Abstract: A recording device includes a workpiece stage that holds by suction a recording region of an elongated workpiece fed in a first feed direction, a recording unit that carries out recording in the recording region, a workpiece-holding unit arranged on a downstream side of the workpiece stage in the feed direction, and immovably holds or releases a part of the workpiece, an advancing/retracting unit that causes the workpiece stage and the workpiece-holding unit to travel relatively apart in an extension direction of the workpiece, and a control unit that controls the individual configurations. The control unit performs a recording operation, a holding operation for immovably holding part of the workpiece, and an advancing/retracting operation for retracting from the workpiece stage the recording region where recording has been completed and advancing onto the workpiece stage the recording region where recording has yet to occur.

Abstract: A paper sensor comprises a moveable grill. The paper sensor is arranged for location within an air flow in a printer, and comprises the grill as a paper-engaging body provided with a plurality of through holes such that air can flow freely through the grill. The grill is operable to move between a first position and a second position. The paper sensor is arranged so that in use a sheet of paper introduced adjacent the grill engages the grill and reduces the air flow through one or more of the holes in the grill, creating a pressure differential across the grill, that pressure differential causing the grill to move from the first position to the second position, and thereby indicating the presence of paper. A printer comprising a paper sensor, and a method of sensing paper is also disclosed.

Abstract: Apparatuses useful for printing and methods of stripping media from surfaces in apparatuses useful for printing are provided. An exemplary embodiment of an apparatus useful for printing includes a first roll, a belt including an inner surface and an outer surface, the first roll and the outer surface of the belt forming a nip, and a stripping member located internal to the belt. The stripping member includes a first needle bearing, wherein the first needle bearing contacts with the inner surface of the belt to facilitate stripping of media fed to the nip from the outer surface of the belt.

Abstract: A printer assembly (10) adapted for use with a print head comprising a platen (14) operable to move in a first plane; and a vacuum source in fluid communication with the platen (14) to provide a vacuum communication path to draw air through the platen (14) such that a sheet of media arranged on the platen (14) is biased towards it, characterised by a movable aperture (52) in the vacuum communication path between the vacuum source and the platen (14), the movable aperture (52) being arranged to move with the platen (14).

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image carrier that is rotatably arranged and carries an image on an outer circumferential surface thereof; a transfer member that is rotatably arranged to face the image carrier and transfers the image carried on the image carrier onto a sheet held between the transfer member and the image carrier; a leading edge gripping member that is secured to the transfer member and grips a leading edge side of the sheet in a transport direction thereof on an outer circumferential surface of the transfer member; and a trailing edge holding member that is arranged to be rotatable around the transfer member, holds a trailing edge side of the sheet in the transport direction thereof between the trailing edge holding member and the outer circumferential surface of the transfer member, and bends to release the trailing edge side of the sheet in the transport direction thereof.

Abstract: A cleaning blade which is provided in a cleaning device that removes non-transferred toner remaining on an image carrier includes: a blade member in which an edge thereof is in contact with the image carrier over a longitudinal direction thereof; and a holder member that holds the blade member and has an L-shape in a cross-section that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The holder member includes a supporting portion that cantilevers the blade member on a surface thereof such that the edge of the blade member protrudes toward the image carrier, and a bent portion that is connected to the supporting portion to form the L-shaped cross-section and is formed to have a lateral length that is shorter at least a lateral length at one end portion in the longitudinal direction thereof than at a middle portion thereof in the longitudinal direction.

Abstract: A system that avoids any stopping or reversing of the web direction in a continuous feed printer, instead maintaining consistent process speed, only requiring a slowing and speeding up of the web to cycle through the PR belt seam. This is done by forming a web loop and then immediately flattening the loop after passage of the seam through the transfer zone that includes two transfer BTR rolls with alternating transfer operations, but simultaneous transfer for short periods. Two vacuum assist rolls, one located between the two bias transfer rolls controls the formation of the web loop. A pair of nip forming rolls upstream of the first transfer station and a second vacuum assist roll downstream of the second transfer station control the size of the loop.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image carrier; a transfer roller that has a gripping member that grips a transfer medium; and a transfer medium transport section that has a transfer medium transport surface that sucks the transfer medium upward in a vertical direction and a contact member that contact with the transfer medium, wherein a first position where the transfer medium starts to be sucked, a second position where the transfer medium is released from the gripping member, and a third position where the transfer medium is separated from the image carrier are disposed at positions having the relationship of L<L1+L2, wherein L is the distance between the third position and the first position, L1 is the distance between the third position and the second position, and L2 is the distance between the second position and the first position.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: an image carrier that carries an image; a transfer roller having a transfer material-gripping member that grips a transfer material, the transfer roller transferring the image carried by the image carrier to the transfer material; a transfer material-transporting belt that transports the transfer material onto which the image has been transferred while subjecting the transfer material to suction; a fixing section that fixes the transferred image on the transported transfer material; and a transfer material-guiding section having a guiding surface that guides the transported transfer material to the fixing section, the guiding surface being disposed in a direction in which the transfer material is sucked onto the transfer material-transporting belt relative to a transfer material-transporting surface of the transfer material-transporting belt.

