Abstract: According to an embodiment, an image forming apparatus has an image forming unit, a transfer unit, a fixing unit, a first conveying path, a second conveying path, and a control unit. The image forming unit forms a toner image. The control unit controls execution of a print-less sheet passing processing in which, in a state where a toner image forming operation of the image forming unit is stopped, the first conveying path and the second conveying path convey a sheet to the transfer unit again through the transfer unit and the fixing unit. The control unit controls the execution of the toner image forming operation to the sheet subjected to the print-less sheet passing processing.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a cassette chamber, a paper feed cassette, a sheet size sensor, a lift-up sensor, and an arithmetic control unit. The paper feed cassette can be mounted in the cassette chamber, and lifts up a recording sheet placed in the paper feed cassette upon being mounted in the cassette chamber. The arithmetic control unit is configured to decide that the paper feed cassette is mounted when the lift-up sensor detects that the recording sheet is lifted up, despite the sheet size sensor having detected that the paper feed cassette is not mounted.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus contains a registration correction portion correcting an inclination of the sheet of paper by hitting a forward end of the sheet of paper against a pair of registration rollers, a detection portion that detects an amount of deviation in the sheet of paper, a control portion that calculates a command value of movement for correcting the amount of deviation and a moving portion that moves the registration rollers toward a direction which is perpendicular to a sheet-conveying direction based on the command value of movement with the sheet of paper being nipped with the registration rollers. The control portion controls the moving portion so that the movement of the registration rollers finishes before a limited time of movement or below an upper limit of movement set in relation to the command value of movement.

Abstract: A stencil printer for printing viscous material on an electronic substrate includes a stencil having apertures formed therein, and a print head positioned over the stencil and configured to deposit viscous material within the apertures of the stencil. The print head includes a housing defining an elongate chamber, a source port defining a passage having an inlet positioned to allow viscous material to flow into the elongate chamber, a pair of blades defining a slot that provides an outlet from which viscous material can flow out of the elongate chamber, an elongate plunger movable in the elongate chamber to reduce a volume of viscous material within the elongate chamber, and at least one sensor to detect pressure of the viscous material within the elongate chamber.

Abstract: A recording medium conveying mechanism includes a conveying guide, a guide member, and a rotating mechanism. The conveying guide conveys recording paper to a nip zone between a mountable/demountable intermediate transfer unit and a secondary transfer roller. The guide member acting as a part of the conveying guide is rotated by the rotating mechanism so that a tip thereof is disposed up to a position just adjacent to the nip zone when the intermediate transfer unit is mounted in the apparatus main body. When the intermediate transfer unit is mounted/demounted in/from the apparatus main body, the guide member is rotated up to a position at which the tip thereof does not exceed an arrangement position of the intermediate transfer belt portion in a conveying direction of the recording paper, in a movement direction of the intermediate transfer unit during the mounting/demounting.

Abstract: A medium carrying device includes: first and second carrying part that carry a medium to a second position via a first position; a slack detection unit positioned between the first and second carrying part and detecting slack in the medium; a medium carrying detection part that detects a carrying state of the medium; an input part that receives a recovery instruction when an abnormality is detected in the carrying state of the medium by the medium carrying detection part; a controller that stops the carrying of the medium by the first and second carrying parts when the abnormality is detected in the carrying state of the medium by the medium carrying detection part and that resumes the carrying of the medium by the first and second carrying parts according to a detection result by the slack detection part when the input part receives the recovery instruction.

Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a movable belt and a recording mechanism. The movable belt is configured and arranged to convey a recording medium. The recording mechanism is configured and arranged to record onto the recording medium. The movable belt has a mark serving as a reference for when the recording medium is being set thereon.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described that facilitate counterfeit deterrence in a printer or the like. A final image is scanned from a photoreceptor belt before or after transfer of the image to a print medium or from the print medium itself prior to output, and the scanned image data is assessed using a set of stored criteria to detect counterfeit signatures in the scanned image. Upon a determination that the scanned image includes a restricted image, and therefore contains one or more counterfeit image, the printer is shut down, electronically locked until serviced, and/or caused to damage or mark the printed counterfeit image(s).

Abstract: An image forming apparatus allowing a user to easily access an operating section even in a large-size apparatus can be provided. An image forming apparatus 100 includes a main machine 110 including an operating section 113 and capable of functioning as a multifunction machine by itself, and at least one option machine 120 to 190 added to a side-face side of an enclosure 111 of the main machine. The apparatus 100 includes the operating section 113 at a fixed position in the width direction of the enclosure. The enclosure has a unified first color of a same tone at a front face thereof, and an operating position line 101 is formed at a part of the front face of the enclosure and has a second color that is clearly different from the first color so as to be a guide indicating a position of the operating section 113.

Abstract: Apparatus for embossing media, the apparatus including cutter apparatus to cut a shape in a surface layer of a multi-layer substrate to form a die. The apparatus also includes an embosser to emboss the media using the die. The cutter apparatus is arranged to provide the die to the embosser.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a cliché, and it particularly relates to a cliché with a partition formed thereon for controlling a blanket and the partition to be parallel with each other by the partition when a partition is protrusively formed on the cliché and the blanket is not combined with the cliché according to a predetermined method, controlling functional ink disposed between the blanket and the cliché to be transferred while not spreading so that it may be transferred to a substrate in a shape to be patterned when the blanket does not contact the cliché, and an electronic printing device and method using the same.

