An orientation correcting device includes a first transporting unit that nips and transports a sheet; a detecting unit that detects a tilt of the sheet that is transported by the first transporting unit; a second transporting unit that nips and transports the sheet that has been transported by the first transporting unit; a flexure forming unit that, with the second transporting unit stopped, forms a flexure in the sheet as a result of causing the sheet that is transported by the first transporting unit to strike against the second transporting unit; and a moving unit that, with the second transporting unit stopped and the flexure formed in the sheet by the flexure forming unit, moves the second transporting unit in a crossing direction that crosses a transport direction of the sheet in accordance with an amount and a direction of the sheet tilt detected by the detecting unit.

A sheet conveying device, which is included in an image forming apparatus, includes a plurality of position detectors, a leading end detector, and a position adjuster. The plurality of position detectors is configured to detect a position of a sheet. The leading end detector is configured to detect a leading end of the sheet. The position adjuster is configured to, based on a detection result obtained by the plurality of position detectors, rotate in a rotation direction of the sheet within a plane of conveyance of the sheet to change the position of the sheet the position adjuster grips the sheet under conveyance to cause the leading end detector to rotate with the position adjuster in the rotation direction of the sheet within the plane of conveyance of the sheet.

A print device includes a supply unit, a print unit, a conveyer, a tensioner, a drive unit, a processor, a medium detector, and a memory. The tensioner is configured to apply tension to the medium. The memory stores computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, instruct the processor to perform processes including correction processing, which is repeated a plurality of times, of controlling the drive unit and applying the tension to the medium by the tensioner during a back-and-forth conveyance operation of conveying the medium in the return direction after conveying the medium in the conveyance direction, and detection processing of detecting attributes of the medium, based on the detection result output from the medium detector, during one of the back-and-forth conveyance operations, of the plurality of back-and-forth conveyance operations.

A sheet feeding apparatus includes a first drive roller and a second drive roller disposed downstream of the first drive roller and configured to rotate at a peripheral speed greater than a peripheral speed of the first drive roller. The first drive roller includes a drive shaft and a roller portion. The roller portion is configured to contact the sheet and is movable relative to the drive shaft in an axial direction and a rotation direction of the drive shaft. One of the drive shaft and the roller portion of the first drive roller includes a protrusion protruding toward the other one of the drive shaft and the roller portion. The other one of the drive shaft and the roller portion of the first drive roller includes a recessed portion. The recessed portion includes a peripheral wall that defines an opening such that the protrusion is positioned in the opening.

A sheet processing system for automated sheet adjustment includes a sensor system which captures at least a first image of a sheet of print media as the sheet is conveyed on a main transport path between a print media supply module and a marking device of an image rendering module. A control module computes a lateral error for the sheet, based on the captured at least first image, and computes an adjustment based on the computed lateral error. A sheet transport path adjustment mechanism translates a first portion of the main transport path relative to a second portion of the main transport path, based on the computed adjustment.

A method is provided for printing an image on a substrate on a support body of a printing apparatus, the method including the steps of: providing a masking sheet on the support body; deriving from the image a boundary outline of the image; selecting a location on the support body for printing the image; printing the boundary outline of the image on the masking sheet at the selected location of the support body; printing at least one distance marker on at least one side of the printed boundary outline on the masking sheet, said distance marker indicating a distance from the boundary outline; placing the substrate on the masking sheet at the selected location of the support body using the boundary outline; determining an offset of the substrate relative to the printed boundary outline by way of the printed distance marker, after the substrate placing step; and printing the image on the substrate based on the determined offset of the substrate relative to the printed boundary outline.

An image forming apparatus, in which a method of correcting a positional deviation of a sheet is performed, includes a detecting device to detect a position of the sheet, a pair of sheet conveying bodies to convey the sheet and correct the positional deviation of the sheet, an image forming device to form an image on the sheet, and circuitry to calculate a first positional deviation amount of the sheet based on a first detection result of the detecting device, cause the pair of sheet conveying bodies to correct the positional deviation of the sheet based on the first positional deviation amount, calculate a second positional deviation amount of the sheet based on a second detection result of the detecting device, and cause the image forming device to correct the positional deviation of an image forming position on the sheet based on the second positional deviation amount.

A printed unit block aligning device includes a supporting element and an alignment transfer rail. The supporting element is opened and closed between a supporting position and a releasing position. The alignment transfer rail receives the group of the printed unit blocks dropped in response to move of the supporting element to the releasing position, aligns the printed unit blocks in each line unit block in a vertical direction, and feeds the printed unit blocks vertically at a constant speed using alignment transferring element. An electrical controlling element is provided that electrically controls timing of dropping the printed unit blocks from the supporting element onto the alignment transfer rail. While a speed of transfer of the horizontal feeding and transferring element are uniform for any imposition structure, the electrical controlling element controls timing of dropping the printed unit blocks in a manner that depends on the numbers of layers in each vertical line in different imposition structures.

A printed unit block aligning device includes a supporting element and an alignment transfer rail. The supporting element is opened and closed between a supporting position and a releasing position. The alignment transfer rail receives the group of the printed unit blocks dropped in response to move of the supporting element to the releasing position, aligns the printed unit blocks in each line unit block in a vertical direction, and feeds the printed unit blocks vertically at a constant speed using alignment transferring element. An electrical controlling element is provided that electrically controls timing of dropping the printed unit blocks from the supporting element onto the alignment transfer rail. While a speed of transfer of the horizontal feeding and transferring element are uniform for any imposition structure, the electrical controlling element controls timing of dropping the printed unit blocks in a manner that depends on the numbers of layers in each vertical line in different imposition structures.

A sheet skew feed correcting apparatus is provided which includes: a driving rotation member that is driven to rotate; a first driven rotation member that is pressure contacted against the driving rotation member; a first holder rotatably holding the first driven rotation member; a second driven rotation member that is pressure contacted against the driving rotation member; a second holder rotatably holding the second driven rotation member; and a shutter portion with which a leading end of a sheet comes into contact for skew feed correction, the shutter portion moving pivotally with one end portion thereof supported by the first holder and another end portion thereof supported by the second holder; wherein the shutter portion has abutting portions with which the leading end comes into contact, and a coupling portion extending so as to couple the abutting portions together between the first and the second driven rotation members.