Abstract: A pick-up mechanism and a method for performing a pick-up cycle in a reproduction machine. The pick-up mechanism comprises a pick-up control pinion which is firmly coupled to a control cam, and a drive gearing including a first rocker driving gear and a second rocker driving gear. The first and second rocker driving gears are mounted to a rocker device to be alternately engaged into and disengaged from, respectively, the pick-up control pinion. Upon starting the pick-up operation, the second rocker driving gear is drivingly engaged into a toothed section of the pick-up control pinion, and, in the course of the pick-up operation, the first rocker driving gear is drivingly engaged into the toothed section of the pick-up control pinion.

Abstract: For top-of-form calibration of a printer in which a printing medium is fed into a printing position, a predefined pattern is printed so that a print is generated on the print medium. After the print is detected, a feature of the print is determined. The feature is indicative of the printing position. By using a correction factor, which is determined from the feature, the calibration is performed.

Abstract: An apparatus in a printer for adjusting pen-to-print medium spacing independently of the size of a print medium is disclosed. The apparatus includes a pen, a print platen, a datum, an bar and a means for moving the bar. The print platen supports a print medium for printing using the pen. The datum holds the print platen a first predetermined pen-to-print medium spacing away from the pen. The print platen is resiliently biased against the datum and can be moved away from the datum to define a gap therebetween. The bar is moveable into and out of the gap. When the bar is in the gap, the print platen rests against the bar to define a second predetermined pen-to-print medium spacing. A remotely sent parameter allows the apparatus to make the appropriate adjustment.

Abstract: A sheet media handling system for aligned feeding of sheet media of different widths is disclosed. This sheet media handling system caters to a wide-format printer which has two media trays, a main tray and a bypass tray positioned above the main tray. In such a printer, a larger width sheet medium in the bypass tray is insufficiently supported when a stack of smaller width sheet media is present in the main tray. Such a situation may result in skewing or jamming of the larger width sheet medium. The sheet media handling system overcomes such a problem by having a secondary pressure plate in addition to a primary pressure plate. This secondary pressure plate is moveable independently of the primary pressure plate so that the secondary pressure plate is operable to provide appropriate support for the partially supported larger width sheet medium in the bypass tray.

Abstract: A printer having a facility for manually directing a printing medium along a printing medium path. The printer includes an external housing, a drive roller arranged about an axis of rotation for feeding a printing medium through a processing zone of the printer, a control member arranged about an axis of rotation, and movable between a first axial position in which the control member protrudes from said external housing so as to be manually actuable, and a second axial position in which the control member is retracted relative to the first axial position, and a coupling mechanism selectively coupling the control member and the feed roller to translate rotational movement of the control member into rotational movement of the feed roller, said coupling mechanism being engaged when the control member is in the first axial position and disengaged when the control member is in the second axial position.