In accordance with an embodiment, an image forming apparatus comprises an image forming section configured to form an image on a sheet; a sheet discharge port through which the sheet is discharged; a sheet conveyance roller configured to convey the sheet to the sheet discharge port; a movable sheet guide, arranged in such a manner that an imaginary line connecting a portion contacting the sheet of the sheet conveyance roller with the sheet discharge port passes through a cross-sectional area, configured to be capable of moving in a direction away from a surface of the sheet; and a guide sensor configured to detect movement of the movable sheet guide.

Provided is a technique capable of detecting the amount of a stack of discharged print media and increasing print speed. A printing apparatus includes a displacement member configured to be in contact with the discharged print media and be displaced according to the amount of the stack of the print media, and detects the stack amount based on the displacement of the displacement member. The apparatus performs a first or second detection operation based on the detected stack amount. In the first detection operation, after a specified number of print media are discharged with the displacement member positioned at the evacuation position where it does not come into contact with a print medium, the displacement member is brought into contact with the print media to detect the stack amount. In the second detection operation, the stack amount is detected with the displacement member in contact with the print media.

Disclosed herein is an image forming apparatus having a structure improved such that a user easily opens and closes a printing media cassette. The image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, a printing media cassette to receive printing media, the printing media cassette being movably coupled to the apparatus body, a first lever provided at the printing media cassette, a second lever provided in the apparatus body, the second lever being coupled to the first lever, turning, and being separated from the first lever when the printing media cassette is closed.

A medium supporting device including a support part configured to support a roll body on which a sheet shaped medium is wound, a shaft serving as a rotary axis of the roll body and secured with the support part, and a driver configured to rotate the roll body supported by the support part. The shaft is secured to the support part by using a metal plate having a flat surface provided with an insertion hole, the insertion hole being a hole into which the shaft is inserted. An outer circumference part of the metal plate is restricted from moving in a rotation direction of the roll body relative to an inner circumference part of the support part.

A recording apparatus includes a placement unit on which sheets of paper are placed, a feeder that feeds a sheet, thrust mechanisms that push up the placement unit toward the feeder, and an edge guide. Each of the thrust mechanisms includes a coil spring that imparts an urging force to the placement unit, one case that is mounted on the placement unit and receives the coil spring from one end thereof and accommodates the coil spring, and another case that is disposed so as to partially overlap the one case and receives the coil spring from the other end thereof and accommodates the coil spring. The one case and the other case are configured to be movable relative to each other in the urging direction of the coil spring and to be rotatable together in the circumferential direction.

A sheet feeding device includes a stacking unit for stacking a sheet; a feeding member for feeding the sheet stack on the stacking unit; a holding member holding the feeding member; a holder supporting portion, provided above the stacking unit, for detachably supporting the holding member; a raising and lowering unit for raising and lowering the holding member; a detection unit for detecting a topmost surface of the sheet stacked on the stacking unit, by detecting the holding member; a control unit for effecting raising and lowering operation of the holding member using the raising and lowering unit before a feeding operation of the feeding member and detect presence or absence of the holding member on the basis of a signal from the detection unit produced with the raising and lowering operation.

According to the present disclosure, a first guide unit is provided with a first opening portion through which light in an optical path connecting a first optical element unit and a second optical element unit passes, a second guide unit is provided with a second opening portion through which light in the optical path connecting the first optical element unit and the second optical element unit passes, the first guide unit is provided with a duct for sending air to the first optical element unit, and the air coming out from the first opening portion hits the second optical element unit via the second opening portion.

According to one embodiment, a sheet post-processing apparatus has a sheet discharge tray, a drive motor, a power transmission breaker, a first power transmitter, a second power transmitter, and a load reducer. The sheet discharge tray stacks sheets. The drive motor raises and lowers the sheet discharge tray. The power transmission breaker can cut off power transmission from the drive motor to the sheet discharge tray when an upward external force is applied to the sheet discharge tray. The load reducer provides a reverse load to the sheet discharge tray in a reverse direction to the load generated on the sheet discharge tray due to stacking of the sheets. The load reducer is connected to the first power transmitter.

Provided is a paper-discharge apparatus that suppresses operating sound of the paper-discharge apparatus. A contact member changes the posture of the introduction guide by coming in contact with the introduction lever and rotating the introduction lever. A control unit sets a state in which paper is introduced to the paper-discharge-conveying unit to a non-contact state of the introduction lever and contact member, and sets a state when conveyed paper is guided to another discharge destination to a contact state of the introduction lever and the contact member. The control unit rotates the motor at a first speed and moves the contact member, and brings the contact member in contact with the introduction lever after setting the rotating speed of the motor to a second speed that is slower than the first speed.

A sheet conveying device, which is included in a sheet discharging device and an image forming apparatus, includes a contact body configured to rotate while contacting a sheet in conveyance, a shaft configured to rotate together with the contact body in a range of rotation of the contact body, a sheet detector configured to detect the sheet through detection of rotation of the shaft, and a rotary body support configured to rotatably support the contact body to the shaft, extending the range of rotation, in a same direction as the direction of rotation of the shaft. The sheet discharging device includes a sheet discharging body, a sheet stacker of the sheet discharged, and the above-described sheet conveying device. The sheet detector is a stack height detector configured to detec't that the height of the sheet stacked on the sheet stacker is equal to or higher than a predetermined height.