An image reading apparatus according to an embodiment includes an image reading unit configured to generate reference data by reading a reference surface and to generate image data by reading a sheet. A reference unit has a reference surface. A shading correction unit determines whether a portion of the reference surface includes a contaminant based on image data generated by the image reading unit reading the portion of the reference unit. When the portion of the reference surface is determined to not include a contaminant, the shading correction unit generates reference data based on the image data generated by the image reading unit reading the portion of the reference surface determined to not include a contaminant.

A document conveying and reading device includes a drive motor, a paper ejection roller driven by the drive motor, a first reading unit arranged along a document conveying path to face one surface of the document, and a shading roller arranged along the document conveying path to face the first reading unit. The shading roller includes a white reference member used for shading correction and a conveying guide for a document that is conveyed along the document conveying path, is driven by the drive motor together with the paper ejection roller when the drive motor drives the paper ejection roller to rotate in the second direction, and is not driven by the drive motor together with the paper ejection roller when the drive motor drives the paper ejection roller to rotate in the first direction.

A first reading sensor reads a first surface of a document. A second reading sensor reads a second surface of the document. An elastic body presses the second reading sensor toward the document that is conveyed toward an other side in a first direction. A conveyance guide includes a protrusion accommodating the elastic body. A friction pad contacts, from below, the document supported by a document placement surface. A recess is recessed downward from the document placement surface. A feed roller at a lowermost position enters the recess. An opening is formed in the document placement surface. The opening allows an exposed surface of the protrusion to be exposed to a side to which the document placement surface faces. The friction pad, the recess, and the opening are arranged away from one another in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and an upper-lower direction.

An image reading apparatus includes a sheet supporting portion configured to support a sheet, a sheet feeding portion configured to feed the sheet, a reading unit configured to read an image on the sheet, a body portion including a conveyance path configured to guide the sheet fed by the sheet feeding portion to the reading unit, a first detection unit including a first moving portion configured to be in contact with the sheet and move, and a first detection portion configured to detect the first moving portion, a second detection unit including a second moving portion configured to be in contact with the sheet and move, and a second detection portion configured to detect the second moving portion, and a support member supported detachably on the body portion, and configured to support the first and second detection portions.

An information processing apparatus includes a mode setting unit in which a value indicating whether a scanning device is for simplex scanning or duplex scanning is set up, an interface unit that controls whether to enable signal exchange with an external memory based on the value set up in the mode setting unit, and a transfer unit that retrieves image data from the external memory and transfers the image data to an image processing unit. When the value in the mode setting unit indicates that the scanning device is for duplex scanning, the interface unit enables signal exchange with the external memory, and the transfer unit transfers the image data retrieved from the external memory to the image processing unit. When the value in the mode setting unit indicates that the scanning device is for simplex scanning, the interface unit prohibits signal exchange with the external memory.

An information processing apparatus includes: a print data acquisition unit that acquires print data; a layout information acquisition unit that acquires layout information concerning plural image forming parts that are aligned from an upstream side toward a downstream side in a moving direction of a transfer target that moves and form images of respective different colors on the transfer target; and an image information generation unit that generates pieces of image information for the respective colors used by the plural image forming parts from the print data during a generation period and generates image information used by an image forming part located on an upstream side in the moving direction more in a former half of the generation period than in a latter half of the generation period.

An image reading apparatus is provided with a reader which reads a document, a transport roller which is provided on an upstream side of the reader in a document transport path in which the document is transported and transports the document to a reading position of the reader, and a controller which receives reading data of the reader and controls the transport roller, in which the controller receives the reading data from the reader to acquire a form of the document, and selects whether or not to stop driving of the transport roller based on the form.

A document scanning device includes first and second image sensors spaced along a document path and positioned to scan first and second sides of an input document. A first driven belt is configured to receive the input document directly onto a first surface of the first driven belt and transports the document past the first image sensor, where a first side of the document is scanned. A second driven belt, horizontally spaced from the first driven belt, receives the document after it has been scanned by the second image sensor and transports the document to an output. The device is suited to scanning of a variety of substrates and document sizes, such as normal, small, rigid, or delicate documents as the document path can be substantially straight and provide support for the document during scanning allowing delicate, small or rigid documents to be scanned.

A document conveying and reading device includes a drive motor, a paper ejection roller driven by the drive motor, a first reading unit arranged along a document conveying path to face one surface of the document, and a shading roller arranged along the document conveying path to face the first reading unit. The shading roller includes a white reference member used for shading correction and a conveying guide for a document that is conveyed along the document conveying path, is driven by the drive motor together with the paper ejection roller when the drive motor drives the paper ejection roller to rotate in the second direction, and is not driven by the drive motor together with the paper ejection roller when the drive motor drives the paper ejection roller to rotate in the first direction.

A recording-material-transporting apparatus includes: a transport unit that transports a recording material and causes the recording material to pass through an upstream location and a downstream location that is positioned downstream of the upstream location in a recording-material-transporting direction in which the recording material is transported; an upstream reader including a light receiver that receives light reflected by the recording material, the upstream reader reading an image that is formed on a portion of the recording material positioned at the upstream location and that is formed on one surface of the recording material; and a downstream reader including a light receiver that receives light reflected by the recording material, the downstream reader reading an image that is formed on a portion of the recording material positioned at the downstream location and that is formed on other surface of the recording material. The light receiver of the upstream reader is positioned downstream of the upstream location in the recording-material-transporting direction, and/or the light receiver of the downstream reader is positioned upstream of the downstream location in the recording-material-transporting direction.