Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus includes a sheet stacking section configured to stack a number of sheets, a sheet feeding mechanism configured to feed the sheet stacked on the sheet stacking section one by one, and an intermediate conveying device configured to convey the sheet fed from the sheet feeding mechanism to an image forming apparatus. The intermediate conveying device includes a plurality of sheet conveying devices arranged in an intermediate sheet conveying path at certain intervals to convey the sheet fed from the sheet feeding mechanism, at least one driving device configured to drive each of the plurality of sheet conveying devices, and a plurality of sheet detecting devices arranged in the intermediate sheet conveying path at certain intervals to detect a sheet length by detecting at least one of a leading edge and a trailing edge of the conveyed sheet.

Abstract: To provide a highly human- and environment-friendly ink fixing method that is excellent in energy efficiency, operability and ink-fixing property and has a simple process, an ink fixing apparatus that is excellent in energy efficiency, operability and ink-fixing property and is a highly human- and environment-friendly, simple and compact apparatus, and a printer that is equipped with the ink fixing apparatus and can provide high-quality images at low cost. The ink fixing apparatus of the present invention includes at least fixing a print ink to a base material using a discharge generated between electrodes under pressure close to atmospheric pressure, wherein the print ink includes at least a non-volatile organic compound bearing a carboxylic group and includes no photopolymerization initiators.

Abstract: A stencil printing apparatus which suppresses master consumption by switching between simplex printing using a simplex master and single-step duplex printing using a duplex master automatically in accordance with master information and sheet information comprises a printing drum and pressing means, and can be made to switch between duplex printing, in which a rear surface printing step is performed after a front surface printing step, and simplex printing by wrapping a duplex master formed with a first engraved image and a second engraved image around the printing drum during duplex printing, and wrapping a simplex master formed with a third engraved image for simplex printing around the printing drum during simplex printing.

Abstract: A stencil printer of the present invention includes a printer body, a print drum rotatably mounted on the printer body, a press roller for pressing a sheet against the circumferential surface of the print drum, and a moving device for selectively moving the press roller into or out of contact with the outer circumference of the print drum. The press roller and moving device are capable of being pulled out from the printer body integrally with each other.

Abstract: A printer of the present invention includes a print drum around which a master made by cutting a stencil is to be wrapped, an ink feeding device for feeding ink to the master wrapped around the print drum and a pressing member for pressing a sheet relatively to the print drum to thereby print an image on the sheet. The operator of the printer is capable of selecting either one of a usual print mode and a silence print mode that give priority to image quality and noise reduction, respectively.

Abstract: A printing device capable of printing with either UV curable ink or non-UV curable ink and having a function of controlling so that printing under the printing conditions of the printing device in accordance with the selected ink to be used can be performed with simple operation. The printing device has a controller for performing control of executing warning report and/or disabling printing operation, when the type of the ink identified by the ink type detection device is not consistent with the type of the master identified by the master type detection device.

Abstract: A paper conveyance apparatus includes a stacking portion; a feeding mechanism to extract and feed paper from the stacking portion one sheet at a time; and an intermediate portion for conveying the fed paper to the vicinity of a feeding port or feeding device of a main body of an image forming apparatus. The intermediate portion includes a plurality of conveyance devices and a plurality of paper detecting devices disposed from the upstream side to the downstream side of a conveyance path. The paper conveyance apparatus further includes a control device for reducing the conveyance speed of the plurality of conveyance devices when the leading edge of the paper is detected by a detecting device disposed at least one device further toward the upstream side than a paper detecting device disposed furthest downstream of the plurality of detecting devices.

Abstract: An inkjet recording method including: (i) exposing a surface of a recording medium to non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma so as to hydrophilize the surface of the recording medium, and (ii) applying a stimulus to an ink composition so as to eject the ink composition to form an image on the recording medium, wherein the ink composition contains at least one of a pigment/water-dispersible resin particle mixture in which a pigment is dispersed along with water-dispersible resin particles and colored water-dispersible resin particles each of which is a water-dispersible resin particle which is colored.

Abstract: An inkjet printing apparatus that can perform printing with a single printing speed even in a case of being connected with a post-processing apparatus having a different transport speed, and that can suppress increased apparatus costs. A discharge transport portion positioned at a connection side of a post-processing apparatus of the inkjet printing apparatus is constituted by transport roller pairs and discharge roller pairs, and is capable of being driven independently from the inkjet transport portion. When the transport speed of the post-processing apparatus is different from the printing speed, printed papers are temporarily stopped at the discharge transport portion. After this, transport recommences with a predetermined timing matched to the transport speed of the post-processing apparatus, and papers are fed to the post-processing apparatus.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus and sheet feeding device capable of feeding sheets without skewing or multi-feeding of sheets using a small number of side air blowing drive sources. The sheet feeding device has a plurality of side discharge nozzles comprising side discharge outlets for blowing air onto the respective side edge surfaces of a paper stack, and two sirocco fans which are communicatively connected in series as a side air blowing drive source, and are communicatively connected, via a side discharge drive source chamber and a side discharge relay tube (duct), to the plurality of side discharge nozzles. The respective side discharge nozzles capable of moving in linkage with side fences, and an immovable fixed side discharge nozzle are disposed at different distances from the leading edge of the loaded and set paper stack with respect to a sheet feeding direction.

Abstract: In a stencil printing apparatus capable of duplex printing, in which a front surface printing process for printing a front surface image on one surface of a sheet of paper fed by a sheet feeding unit is performed, the sheet is re-fed to a sheet re-feeder, and then a rear surface printing process for printing a rear surface image on the other surface is performed. The positions of the front surface image and rear surface image to be formed on the sheet can be moved together by a predetermined amount in a single direction side of a sheet conveyance direction.

