A vacuum table for a wide format printing system, wherein a medium support surface with vacuum holes therein is spaced apart from a bottom plate by a spacer array. The spacer array is formed by an integrally formed spacer structure with a first and a second longitudinal plate positioned between the bottom plate and the medium support surface. These plates comprise a plurality of air flow through-holes as well as a top support edge and a bottom support edge extending equidistantly to one another. A connection element connects the first longitudinal plates and is positioned between the bottom support plane and the top support plane. The use of longitudinal plates allows the spacer to be cheaply and easily produced by punching. The plates further offer the advantage of a low air flow resistance while maintaining a high rigidity of the spacer array.

A medium processing apparatus includes a liquid applier, a post-processing device, and circuitry. The liquid applier applies liquid to a part of a medium, the medium being at least one medium. The post-processing device binds a bundle of media including the medium to which the liquid is applied by the liquid applier. The circuitry controls operations of the liquid applier and the post-processing device. The circuitry causes the liquid applier to apply different amounts of liquid to a plurality of sample areas in the medium.

A sheet conveyance apparatus includes: a placement part configured such that stacked sheets are disposed on the placement part; a housing including an open/close part and accommodating the placement part, at least a portion of the open/close part being configured to be opened and closed; and a suction unit connected with the housing, and configured to draw gas from an interior of the housing.

A vacuum belt conveyor sequentially delivers sheet articles to a digital printer. The sheets are held in position by vacuum on the underside of the sheets through apertures in the belts and covered by the sheets. A plurality of independent plenums on the underside of the belt have chambers respectively communicating with rows of apertures extending along the belt. Vacuum is selectively applied from a manifold only to the plenum chambers that supply apertures that are covered by the sheets so that the ink from the printer will not be directed from its intended position on the sheet by vacuum from adjacent uncovered belt apertures. The sheets are fed to the conveyor in synchronism with the conveyor speed by a timed feeder so that the sheets are carried by the conveyor with a predetermined gap between the sheets and no belt apertures in the gap. A sensor counts the apertures in the belt and activates the feeder at predetermined time intervals.

An apparatus may comprise a curved surface; a fluid outlet disposed to cause a fluid to move adjacent the curved surface; a sensor configured to detect a material disposed adjacent the curved surface; and a clamp configured to actuate based on detection, via the sensor, of a material disposed adjacent the curved surface, wherein the clamp is further configured to secure the material to the curved surface upon activation.