Abstract: System and methods providing a plurality of fusers, and one or more radius profiled media handling transports for transporting media in a radius, in an image forming device. The system includes one or more of a plurality of fusers, and radius profiled media handling transport devices arranged in a fashion allowing for improved throughput of media while reducing operating costs. The plurality of fusers allows for the use of individual low capacity fusers that are equal to or less than the overall capacity of the image forming device. Media transport devices transport media on stretch belts across a radius of rollers with a means for providing an adhering force for stabilizing the media to the belt. The rollers are arranged along one side of the frame, along which the media is transported, and a frame may contain an air plenum so as to allow for the drawing of a vacuum through the rollers. The media transport device allows for optimizing a configuration of the image forming device.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming member and a belt conveying device. The image forming member is configured to form an image on a sheet. The belt conveying device is configured to convey the sheet. The belt conveying device includes first and second rollers, a conveying belt, a platen guide, a support, and an adjuster. The conveying belt has an endless belt-like shape and is looped over at least the first and second rollers. The platen guide is provided between the first and second rollers in a sheet conveyance direction and is configured to guide the conveying belt in a manner that the conveying belt forms a flat plane surface. The support is configured to support at least one end of the second roller in an axial direction of the second roller. The adjuster is configured to adjust a position of the support.

Abstract: There is provided an image forming apparatus that can suppress the formation of creases when forming images on both surfaces of a sheet and can greatly reduce the incidence of unprinted areas. The image forming apparatus has a sheet stacking section in which sheets are stacked, a sheet conveying section that conveys a sheet, an image forming section that forms an image on the sheet while the sheet is conveyed, a re-conveying section that again conveys the sheet with the image formed on a first surface thereof to the image forming section, and a sheet feeding section that feeds a sheet from the sheet stacking section or the re-conveying section to the image forming section.

Abstract: A vacuum drum assembly for a printing machine has a drum with an array of passageways distributed along its length and around its periphery. The passageways permit air to flow from outside the drum to inside the drum in response to reduced air pressure inside the drum. The assembly also has an array of valve members, each valve member being movable between a closed position in which that valve member restricts at least one of the passageways and an open position in which the restriction of that passageway or those passageways is reduced. The assembly is arranged such that, when a partial area of the drum is wrapped with a sheet of material, at least some of the valves for the passageways adjacent the edges of that area are open, and the valves for the passageways which are not covered by the sheet and are not adjacent the edges of that area are closed.

Abstract: A vacuum drum assembly for a printing machine has a drum with an array of passageways distributed along its length and around its periphery to permit airflow from outside the drum to inside the drum in response to reduced air pressure inside the drum. An array of valves are movable between a closed position in which that valve restricts at least one of the passageways and an open position in which the restriction of the same passageways is reduced. When a partial area of the drum is wrapped with a sheet of material, at least some of the passageway valves adjacent the edges of that area are open, and the valves for the passageways not covered by the sheet and not adjacent the edges of that area are closed. The drum open area is regulated to be small in regions where there is no paper. Accordingly, the open area of the drum is adapted to the paper shape and size and the paper position on the drum, while minimizing the required suction flow.

Abstract: A vacuum drum apparatus on which a mask is mounted having a resilient surface and an array of holes suitable for a substrate of a given size. The drum is a circular cylinder perforated with an array of holes. A hollow chamber within the drum is connected to a controlled pressure source for providing a vacuum. The mask may be magnetically attracted about the outer surface of the drum. Thus, the mask may be made of a flexible ferromagnetic sheet. The mask is preferably elastomeric and may include an inextensible layer.

Abstract: A color printer includes a conveyer belt for conveying a paper sheet to make the sheet pass through a plurality of photoconductive drums. A suction roller for sucking a supplied paper sheet on the conveyer belt is provided on the upstream side of the photoconductive drums in the conveying direction of the paper sheet, such that the suction roller is in rolling contact with the belt. Transfer chargers are provided at positions opposing the photoconductive drums, respectively, with the conveyer belt situated between the drums and the transfer chargers. The running distance L1 (mm) of the conveyer belt from a sheet peeling position corresponding to the photoconductive drum at the rearmost position to a suction position where the suction roller is provided, the volume resistance .rho. (.OMEGA..multidot.cm) of the belt, and the relative dielectric constant .epsilon. of the belt are set so as to satisfy a relation of L1/V.gtoreq.(.epsilon..multidot..epsilon..sub.0 .multidot..rho.).times.7.