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 media processing device includes: a hopper for supporting a stack of media units (e.g. cards), the hopper including (i) a gate wall configured to abut leading edges of the media units and (ii) an outlet defined at an end of the gate wall; a pick roller at the outlet for engaging an outer one of the media units in the stack and dispensing the outer media unit from the hopper to a media processing path; the gate wall including a flexible gate at the outlet, the flexible gate configured to deflect toward the media processing path responsive to the outer media unit being driven into the flexible gate by the pick roller, wherein the outer media unit deflects when passing by the flexible gate, permitting the outer media unit to be dispensed from the hopper.

Systems, mechanisms, and methods are described that relate to the production of a custom printed insert(s) that can be custom printed prior to insertion of the custom printed insert(s) into an envelope along with a personalized card/carrier combination for mailing to the intended holder of the personalized card. The inserts are custom printed using an insert printer that is located in the inserter mechanism that is used to insert the insert(s) and the card/carrier combination into an envelope for mailing to an end user of the card. The inserter mechanism can have an off-line configuration, i.e. configured as a stand-alone mechanism, or configured for in-line use, i.e. used together with other mechanisms.

Systems, mechanisms, and methods are described that relate to the production of a custom printed insert(s) that can be custom printed prior to insertion of the custom printed insert(s) into an envelope along with a personalized card/carrier combination for mailing to the intended holder of the personalized card. The inserts are custom printed using an insert printer that is located in the inserter mechanism that is used to insert the insert(s) and the card/carrier combination into an envelope for mailing to an end user of the card. The inserter mechanism can have an off-line configuration, i.e. configured as a stand-alone mechanism, or configured for in-line use, i.e. used together with other mechanisms.

Disclosed herein is a medium conveying apparatus in which the time for unjamming can be shortened. The medium conveying apparatus includes rollers configured to convey a card Ca, a rotary unit F provided in a medium conveyance path and configured to hold and rotate the card Ca, a sensor SN26 arranged downstream the rotary unit F on the medium conveyance path and, and a control section. The control section controls a first card-conveyance motor for driving the rollers to convey the card Ca into the rotary unit F, and determines whether the sensor SN26 detects the card Ca. The sensor SN26 is arranged at the same distance as a sensor SN3 or a shorter distance than the sensor SN3, from the rotary unit F.

Disclosed herein is a medium conveying apparatus in which the time for unjamming can be shortened. The medium conveying apparatus includes rollers configured to convey a card Ca, a rotary unit F provided in a medium conveyance path and configured to hold and rotate the card Ca, a sensor SN26 arranged downstream the rotary unit F on the medium conveyance path and, and a control section. The control section controls a first card-conveyance motor for driving the rollers to convey the card Ca into the rotary unit F, and determines whether the sensor SN26 detects the card Ca. The sensor SN26 is arranged at the same distance as a sensor SN3 or a shorter distance than the sensor SN3, from the rotary unit F.

A transfer apparatus includes a transfer device which performs transfer processing to transfer a transfer layer or protection layer to first and second faces of a card-shaped recording medium, a correcting device which performs decurl processing to correct a curl of the recording medium to which the transfer layer is transferred, a transfer sequence determining device which determines a transfer sequence to the first face and the second face of the recording medium, and a control device which controls the transfer device and the correcting device. The transfer sequence determining device determines the transfer sequence so that the transfer processing is performed alternately on the first face and the second face at least once. The control device performs the decurl processing with the correcting device for the difference between the number of times of the transfer processing on the first face and the second face of the recording medium.

A transfer apparatus includes a transfer device which performs transfer processing to transfer a transfer layer or protection layer to first and second faces of a card-shaped recording medium, a correcting device which performs decurl processing to correct a curl of the recording medium to which the transfer layer is transferred, a transfer sequence determining device which determines a transfer sequence to the first face and the second face of the recording medium, and a control device which controls the transfer device and the correcting device. The transfer sequence determining device determines the transfer sequence so that the transfer processing is performed alternately on the first face and the second face at least once. The control device performs the decurl processing with the correcting device for the difference between the number of times of the transfer processing on the first face and the second face of the recording medium.

The invention relates to a method (400) for protecting printed data on a transfer film of a heat-transfer printer for a plastic card comprising a print head (112), the protection method (400) comprising: a first printing step (402) during which the transfer film and the plastic card advance simultaneously over a printing length L.sub.0 under the print head and during which the print head heats according to the text to be printed, a rewinding step (404) during which the transfer film is rewound over a rewinding length L.sub.0+/d different from the printing length L.sub.0, and during which the plastic card is brought upstream of the print head, a subsequent printing step (408) during which the transfer film and the plastic card (10) advance simultaneously over another printing length under the print head and during which the print head heats according to the text to be printed, and an ejection step (410) during which the plastic card is expelled from the printer.

The invention relates to a method (400) for protecting printed data on a transfer film of a heat-transfer printer for a plastic card comprising a print head (112), the protection method (400) comprising: a first printing step (402) during which the transfer film and the plastic card advance simultaneously over a printing length L.sub.0 under the print head and during which the print head heats according to the text to be printed, a rewinding step (404) during which the transfer film is rewound over a rewinding length L.sub.0+/d different from the printing length L.sub.0, and during which the plastic card is brought upstream of the print head, a subsequent printing step (408) during which the transfer film and the plastic card (10) advance simultaneously over another printing length under the print head and during which the print head heats according to the text to be printed, and an ejection step (410) during which the plastic card is expelled from the printer.