Abstract: A stand with a communication capability is formed with a communication pit in its top for receiving a pen type scanner. The communication pit is shaped complementarily to the scanner so as to prevent the scanner from shaking or rotating. An auxiliary circuit board stands upright on a printed circuit board built in the stand. An infrared transmission/receipt device is mounted on the auxiliary circuit board. The infrared transmission/receipt device faces an infrared communication port included in the scanner when the scanner is inserted into the communication pit.

Abstract: A stencil printer includes a multistage paper feeding device capable of selectively feeding different kinds of papers and an ink drum shiftable in a direction perpendicular to a direction of paper conveyance, i.e., in the widthwise direction of a paper. A paper is conveyed along a path coincident with a center line connecting the coincident centers of paper stocking portions included in the paper feeding device and the center of a paper discharge tray, so that the paper can be accurately conveyed without any skew. Further, side fences provided on the paper discharge tray are interlocked to each other and movable in the widthwise direction of a paper symmetrically with respect to the center line of the transport path, neatly laying the paper on the tray between the side fences. In addition, the ink drum shiftable in the above direction allows an image position to be adjusted without varying the paper transport path.

Abstract: A heat-sensitive stencil having a thermoplastic resin film, and a porous resin layer formed thereon. The stencil has an air permeability in the range of 1.0 cm3/cm2·sec to 157 cm3/cm2·sec in a portion thereof when the thermoplastic resin film of the portion is perforated to form perforations providing an open ratio SO/SP of at least 0.2, wherein SO represents a total area of the perforations and SP represents the area of the portion. The heat-sensitive stencil is prepared by applying a coating liquid containing the resin of the porous resin layer to the thermoplastic resin film and drying the coating. The coating liquid contains a mixture of a good solvent and a poor solvent less vaporizable than the good solvent so that the porous resin layer is formed after drying.

Abstract: A thermosensitive stencil has a thermoplastic resin film and a porous resin layer formed thereon, with the porous resin layer having a surface smoothness of 15 to 250 sec when measured by the method of Ohken-shiki prescribed in Japan Tappi No. 5. A method for producing the above-mentioned thermosensitive stencil, and an apparatus for making a printing master from the thermosensitive stencil and printing images are also provided.

Abstract: A multicolor stencil printer including print drums each storing an ink of a particular color, pressing members each positioned and configured to move into contact with a particular one of the print drums to nip a recording medium for printing and move out of the contact to transport the recording medium toward downstream, and holding devices each assigned to a particular one of the pressing members for holding the particular one of the pressing members out of the contact with the particular one of the print drums, wherein in a color selective mode, the print drums and the pressing members selectively cooperate to nip the recording medium such that the holding devices assigned to unused pressing members hold the unused pressing members away from the print drums associated cooperatively with the unused pressing members.

Abstract: A stencil printer of the present invention includes a porous hollow cylindrical print drum rotatable with a perforated master having a porous resin film as a base wrapped therearound. A pressing member is selectively movable into or out of contact with the print drum for pressing a paper or similar recording medium fed from a paper feeding device against the print drum. As a result, ink is transferred from the inside of the print drum to the paper via perforations formed in the master. The pressing member is implemented as a roller having a plurality of layers including an inner layer having a hardness of 8° to 14° (JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards)-A) and an outer layer having a hardness of 30° to 40° (JIS-A). With this configuration, the entire roller has surface hardness of 18° (JIS-A) and prevents the resin film of the stencil from partly coming off due to stress ascribable to the edges of relatively thick papers.

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 printer capable of printing a multicolor image with a single pass of a paper or similar recording medium includes a plurality of print drums. Drum drive gears each are mounted on a particular print drum such that the print drum is replaceable. The print drums are interlocked to each other by rotatable members including relay gears meshing with the drum drive gears, timing pulleys fixed to the relay gears, a timing belt, and pulleys for adjustment. Each rotatable member has teeth the number of which is selected such that the number of rotations of the rotatable member to occur in a single period of the print drums is an integral multiple of the number of rotations of the print drums.

Abstract: A thermosensitive stencil paper having a thermoplastic resin film and a porous resin layer which is provided on the thermoplastic resin film by coating a porous resin layer formation coating liquid including a water-in-oil emulsion of a resin on the thermoplastic resin film and drying the coating liquid. In addition, the method of producing the above-mentioned thermosensitive stencil paper is also disclosed.

Abstract: A stencil printing apparatus for printing according to the input supplied from the host machine which prepares a master for covering the open part of the plate cylinder by switching the mode when the information that there is no continuous next plate preparation image data is detected, and as the result the spoilage due to drying of the open part of the plate cylinder after printing is prevented during the printing of the next plate.

