A printing apparatus includes: a sheet discharge tray having an upstream portion tilted to extend downward in a direction of gravity; an upper member limiting a height of a space above the sheet discharge tray; a full sensor configured to detect an upstream end of a top sheet of sheets stacked on the sheet discharge tray; a counter configured to count a number of the sheets discharged onto the sheet discharge tray; and a controller. The controller determines whether to stop discharging of the sheets to the sheet discharge tray, based on a detection result of the full sensor upon the sheets to be stacked on the sheet discharge tray including only sheets each with uniform thickness and based on a count value of the counter upon the sheets to be stacked on the sheet discharge tray including a sheet with thickness varying partly.

A printing apparatus includes: a sheet discharge tray having an upstream portion tilted to extend downward in a direction of gravity; an upper member limiting a height of a space above the sheet discharge tray; a full sensor configured to detect an upstream end of a top sheet of sheets stacked on the sheet discharge tray; a counter configured to count a number of the sheets discharged onto the sheet discharge tray; and a controller. The controller determines whether to stop discharging of the sheets to the sheet discharge tray, based on a detection result of the full sensor upon the sheets to be stacked on the sheet discharge tray including only sheets each with uniform thickness and based on a count value of the counter upon the sheets to be stacked on the sheet discharge tray including a sheet with thickness varying partly.

An apparatus with an ink printing device generates imprints on items moving in a transport direction. The ink printing device displaces the ink cartridge, which is a single inkjet print head of at least 1 inch in width transverse to the transport direction, as well as in a vertical direction, and counter to the vertical direction. A movement mechanism of the printing module is provided to vertically raise and lower the inkjet print head. The movement mechanism has a mechanism for motorized movement of the inkjet print head, and a mechanism for manual displacement in the vertical direction.

DOD ink delivery systems and methods are described herein that are used in DOD card printing systems of card processing systems for supplying ink for DOD printing on plastic cards of the type that bear personalized data unique to the intended cardholder and/or which bear other card information. The DOD ink delivery system is configured to recirculate the ink, or have a second pressure damper container that provides damping to eliminate large and abrupt spikes in ink pressure which can disturb the meniscus of the ink in each nozzle of the print head generated by a vacuum system, or simultaneously operate a supply pump at a lower flow rate than a return pump during an autofill/autodrain procedure on the ink delivery system.

In a processing apparatus, with an inkjet print head, that processes individual items, a drive motor that operates a transport mechanism to transport the individual items in the x-direction of a Cartesian coordinate system past the inkjet print head in a printing position so as to execute a printing operation with the inkjet print head on each individual item. The drive motor arrangement also moves the inkjet print head in the y-direction into a first position that is any of an exchange position, the printing position, a cleaning position or a sealing position. The drive motor arrangement also moves the inkjet print head vertically, in the z-direction of the exchange position or the sealing position, into at least one other position that is either the printing position or the cleaning position.

A card processing device may include a print unit and a card inverting unit that inverts front/rear of the card. The print unit may include a thermal head and a card conveyance mechanism. The card inverting unit may include a card holding part, a card drawing and feeding mechanism, and a rotating mechanism that rotates the card holding part. A conveyance path may be provided inside the card holding part. The conveyance path may be linear. The card drawing and feeding mechanism may include two drive rollers, and two pad rollers. A distance between a center of the drive roller and a center of the thermal head may be shorter than a length of the card. The thermal head may print on the card while the card conveyance mechanism conveys the card. The rotating mechanism may rotate the card holding part such that the conveyance path is inclined.

A card processing device may include a print unit and a card inverting unit that inverts front/rear of the card. The print unit may include a thermal head and a card conveyance mechanism. The card inverting unit may include a card holding part, a card drawing and feeding mechanism, and a rotating mechanism that rotates the card holding part. A conveyance path may be provided inside the card holding part. The conveyance path may be linear. The card drawing and feeding mechanism may include two drive rollers, and two pad rollers. A distance between a center of the drive roller and a center of the thermal head may be shorter than a length of the card. The thermal head may print on the card while the card conveyance mechanism conveys the card. The rotating mechanism may rotate the card holding part such that the conveyance path is inclined.

An example disclosed output hopper includes a cavity to receive media units from an output of a media processing device, the cavity to cause the media units to form a stack in a first direction; a first door pivotably movable between a closed position and an open position, the first door to retain the media units in the cavity when in the closed position, wherein the first door is configured to pivot on a first axis substantially parallel to the first direction; wherein: the first door includes a first cutout at a first top edge of the first door; and the first cutout allow the media units to spill over the first and second top edges when a capacity of the cavity is exceeded.

An example disclosed output hopper includes a cavity to receive media units from an output of a media processing device, the cavity to cause the media units to form a stack in a first direction; a first door pivotably movable between a closed position and an open position, the first door to retain the media units in the cavity when in the closed position, wherein the first door is configured to pivot on a first axis substantially parallel to the first direction; wherein: the first door includes a first cutout at a first top edge of the first door; and the first cutout allow the media units to spill over the first and second top edges when a capacity of the cavity is exceeded.

A drop-on-demand plastic card printer includes a tray disposed underneath the plastic card during drop-on-demand printing to catch any overspray that may occur during printing on the plastic card. The tray may be disposable so that the tray is intended to be removed and disposed of. An ink absorbent pad can be disposed in the tray to absorb the oversprayed ink. The ink absorbent pad can be disposed of along with the tray or disposed of separately from the tray.