A media sheet drive has a continuous belt of a dielectric material for transporting sheet media supported on the belt in a transport direction. A launch mechanism is used to launch a sheet medium onto a top surface of the belt. A charging circuit including a charging head is used to charge a top surface of the sheet medium and the belt as the sheet medium is launched. Charging acts to generate an electrostatic tacking force to tack the sheet medium to the belt. To prevent high electric field near the belt top surface which might otherwise affect the printing process, a neutralizing circuit is positioned downstream of the charging circuit to reduce electric field near the top of the belt by balancing charge at the top and bottom of the belt while keeping the sheet medium tacked to the belt.

A medium transporting apparatus includes an endless conveyor belt having an outer surface to which a sheet P adheres, at least two rollers, which are a first roller and a second roller, around which the conveyor belt extends. The second roller is located downstream of the first roller in a medium transporting direction. The medium transporting apparatus also includes a backing plate that supports an inner surface of the conveyor belt at a position between the first roller and the second roller. In the medium transporting apparatus, the backing plate includes a hollow-containing portion that is formed at an upstream end of the backing plate in the medium transporting direction. The hollow-containing portion has a plurality of hollows formed therein in a width direction that intersects the medium transporting direction. The plurality of hollows are formed in a support surface that supports the conveyor belt.

Printing devices include a media supply storing print media, a luminescent belt positioned adjacent the media supply in a location to move sheets of the print media from the media supply, a print engine positioned adjacent the luminescent belt in a location to receive the sheets from the luminescent belt, an optical sensor positioned adjacent the belt in a location to receive belt-emitted light from the luminescent belt, and a processor electrically connected to the optical sensor. The processor receives the image from the optical sensor and identifies locations of the sheets on the belt based on where the sheets block the belt-emitted light from the luminescent belt.

A media sheet drive has a continuous belt of a dielectric material for transporting sheet media supported on the belt in a transport direction. A launch mechanism is used to launch a sheet medium onto a top surface of the belt. A charging circuit including a charging head is used to charge a top surface of the sheet medium and the belt as the sheet medium is launched. Charging acts to generate an electrostatic tacking force to tack the sheet medium to the belt. To prevent high electric field near the belt top surface which might otherwise affect the printing process, a neutralizing circuit is positioned downstream of the charging circuit to reduce electric field near the top of the belt by balancing charge at the top and bottom of the belt while keeping the sheet medium tacked to the belt.

A medium transporting apparatus includes an endless conveyor belt having an outer surface to which a sheet P adheres, at least two rollers, which are a first roller and a second roller, around which the conveyor belt extends. The second roller is located downstream of the first roller in a medium transporting direction. The medium transporting apparatus also includes a backing plate that supports an inner surface of the conveyor belt at a position between the first roller and the second roller. In the medium transporting apparatus, the backing plate includes a hollow-containing portion that is formed at an upstream end of the backing plate in the medium transporting direction. The hollow-containing portion has a plurality of hollows formed therein in a width direction that intersects the medium transporting direction. The plurality of hollows are formed in a support surface that supports the conveyor belt.

A sheet feeder, which is incorporated in an image forming apparatus, includes an attraction body disposed facing a bundle of sheets, a charger to charge the attraction body to electrostatically attract an uppermost sheet of the bundle of sheets to the attraction body, a liquid supplier to supply a liquid to dissolve discharge products to the attraction body, and a liquid remover to remove the liquid from the attraction body. Further, a method of removing discharge products includes counting the number of sheets fed from a sheet container, determining that the number of sheets reaches a predetermined threshold value, confirming that a current time falls within a predetermined period of time or receiving a turn off signal to turn off a power supply, removing the discharge products from a surface of an attraction body, and resetting the number of sheets or further turning off the power supply.

The medium supporting device comprises an electrostatic chucking mat generating an electrostatic chucking force by being energized, and a support for supporting the electrostatic chucking mat movably in a first direction. The support is removably connected to a cutting plotter. The cutting plotter includes a medium feeding mechanism for moving a medium reciprocally in the first direction. The electrostatic chucking mat is moved by the medium feeding mechanism while the medium is chucked.