Abstract: A multicolor printing method and system including a master making device having plurality of removable ink drums replaceable with each other and a printing device. The plurality of removable ink drums are fed with respective masters to be used for printing, by fixed master feeding devices smaller in number than the removable ink drums. The removable ink drums fed with the respective masters are then used by the printing device for printing onto paper. The method and system provides multicolor printing with lower cost, reduced size and accurate registration between the respective masters, as compared to conventional methods and systems.

Abstract: A printer of the present invention includes at least a first and a second drum unit each including a respective print drum. Angular position sensing device each are assigned to the respective print drum. A main motor included in drum drive mechanism is controlled on the basis of the output of a first or a second drum unlock key such that the print drum of the first or second drum unit is brought to a preselected home position. The printer has a compact configuration and promotes easy, efficient manipulation without resorting to conventional top-bottom movement adjustment mechanism including top-bottom moving device.

Abstract: A printer or similar electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on an optical disk or similar synthetic resin sheet is disclosed. The apparatus of the present invention exerts a preselected pressure for each of image transfer and image fixation to thereby insure high quality images. Further, the apparatus matches the moving speed of the surface of a synthetic resin sheet and the peripheral speed of an image carrier or that of a fixing member. In addition, the apparatus protects the image carrier and fixing member from damage and prevents a parting agent from depositing on at least the image forming range of the image carrier.

Abstract: A printer or similar electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on an optical disk or similar synthetic resin sheet is disclosed. The apparatus of the present invention guarantees a sufficient period of time for fixation to thereby obviate defective fixation while producing as great a number of prints as possible. At the same time, the apparatus of the present invention saves energy and space and accurately matches the peripheral speed of a heat roller and the conveying speed of the synthetic resin sheet.

Abstract: One roller (6) of paired feed rollers is a driving roller which is rotated by a motor (8), and a platen (3) and the other roller (which is a driven roller) (7) of the paired feed rollers are rotatably mounted on a swingable bracket (11) through a platen support member (12) and a roller support member (13) respectively to be free from being rotated by the motor (8).

Abstract: An image forming apparatus for forming an image on an optical disk or similar synthetic resin sheet is disclosed. The image forming apparatus feeds and collects the synthetic resin sheet from a conveyance path at the same position. A single space therefore suffices for both of the feed and collection of the synthetic resin sheet, promoting the compact configuration of the apparatus. The conveyance path is inclined relative to the horizontal plane and therefore saves space to thereby promote the efficient use of a limited floor area.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device for an image forming apparatus includes a plurality of separator pads each having a particular coefficient of friction with respect to sheets for separating the sheets one by one. An automatic switching mechanism automatically replaces the separator pads. The automatic switching mechanism includes a pad pressure switching section, a pad angle switching section, a ball screw with a worm wheel mounted thereon, a ball nut meshing with the ball screw, a worm meshing with the worm wheel for moving a movable member in the widthwise direction of the sheets via the ball screw, a pad motor for causing the worm to rotate, and a sensor responsive to the position of the movable member. The device automatically selects one of the separator pads and an angle thereof in order to set up optimal sheet feed conditions matching with environmental conditions including temperature and humidity.

Abstract: A stencil printer of the type including a print drum around which a master is to be wrapped is disclosed. A press roller presses a paper sheet or similar recording medium against the master wrapped around the print drum. A press roller displacing device moves the press roller between an operative position where it presses the recording medium against the master and an inoperative position where it is spaced from the print drum. A press roller driving device causes the press roller held at the inoperative position to rotate, at a position where the roller faces the print drum, in the same direction as the direction in which the drum rotates during printing. The press roller driving device causes the press roller to rotate only when the roller is held at the inoperative position. The printer is capable of effecting preliminary rotation of the press roller at a stable, accurate speed with a relatively simple configuration while freeing the master, recording medium and print drum from loads.

Abstract: A printer comprising a paper storage section provided at the lower portion of a printer body, a feed roller and a pinch roller for feeding paper being brought into contact with each other under pressure and positioned over the paper storage section inside the printer body, a thermal head and a platen capable of pressing and holding the paper therebetween and positioned at the downstream side of the feed roller in the paper feed direction, and a discharge tray for receiving the printed paper and positioned over the paper storage section at the downstream side of the thermal head in the paper feed direction.

Abstract: A stencil printer includes a hollow cylindrical, porous ink drum freely rotatable. A multistage paper feeding device includes a plurality of paper stacking portions and capable of feeding papers of particular size from each paper stacking portion. At least one pair of side fences are mounted on each paper stocking portion for positioning the papers in the widthwise direction of the papers. A rack is positioned to stack the papers or printings each carrying a printed image thereon. An ink drum shifting device shifts the ink drum in the widthwise direction of the papers perpendicular to the direction of conveyance of the papers. A rack shifting device shifts the rack in the widthwise direction of the papers. A storing device stores the position of a center line of a paper transport path for each of the paper stocking portions.