An image forming apparatus includes: a rotating body having a recess in an outer peripheral surface thereof; a sprocket provided coaxially with the rotating body to rotate integrally with the rotating body; a chain having plural links, the chain being wound around the sprocket to circulate in a circulating direction so as to shift from a rotary movement in which the chain rotates in an arc shape conforming to an outer periphery of the sprocket along with the sprocket, to a linear movement; a holder fixed to at least one link of the links of the chain, the holder being configured to hold a leading end portion of a recording medium, the holder being configured to transport the recording medium by performing the rotary movement along with the rotating body and the chain in a state of (i) holding the leading end portion of the recording medium placed on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body and (ii) being located in the recess, and then shifting to the linear movement along with the chain; and an image forming unit configured to form an image on the recording medium placed on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body, in which a holding position where the holder holds the recording medium is arranged downstream of an upstream roller of rollers of a most downstream link in the circulating direction among the at least one link to which the holder is fixed.

A sheet suction device includes a bearing member configured to bear a sheet on a circumferential surface of the bearing member and rotate, a plurality of suction holes in a bearing region in the circumferential surface of the bearing member, a suction device connected to the plurality of suction holes, the suction device configured to suck the sheet through the plurality of suction holes, and a rotary valve between the bearing member and the suction device. The rotary valve includes: a first member communicating with the suction device, and a second member contacting the first member, the second member communicating with the plurality of suction holes. The first member includes a first groove on a side surface in a circumferential direction of the first member, the first groove communicating with the suction device.

A printing system comprises a media transport device which holds print media, such as paper, against a movable support surface, such as a belt, by vacuum suction through holes in a vacuum platen and transports the print media though a deposition region of one or more printheads, which deposit a print fluid, such as ink, on the print media. The printing system comprises an airflow control device comprising dampers that are moveable along a direction perpendicular to the vacuum platen between an undeployed configuration and a deployed configuration, each damper blocking at least one row of the holes in the deployed configuration. The airflow control device also comprises actuators to move the damper(s). The actuator(s) are controlled to selectively move the damper(s) between the undeployed and deployed configuration based on a position of an inter-media zone between adjacent print media held against the movable support surface.

The subject matter discloses a printing enhancement system, comprising one or more printing enhancement modules configured to perform a printing enhancement operation on a substrate, a drum configured to carry the substrate, said drum is connected to a drum actuation mechanism configured to move the drum at a rotational movement, a processing module coupled to the drum actuation mechanism and to the one or more printing enhancement modules, wherein the processing module sends commands to the drum actuation mechanism to move the drum and sends commands to the one or more printing enhancement modules to dispense the materials according to a printing enhancement task, wherein the one or more printing enhancement modules are arranged around a circumference of the drum, wherein the rotational movement enables to bring the substrate closer to a selected printing enhancement module of the one or more printing enhancement modules.

A machine arrangement sequentially processes sheet-like substrates with multiple different processing stations each having a substrate-guiding unit and a substrate-processing unit. At least one of the processing stations has, as a substrate-processing unit, at least one non-impact printing device which prints on the substrate. The processing station with the at least one non-impact printing device has a printing cylinder. Each non-impact printing device is arranged at the circumference of the printing cylinder. The printing cylinder is triple-sized or quadruple-sized. A double-sized or a triple-sized transfer drum, or a corresponding feed cylinder, is arranged directly upstream of this printing cylinder. Alternatively, a double-sized or a triple-sized transfer drum, or a corresponding transfer cylinder, is arranged directly downstream of this printing cylinder.

A sheet suction device includes a sheet bearer having a plurality of suction holes, a suction unit, a first member, and a second member. The first member has grooves arranged in a radial direction, and each of the grooves extends in a circumferential direction. The second member has a plurality of hole rows including a plurality of holes. The plurality of holes in each of the plurality of hole rows is arranged in the circumferential direction, and the plurality of hole rows is arranged in the radial direction. When the first member rotates with respect to the second member, the number of holes communicating with the grooves is changed to change the number of the plurality of suction holes communicating with the suction unit. The plurality of holes includes two or more holes that simultaneously communicate with the suction unit when the first member rotates by a unit rotation amount.

A sheet suction device includes a bearing member configured to bear a sheet on a circumferential surface of the bearing member and rotate in a first direction, a plurality of suction holes in a bearing region in the circumferential surface of the bearing member, a suction device connected to the plurality of suction holes, the suction device configured to suck the sheet through the plurality of suction holes, and a first member between the plurality of suction holes and the suction device, the first member rotatable in a second direction different from the first direction to change a suction region of the suction device connected to the plurality of suction holes. A rotation of the first member in the second direction expands the suction region of the suction device in the bearing region of the bearing member.

According to examples, there is provided a suction device, system and method for retaining media on a surface. The suction device comprising a suction cup having a vacuum port for coupling the suction cup to a vacuum source, a sealing piston configured to seal the vacuum port when the sealing piston is in a first position, wherein when the sealing piston is in a second, depressed, position the vacuum source is coupled to the suction cup the sealing piston further comprising a piston head extending above a rim of the suction cup when the sealing piston is in the first position, and a biasing element to bias the sealing piston to the first position.

A machine arrangement sequentially processes sheet-like substrates with multiple different processing stations each having a substrate-guiding unit and a substrate-processing unit. At least one of the processing stations has, as a substrate-processing unit, at least one non-impact printing device which prints on the substrate. The processing station with the at least one non-impact printing device has a printing cylinder. Each non-impact printing device is arranged at the circumference of the printing cylinder. The printing cylinder is triple-sized or quadruple-sized. A double-sized or a triple-sized transfer drum, or a corresponding feed cylinder, is arranged directly upstream of this printing cylinder. Alternatively, a double-sized or a triple-sized transfer drum, or a corresponding transfer cylinder, is arranged directly downstream of this printing cylinder.

A medium transporting device and a liquid jetting device, which can suppress the lifting of both ends of a medium in a width direction of a medium and can suppress the occurrence of wrinkling of the medium, are provided. The medium transporting device includes a gripping unit that grips a leading end region of a medium, a medium supporting unit that has a first adsorption supporting unit which adsorbs and supports a trailing end region of the medium and a second adsorption supporting unit which adsorbs a non-end region of the medium and generates an adsorption pressure less than an adsorption pressure generated by the first adsorption supporting unit, a medium position moving unit that moves a position in a medium width direction in the medium width direction, and a medium transporting unit that transports the medium. Regarding the width direction, the first adsorption supporting unit has a length, which is obtained by adding a length twice a moving distance of the medium to a medium length, and a distance from a center position in the width direction to one end in the width direction is the same as a distance from the center position in the width direction to the other end in the width direction.