Abstract: The present invention prevents units from becoming unbalanced and falling over when an image-capturing unit is opened over an image-forming unit when an image-forming unit, image-capturing unit and document-feeding unit are stacked over each other in order. The image-capturing unit is rotatably linked to the top of the image-forming unit by a first hinge means, and the document-feeding unit having document-feeding means is rotatably linked to the top of the image-capturing unit by second hinge means. Locking means for checking rotation (opening operation of the document-feeding unit) of the second hinge means is disposed on an opposite side of the second hinge means sandwiching the document-feeding means. The locking means is composed to check the opening operation of the second hinge means when the first hinge means is opened.

Abstract: A method for controlling an amount of dampening solution in a printing unit of a printing press using a computer and a measuring device, includes setting an amount of dampening solution in the printing unit based on data of a current print job, reducing the amount of dampening solution towards a smearing threshold with the computer, recording color measurement values with the measuring device in at least one full tone area with low area coverage and in at least one halftone area with high area coverage on a printing material of the current print job, and stopping the reduction of the amount of dampening solution with the computer when a dot gain of the halftone in areas with high area coverage increases significantly and a density of the full tone in areas with low area coverage increases significantly.

Abstract: A stencil printer for printing viscous material on an electronic substrate includes a stencil having apertures formed therein, and a print head positioned over the stencil and configured to deposit viscous material within the apertures of the stencil. The print head includes a housing defining an elongate chamber, a source port defining a passage having an inlet positioned to allow viscous material to flow into the elongate chamber, a pair of blades defining a slot that provides an outlet from which viscous material can flow out of the elongate chamber, an elongate plunger movable in the elongate chamber to reduce a volume of viscous material within the elongate chamber, and at least one sensor to detect pressure of the viscous material within the elongate chamber.

Abstract: An image-forming device includes a casing, a conveying path, a pair of registration rollers, and a process cartridge. The conveying path is disposed in the casing to convey a recording sheet. The pair of registration rollers is disposed on the conveying path to regulate a leading edge of the recording sheet conveyed along the conveying path. The process cartridge is detachably mounted on the casing, and includes a developer accommodating unit, a photosensitive member, and an upstream guide part. The photosensitive member is disposed on the conveying path. The upstream guide part is disposed upstream of the pair of registration rollers on the conveying path to guide the recording sheet toward the pair of registration rollers in cooperation with the conveying path. The upstream guide part is formed with a concaved part that is concaved in a direction away from the conveying path.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a sheet feed unit which feeds a sheet to an image forming unit forming an image on the sheet, a re-transport roller which reverses the sheet with a toner image fixed on the sheet and re-transports the sheet to the image forming unit, and a control unit which controls a sheet feed operation of the sheet feed unit for feeding the sheet. As the temperature of the re-transport roller sensed by the temperature sensing unit is decreased, the control unit retards the timing at which the sheet feed unit starts the sheet feed operation when a duplex image formation in which the image is formed on both sides of the sheet is performed after a one-side image formation is completed.

Abstract: A printing method includes a step of dividing the to-be-printed surface 10 of a to-be-printed object 100 into a plurality of small to-be-printed surfaces 1a, 1b, . . . (a, b, . . . will be omitted below) and dividing a picture 20 to be printed on the to-be-printed surface 10 into small pictures 2 to be printed on the small to-be-printed surfaces 1, a step of a creating small developed picture 3 by developing each of the small pictures 2 into a plane, a step of putting ink on small printing original plate 30 corresponding to the small to-be-printed surface 1 according to the small developed picture 2, a step of a pressing small printing blanket 40 corresponding to each of the small to-be-printed surfaces 1 against the corresponding small printing original plate 30 and transferring the ink, and a step of printing the picture 20 on the to-be-printed surface 1 by pressing the small printing blanket 30 grasped by the arm of a multi-axis robot against the small to-be-printed surface 1 to print the small picture 2.

Abstract: In a printing system capable of selectively performing duplex printing and simplex printing, a switching unit switches a sheet travel path between a first path and a second path parallel to each other, and reverses the sides of a sheet that passes along the first path. In the duplex printing, a sheet is printed on a first side by a first printing apparatus, reversed by the switching unit, and printed on a second side reverse of the first side by a second printing apparatus. In the simplex printing, only one side of a sheet is printed by the first printing apparatus and/or second printing apparatus. First and second input units introduce sheets into the first and second paths, respectively; and first and second output units receive printed sheets that have traveled along the first and/or second paths.

Abstract: In a printing system capable of selectively performing duplex printing and simplex printing, a first input unit and a second input unit are adjacent to each other. A first output unit and a second output unit are adjacent to each other. In duplex printing, a sheet supplied from the first input unit is printed on a first side thereof in a first printing apparatus and the traveling direction thereof is changed at a changing unit while the sheet is reversed, and then the sheet is printed on a second side thereof in a second printing apparatus and output to the second output unit. In simplex printing, a sheet supplied from the first or second input unit is printed on one side thereof and the traveling direction thereof is changed at the changing unit, and then the sheet is output to the first or second output unit.

Abstract: A conveyor has a first conveying unit including a pair of first nip roll sets configured to nip and convey the sheet, and a second conveying unit including a second nip roll set configured to nip and convey the sheet from the first conveying unit. The second nip roll set nips the sheet at an inner location than the first nip roll set, and the first nip roll set nips the sheet more strongly than the second nip roll set.