A post-processing apparatus according to an embodiment includes a processing tray, a post-processing section, a sensor, and a control section. A sheet supplied from an image forming apparatus is led into the processing tray through a lead-in path. The post-processing section applies post-processing to the sheet sent from the processing tray. The sensor detects an object passing a detection space in the lead-in path. The control section controls operation of the post-processing section based on a time in which the sensor detects the object.

A binding processing device includes a first pressing member including: a first convex portion; a first concave portion; and a first connection portion which is provided between the first convex portion and the first concave portion; and a second pressing member including: a second convex portion; a second concave portion; and a second connection portion which is provided between the second convex portion and the second concave portion. In a state in which the first convex portion of the first pressing member and the second concave portion of the second pressing member come in contact with each other at the first connection portion and the second connection portion, the first connection portion contacts with the second connection portion and a gap is formed between the first convex portion and the second concave portion along a pressing direction of the first and second pressing members. In a state in which a sheet bundle is sandwiched between the first pressing member and the second pressing member, an increased section having an increased thickness of each sheet of the sheet bundle is formed in the gap. The increased section is pressed by the first convex portion and the second concave portion.

A sheet post-processing apparatus includes a first regulating device regulating a position of a sheet bundle, by contacting to an end part of the sheet bundle conveyed in a conveying direction by a conveying device and stacked on a stacking device in a direction intersecting with the conveying direction; a second regulating device regulating a position of the sheet bundle in the conveying direction, by contacting to an end part of the sheet bundle stacked on the stacking device in the conveying direction; a first binding device configured to move from one side to another side of the sheet post-processing apparatus and from the other side to the one side by moving in the intersecting direction, and configured to bind a corner part of the sheet bundle using a staple, and a second binding device configured to bind a corner part of the sheet bundle without a staple.

A sheet processing device that bonds sheets to one another and then folds a resultant sheet bundle. The sheet processing device includes a stacker section that sequentially stores sheets moved thereto, an adhesive-binding unit that applies an adhesive onto sheets sequentially stored in the stacker section one by one in a sheet moving direction to bond the sheets to one another, a moving member that moves the sheets to an application position of the adhesive-binding unit, and a folding processing section that folds a sheet bundle formed by the bonded sheets at a predetermined folding position. When the number of sheets to be bonded by the adhesive-binding unit applying the adhesive onto the sheets exceeds a predetermined number, the adhesive is applied at two positions separated from each other across the folding position.

A binding member is provided and includes: upper teeth having a tooth form configured to form a convex-concave portion on a recording material bundle; and lower teeth having a tooth form configured to form the convex-concave portion on the recording material bundle, and paired with the upper teeth. At least one of the upper teeth and the lower teeth includes: a first tooth row having a first tooth form having a first shape suitable for binding a first binding number of sheets; and a second tooth row having a second tooth form having a second shape suitable for binding a second binding number of sheets which is smaller than the first binding number of sheets.

A binding mechanism cartridge is detachably held by a binding device body instead of a staple cartridge which is detachable into the binding device body. The binding mechanism cartridge includes a body portion, an upward-and-downward moving portion and a base portion. The body portion is detachably held by the binding device body. The upward-and-downward moving portion is on the body portion to move close to or away from one surface of a bundle of sheets by moving upward and downward by interlocking with a drive mechanism of the binding device body. The base portion is on the body portion to face the upward-and-downward moving portion and supports the other surface of the bundle of sheets. The upward-and-downward moving portion includes a binding mechanism which is partially in pressure contact with the one surface according to a movement of the upward-and-downward moving portion to binds the bundle of sheets.

According to one embodiment, there is provided an information generating device which generates information to be used in an image forming apparatus that performs continuous printing by binding a plurality of sheets on which an image is formed among the plurality of sheets using a sheet binding mechanism, and includes a blank determination unit. The blank determination unit determines blanks of the sheets in a case of forming the image that shows characters on the plurality of sheets based on the number of the characters formed on the sheets, the types of the characters, the sizes of the characters, and a sheet binding position.

A finishing unit for applying a note onto a printed document that exits from an image forming apparatus is provided. The finishing unit, according to one embodiment, includes a note cutting unit for cutting a sheet of paper to a note of a desired size and a note pasting unit for applying the note onto the printed document that exits from the image forming apparatus. An image forming apparatus and method of applying a note onto a printed are also described.

A control device, to control a system having an image forming apparatus to form an image on a sheet based on an image forming job and a sheet discharge apparatus having stacking trays for the sheet, includes a storage storing stacking state information for each stacking tray, a generator, a display controller, and an input portion. The generator generates a system configuration image, and a sheet bundle image representing a sheet bundle stacked on each stacking tray based on the stored stacking state information. The display controller displays a screen in which the sheet bundle image is combined at a position of each stacking tray in the system configuration image. The input portion inputs designation of an image forming job corresponding to sheets to be taken out. The display controller displays an order of taking out the sheets corresponding to the image forming job designated through the input portion.

A binding process device includes an advancing member and a binding process unit. The advancing member advances toward a corner of a recording-medium bundle having multiple edges and having the corner at an intersection position where the edges intersect. The binding process unit performs a binding process on the recording-medium bundle by causing the advancing member to advance toward the corner and is capable of performing the binding process at a first position and at a second position located closer to the intersection position than the first position.