An air knife assembly is provided to jet an air current to control the landing of sheet of print media during transfer between two adjacent conveyors in a printer. The air knife forming unit is configured for jetting an air curtain formed such that said air curtain and air currents resulting from it flow substantially perpendicular to a transport direction of the conveyors. Thereby, lifting and consequently wrinkling of the leading edge during transfer and landing may be avoided.

A printing apparatus includes a first discharge path that discharges a sheet and a second discharge path different from the first discharge path. An angle difference between a direction in which the sheet is discharged in the second discharge path and a conveyance direction of a conveyance roller is less than an angle difference between a direction in which the sheet is discharged in the first discharge path and the conveyance direction of the conveyance roller. The printing apparatus includes a control unit that discharges the sheet on which the image is printed using the second discharge path even in a case where an instruction to print an image indicates discharging the sheet to the first discharge path, if the sheet conveyed by the conveyance roller is a sheet having a thickness equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

A printing apparatus includes a first discharge path that discharges a sheet and a second discharge path different from the first discharge path. An angle difference between a direction in which the sheet is discharged in the second discharge path and a conveyance direction of a conveyance roller is less than an angle difference between a direction in which the sheet is discharged in the first discharge path and the conveyance direction of the conveyance roller. The printing apparatus includes a control unit that discharges the sheet on which the image is printed using the second discharge path even in a case where an instruction to print an image indicates discharging the sheet to the first discharge path, if the sheet conveyed by the conveyance roller is a sheet having a thickness equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

A printer for printing plate-like media made of plastic and/or metal such as printing marker cards with markers for marking electrical appliances has various functional devices and an apparatus for handling the printable plate-like media. The marker cards are conveyed in the printer between the functional devices. The handling apparatus has several stations which are formed as receiving and fixing devices for a marker card to be printed. One or more of the stations is configured so as to be pivotable, such that it can be pivoted out of a first pivot position into a second pivot position against a resilient stop.

A printer for printing plate-like media made of plastic and/or metal such as printing marker cards with markers for marking electrical appliances has various functional devices and an apparatus for handling the printable plate-like media. The marker cards are conveyed in the printer between the functional devices. The handling apparatus has several stations which are formed as receiving and fixing devices for a marker card to be printed. One or more of the stations is configured so as to be pivotable, such that it can be pivoted out of a first pivot position into a second pivot position against a resilient stop.

A drying device (7) is a drying device which dries a sheet while conveying the sheet. The drying device (7) includes a conveying part (15) which conveys the sheet in a predetermined conveyance direction; a heating part (13) which is arranged above the conveying part (15) and dries the sheet conveyed by the conveying part (15); and a supporting part (17) which supports the conveying part (15) in a heating position where the sheet is heated by the heating part (13), by power supplying, wherein when the power supplying to the supporting part (17) is cut off, a force by which the conveying part (15) is supported in the heating position is weakened, and the conveying part (15) is lowered to a retreating position separated downward from the heating part (13).

A drying device (7) is a drying device which dries a sheet while conveying the sheet. The drying device (7) includes a conveying part (15) which conveys the sheet in a predetermined conveyance direction; a heating part (13) which is arranged above the conveying part (15) and dries the sheet conveyed by the conveying part (15); and a supporting part (17) which supports the conveying part (15) in a heating position where the sheet is heated by the heating part (13), by power supplying, wherein when the power supplying to the supporting part (17) is cut off, a force by which the conveying part (15) is supported in the heating position is weakened, and the conveying part (15) is lowered to a retreating position separated downward from the heating part (13).

The invention comprises an apparatus and method of use thereof for processing a machine produced emulated handwritten document prepared on a marking surface, comprising the steps of: receiving a print job order; digitally generating a reference image of the print job order; machine plotting with a plotting pen and a downward force of one-half to forty ounces applied to said plotting pen an indentation trail to form input text on the marking surface; digitally imaging the input text on the marking surface to form an actual image; and in a quality control step, digitally comparing the reference image to the actual image prior to insertion of the print job order into an envelope.

The invention comprises an apparatus and method of use thereof for processing a machine produced emulated handwritten document prepared on a marking surface, comprising the steps of: receiving a print job order; digitally generating a reference image of the print job order; machine plotting with a plotting pen and a downward force of one-half to forty ounces applied to said plotting pen an indentation trail to form input text on the marking surface; digitally imaging the input text on the marking surface to form an actual image; and in a quality control step, digitally comparing the reference image to the actual image prior to insertion of the print job order into an envelope.

An image forming apparatus includes plural rotating members that are rotatable; an annular circulating member that is wound around the plural rotating members and circulates when the rotating members rotate; a retaining member attached to an attaching portion of the circulating member and that circulates together with the circulating member, the retaining member being configured to retain a recording medium in an area where the attaching portion comes into contact with one of the rotating members; an image forming section that forms an image on the recording medium at an image forming position defined on a circulation path along which the circulating member circulates; a delivering unit that delivers the recording medium to a retaining position where the recording medium is to be retained by the retaining member; a detector that detects rotation of the one rotating member; and a controller that controls delivery of the recording medium from the delivering unit to the retaining position, the delivery being controlled with reference to information detected by the detector.