A sheet supplying apparatus, in which a user can select either automatic sheet feeding or manual sheet feeding, includes a driving unit configured to cause a roll including a wound consecutive sheet to rotate in a first direction for feeding the sheet or a second direction opposite to the first direction, a first sensor that detects a leading end portion of the sheet separated from an outer circumferential surface of the roll, a second sensor that detects the leading end portion which is manually set in a conveyance path by the user, and a determination unit configured to determine whether or not automatic sheet feeding is performed on the basis of a detection result of the second sensor.

In a sheet supply apparatus, a type of sheet to be used can be specified using a sensor that detects a sheet separated from a roll at the time of automatic sheet feeding. The sheet supplying apparatus includes a driving unit configured to cause a roll including a wound consecutive sheet to rotate in a first direction for feeding the sheet or a second direction opposite to the first direction, a sensor that detects the sheet separated from an outer circumferential surface of the roll, and a specifying unit. In a case in which the sensor detects a leading end portion of the sheet while the roll is being rotated in the second direction, the driving unit changes a rotation direction of the roll from the second direction to the first direction and feeds the sheet, and the specifying unit is configured to specify a type of the sheet on the basis of an output of the sensor while the roll is being rotated in the second direction.

When a remaining amount of a sheet on one original sheet roll is equal to or less than a predetermined remaining amount, a pair of holding pads is brought into a first posture where holding surfaces are opened, and the holding surface of one holding pad is pressed to a joining end portion from the outside of the original sheet roll in a radial direction of the other original sheet roll. Further, the holding pad is moved such that the joining end portion is separated toward the outside of the original sheet roll in the radial direction. Further, the posture of the pair of holding pads is changed into a second posture where the holding surfaces approach each other, and the joining end portion is conveyed to a joining part in a state where the joining end portion is sandwiched between the holding surfaces of the pair of holding pads.

A feeding apparatus includes a roll support unit configured to rotatably support a roll sheet which is a sheet wound into a roll form, a drive unit configured to rotate the roll sheet in a first rotation direction for feeding the sheet into a conveyance path and a second rotation direction, an abutment portion provided so as to be capable of abutting against an outer peripheral surface of the roll sheet at a first position, and a rotation member configured to abut against the outer peripheral surface at a second position. The rotation member at the second position does not rotate with the roll sheet when the roll sheet is rotated in the first rotation direction, and rotates with the roll sheet when the roll sheet is rotated in the second rotation direction.

A trailing portion of a sheet drawn out of a sheet roll is discharged with a simple configuration. In a case where a trailing portion of the sheet is drawn out of the sheet roll, a driven roller is brought into press-contact with a core of the sheet roll via the trailing portion, whereby the trailing portion is discharged by utilizing the rotation of the core of the sheet roll.

Method for unwinding web materials from two parent reels (1, 2), wherein a first parent reel (1) in a depletion phase is replaced by a second parent reel (2), wherein during said replacement a first and a second web material (N1, N2) are unwound from both parent reels, wherein before the completion of said replacement the first web material (N1) is joined to the second web material (N2) and then it is cut, wherein the joining of said web materials (N1, N2) is preceded by the insertion of the second web material in an area where the two web materials are joined, and during the step of inserting the second web material in said joining area the second web material is guided on a guide surface (41, 44) which guides it towards the joining area. In said insertion step, the second web material adheres pneumatically to guide surface.

In wide format web printing the loading of a new web medium is a cumbersome process, requiring the operator to raise a very wide flexible web from the supply roll up to the print surface. The present invention provides a simple apparatus to aid in the manual loading process. The web transport assembly of the apparatus comprises a supply unit arranged for supplying the web from a media roll to a transport path and a pick-up device comprising a pick-up surface and a holding mechanism configured for releasably holding a leading edge section of the web onto the pick-up surface, wherein the pick-up device is moveable between a first position near the supply unit for attaching the leading edge section and a second position near the print surface. The leading edge section is moved upwards towards the print surface while held by the holding mechanism.

A method for removing outer layer of rollstock includes: first step of cutting rollstock's outermost circumferential film in a first cut portion, the rollstock formed by a film sheet rolled from base end to tip end and the tip end temporarily fixed to an outer circumferential surface; second step of cutting the film in a second cut portion closer to the base end than the first cut portion, a length from the tip end to the second cut portion being equal to or more than one round of the rollstock's outermost circumference; and step of discarding a first cut-film piece from the first cut portion to the tip end and a second cut-film piece from the first cut portion to the second cut portion by drawing the first and second pieces with a drawing device while driving an unwinding roller mounted with a hollow portion of the rollstock to rotate.

A method for cutting at least an outermost film of rollstock across a width direction of a film, the rollstock formed by a film sheet rolled from base end to tip end, the method including: separation step of generating a gap between the inner peripheral film and the outer layer by separating first edge portion of the outer layer from the inner peripheral film in a radial direction of the rollstock, in a state where the outer layer is remained to be rolled as a part of the rollstock; step of displacing a portion of the outer layer defining the gap in a first width direction from the first edge portion to second edge portion in the width direction; and step of cutting the outer layer across the width direction during the displacement step, while the first cutter is moved from the first edge portion to the second edge portion.

A sheet delivery system includes: a joining unit configured to join, to an intermediate section of a sheet being delivered from a delivery-side original material roll, an end section of a sheet of a standby-side original material roll; and an operation robot configured to retrieve the end section of the sheet from the standby-side original material roll and convey the end section of the sheet to the joining unit. The sheet delivery system is configured to set, in advance, a sheet retrieval position at which the sheet is retrieved from each of the original material rolls, for each of the original material rolls. The operation robot is configured to convey the end section of the sheet from each of the sheet retrieval positions to the joining unit.