Abstract: A stencil printing apparatus which is capable of reducing difficult cleaning work even when two-sided printing is performed continuously and is capable of improving printing efficiency comprises a printing portion, a paper discharge portion, paper re-feeding means for re-feeding paper to the printing portion, and a displaceable switching member which selectively occupies a first position in which the paper that has passed through the printing portion is guided to the paper discharge portion and a second position in which the paper is guided to the paper re-feeding means. A reverse side printing step is performed in which the paper is re-fed to the printing portion by the paper re-feeding means after a surface printing step is performed, and the switching member comprises, on a face thereof opposite the paper when the switching member occupies the first position, a contact area reduction member for reducing the area of contact with the paper.

Abstract: The invention provides an option-type paper feeding device that can contribute to enhancing printing operation efficiency while taking advantage of variable printing speed in a printing apparatus. A high-volume paper feeding device includes: a paper stacking section; a paper feeding mechanism; and an intermediate transport section connected to a paper feeding section of a printing apparatus such as a stencil printing apparatus. The intermediate transport section includes: a first paper transport means; and a second paper transport means provided downstream of the first paper transport means, and an inkjet printing section is provided above the first paper transport means. The transport speed of the first paper transport means is fixed to a speed suitable for printing by the inkjet printing section, while the transport speed of the second paper transport means is variable.

Abstract: A stencil printing apparatus for wrapping a master around an outer circumferential surface of a plate cylinder to perform printing, the stencil printing apparatus being capable of preventing the occurrence of abnormal images or afterimage phenomenon which causes confidential information leakage, without increasing cost or causing any problems. This stencil printing apparatus has time measuring means for measuring a leaving time during which the apparatus is left stand, and when a plate discharge command is output before the leaving time exceeds a first predetermined time while the master is wrapped around the outer circumferential surface, the stencil printing apparatus is shifted to a standby state after the master is discharged from the outer circumferential surface.

Abstract: The invention discloses a varnish coating device that utilizes an ordinary conventional digital stencil printing apparatus, such that anyone can easily apply a uniform film of a viscous coating onto a predetermined area of, for instance, covers and surfaces of printed products. The invention functions as a varnish coating device, in place of a drum unit, when a varnish coating unit is mounted on a mounting section of a printing apparatus main body. The varnish coating unit has: a coating roller that coats the surface of printed paper with a transparent varnish liquid and feeds out the paper; a supply device having a doctor roller that forms a liquid pool on the coating roller and that supplies varnish liquid to from a coating in a predetermined thickness over a predetermined area of the surface of the coating roller; a cradle that detachably supports a varnish container; and a pumping device.

Abstract: Provided is an active energy beam-curable ink capable of preventing ink flow by enhancing the separation resistance of the ink components at high temperatures without impairing the stability against viscosity changes due to high temperatures. The active energy beam-curable ink contains hydrophilic silica with a primary particle diameter of 100 nm or less. It is preferable that a specific surface of the hydrophilic silica be 280 m2/g or less. It is more preferable that the primary particle diameter and the specific surface of the hydrophilic silica be 28 nm or less and 190 m2/g or less, respectively. Moreover, the ink preferably contains a monomer having ethylene oxide units. The number of ethylene oxide units is preferably 6 to 19. The monomer content is preferably 0.02% by mass to 20% by mass with respect to the total mass of the ink.

Abstract: A stencil printing apparatus allowing double-side printing able to suppress the drop in work efficiency caused by the occurrence of through-jam during a double-side printing operation, which includes: a printing portion having a plate cylinder and pressing means; a paper discharging portion, paper refeeding means for temporarily housing and then refeeding paper sheets on which an image has been formed on one side to the paper discharging portion; and switching means for guiding the paper sheets to either the paper discharging portion or paper refeeding means, and which performs a front-side printing step in which a front-side image is printed on one side of a paper sheet, and a rear-side printing step in which this paper sheet is fed to paper refeeding means, and refed from paper refeeding means to the printing portion, and then a rear-side image is printed on the other side of the paper sheet.

Abstract: A stencil printing apparatus with a plate-making device has first control means for executing a special plate-making mode for performing a plate-making operation so that perforated holes to be formed in a film of a master by heating and driving with regard to odd bits corresponding to odd-numbered heat generators and even bits corresponding to even-numbered heat generators are formed in different lines running in the main scanning direction, and so that the perforated holes to be formed on the film by heating and driving with regard to the odd bits and the even bits adjacent to each other are not arranged adjacent to each other in the same line in the main scanning direction.

Abstract: A stencil printer of the present invention perforates, or cuts, a thermosensitive stencil with a thermal head to thereby make a master. The stencil printer includes a stencil distinguishing device for automatically identifying the kind of the stencil or a master setting device for allowing the operator of the printer to set the kind of the stencil. An adjusting device selects, among master making conditions experimentally determined beforehand, a master making condition matching with information output from the stencil distinguishing device or the stencil setting device. The operator can easily change the master making condition in accordance with the kind of a stencil to use.

Abstract: A stencil printing apparatus in which the generation of discharge sheet peeling problems and defects such as creasing and tear of the stencil base sheet can be prevented while printing on a coated sheet. When a printing sheet set in a sheet-feed device is indicated by input via a sheet-type input device as a coated sheet, or when a printing sheet set in a sheet-feed device is automatically detected by a sheet-type detection device as a coated sheet, a control device judges on the basis of a detected signal from the base-sheet type detection device whether or not the stencil base sheet type set in the platemaking apparatus is for coated sheet printing, and permits platemaking start if the stencil base sheet is for coated sheet printing and issues a warning without permitting platemaking start if the stencil base sheet is for non-coated sheet printing.