated portions is fed, the conveying device can hold the print medium flat on the conveying belt and the ribs by suction through the suction holes in the conveying belt and through the platen, keeping the distance between the print head and the print medium constant, assuring a stable printing operation.

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: Time for which an ejection port surface of a print head has been exposed to the exterior since the end of the last cleaning operation is predicted and accumulated as an accumulated exposure time. A cleaning timing is set to be a timing when the accumulated exposure time coincides with a set time set according to the ambient temperature and humidity of an area in which a label printer is installed. In principle, a cleaning operation is performed at the cleaning timing. However, when the cleaning timing comes during the current consecutive printing operation, the cleaning operation is not performed during the current consecutive printing operation but at a time before the start of the current consecutive printing operation or a time after the end of the current consecutive printing operation.

Abstract: In a bookbinding apparatus, an adhesive applying portion applies an adhesive to an end face of a sheet bundle allowed to stand in the substantially vertical direction, a storage portion that gathers and stores the sheet bundle which is applied with the adhesive and bound in the adhesive applying portion while letting the sheet bundle stand in the substantially vertical direction, transport means for conveying the sheet bundle while letting the sheet bundle stand in the substantially vertical direction from the adhesive applying portion to the storage portion along a substantially vertical transport path, and a cutting portion which is provided on the transport path between the adhesive applying portion and the storage portion, and which cuts an end face of the sheet bundle while letting the sheet bundle stand in the substantially vertical direction.

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: Provided is a developing device capable of, with a simple structure, preventing occurrence of image degradation ascribable to a distribution of an amount of fall in a longitudinal direction due to developer replenishment within a developer container. An upper rim portion of a developer regulating wall for adjusting an amount of a developer falling along a developer transport direction of a developer transport path is inclined so as to become low in height in the developer transport direction of the developer transport path. A width of a surface in the developer transport direction of the developer transport path is enlarged along the developer transport direction of the developer transport path. A wall is formed by the developer transported on the developer transport path, and the developer transported in a longitudinal direction is transported in the longitudinal direction while breaking a wall of the developer itself.

Abstract: This invention provides an image processing method and image processing apparatus, which allow the user to select an image for which an amount of printing material applied to a printing medium is to be reduced. To an object selected on a selection window, a CPU applies image processing for reducing a printing material to data of an internal part of the selected object except for its contour using a program of a printer driver. Then, this invention can provide an image processing method and image processing apparatus, which are convenient for the user.

Abstract: A toner collecting apparatus which transports collected toner through a discharge pipe to discharge the collected toner from a discharge port of the discharge pipe, the toner collecting apparatus including: a cover pipe having an open window and being rotatable around the discharge pipe in a substantially concentric fashion; a protective wall covering at least apart of the cover pipe; and a rotation member which rotates the cover pipe, wherein the cover pipe is rotated by the rotation member between an open position in which the open window is aligned with the discharge port and a closed position in which the open window is shifted from the discharge port so that at least the open window is covered with the protective wall.

Abstract: Even in a case where a master-CPU of an image forming section and a slave-CPU of a sheet transportation section are driven by respective oscillation circuits with different oscillation accuracies, a large difference in accuracy is not caused in transfer sheet transportation speed driven by clock signals formed by the respective oscillation circuits. In the master-CPU and the slave-CPU that are cascadingly connected to each other, in order to calculate a clock frequency of an oscillation circuit of the target-CPU, a predetermined time transmitted from the other CPU connected to the target-CPU is counted by the clock signal of the target-CPU. With reference to the predetermined time, an operating process, such as division of an acquired counter value by the predetermined time, acquires an error of the clock frequency of the oscillation circuit driving the slave-CPU, and corrects the error, thereby improving the accuracy thereof.