A post-processing apparatus includes a side edge alignment section configured to move to a first position, a second position, that is farther from the side edges in the width direction than the first position, and a third position, that is between the first position and the second position in the width direction. The post-processing apparatus is configured to execute an adjustment operation of moving the side edge alignment section from the second position to the third position and an alignment operation of aligning the medium by causing the side edge alignment section to abut on the medium in the first position. The adjustment operation is executed while the first transport section transports the medium and the alignment operation is executed after the adjustment operation is performed and after the medium reaches a tip end alignment section.

An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus main body, an output tray, and a holding member. The output tray is rotatable about a first rotation shaft between a closed position and an open position. The holding member is rotatable about a second rotation shaft. The output tray comes into contact with the holding member halfway through rotation of the output tray from the closed to the open position. When the output tray is rotated to the open position, the holding member rotates to a retracted position while being in contact with the output tray. When viewed in a direction crossing a recording-material discharge direction, the first rotation shaft is located downstream from the second rotation shaft in the discharge direction, and a center of gravity of the holding member is located downstream from the second rotation shaft in the discharge direction when the holding member is at the retracted position.

A sheet bonding apparatus includes an electrophotographic unit configured to apply powder adhesive on a sheet by an electrophotographic process, a folding portion configured to fold the sheet on which the powder adhesive has been applied by the electrophotographic unit, and a bonding portion configured to heat the sheet folded by the folding portion to bond the sheet by the powder adhesive, wherein the bonding portion and the folding portion are disposed over the electrophotographic unit.

An image reading apparatus includes a first stacking unit having a stacking surface, and an abutment portion that abuts a document stacked on the stacking surface, a feeding unit, a reading unit, a second stacking unit, a first detection unit, a rotating shaft, a drive unit, and a control unit. The second stacking unit receives the document fed by the feeding unit and read by the reading unit. The first detection unit detects presence or absence of the document stacked on the first stacking unit. The drive unit rotates the first stacking unit around the rotating shaft rotatably supporting the first stacking unit. At a predetermined timing after the first detection unit detects the absence of the document on the first stacking unit, the control unit controls the drive unit to rotate the first stacking unit in a direction with which the abutment portion is lowered.

An image reading apparatus includes a first stacking unit having a stacking surface, and an abutment portion that abuts a document stacked on the stacking surface, a feeding unit, a reading unit, a second stacking unit, a first detection unit, a rotating shaft, a drive unit, and a control unit. The second stacking unit receives the document fed by the feeding unit and read by the reading unit. The first detection unit detects presence or absence of the document stacked on the first stacking unit. The drive unit rotates the first stacking unit around the rotating shaft rotatably supporting the first stacking unit. At a predetermined timing after the first detection unit detects the absence of the document on the first stacking unit, the control unit controls the drive unit to rotate the first stacking unit in a direction with which the abutment portion is lowered.

Sheet collating device for accumulating sheets from at least one hopper, comprising: a lower transport path and an upper transport path; a switchable guide for directing the sheets from the at least one hopper to the lower or the upper transport path; left and right upper drive shafts connected to a right and a left upper drive pulleys supporting a pair of upper belts, a drive direction of the pair of upper belts being changed dependent on what transport path of the upper and lower transport paths is selected; first and second lower drive shafts connected to a right and a left lower drive pulleys supporting first and second pairs of lower belts; and a first series of right paddles mounted on the first pair of lower belts and a first series of left paddles mounted on the second pair of lower belts for registering a collated set of sheets.

A method for franking mail items fed to a franking machine. The mail items are drawn from the underside of a stack for separation or are fed individually on a conveying section upstream of the franking machine to a printing unit for franking, after franking, are discharged in the opposite direction from the printing unit. The mail items are fed via a diverter section to the conveying section, after franking, are conveyed via the diverter section which is switched over to change the conveying direction into a depositing apparatus below the diverter section. The mail items are guided in the opening region of the franking machine into the printing position and are returned out of the printing position. The printing position of a mail item fed to the printing unit is determined by a print head movement-controlled from a readiness position pursuant to the format length of the mail item.

A medium conveying apparatus includes a main body, a paper ejection tray main body that is supported by the main body and that is arranged at a paper ejection tray unfolding position or a paper ejection tray storage position, an extension member that is supported by the paper ejection tray main body and that is arranged at an expansion position or a contraction position, a cover that is supported by the main body and that is arranged at an opening position or a closing position, and a contact member that is fixed to the cover, wherein the cover is arranged at a midway position between the opening position and the closing position when the paper ejection tray main body is arranged at the paper ejection tray storage position and when the extension member is not arranged at the contraction position and is in contact with the contact member.

A sheet conveyance apparatus includes a controller controlling a driver to cause a guide to start rotation in a state in which a trailing end in a sheet conveyance direction of a preceding sheet conveyed by a roller pair having a first roller and a second roller such that the trailing end of the preceding sheet is moved from the position above a first guide to a position between a second guide and a sheet support by the rotation of the guide and that a succeeding sheet conveyed by the roller pair subsequently to the preceding sheet passes the position above the first guide after the rotation of the guide. The first roller is rotated by a driving force supplied from a driving source, and the guide rotates about a rotation axis of the first roller while rotating relatively to the first roller.

An image forming system includes a conveyance processing portion, a setting processing portion, an insertion processing portion, and an operation control portion. The conveyance processing portion executes a conveyance process to convey a plurality of sheets placed on a sheet placing portion, sequentially to a sheet stack portion. When the insertion timing to insert the insertion sheet comes during an execution of the conveyance process, the insertion processing portion executes an insertion process to convey a sheet from the sheet supply source of the insertion sheet to the sheet stack portion. The operation control portion is configured to control operations of an image forming apparatus during execution of a sheet bundle output process based on the sheet type of the insertion sheet conveyed in the insertion process that is included in the sheet bundle output process, the sheet bundle output process including the conveyance process and the insertion process.