A sheet processing device separates a two-ply sheet in which two sheets are overlapped and partially bonded and sandwich a sheet medium between the two sheets. The sheet processing device includes a relay conveyance path, a sheet loader, and control circuitry. The sheet medium is fed from an image forming apparatus connected upstream of the sheet processing device through the relay conveyance path. The sheet loader loads at least one of the two-ply sheet and the sheet medium. The control circuitry performs a mixing mode to feed the two-ply sheet or the sheet medium from the sheet loader.

A medium transport device includes a lower guide member, a processing tray, a feeding section, and a notch. The lower guide member supports a medium transported and guides the medium toward the processing tray. The processing tray includes an alignment member, and a plurality of media are stacked in the processing tray. The feeding section includes a paddle member having a rotation center between the processing tray and the lower guide member such that a rotation locus of a distal end intersects the lower guide member, and the feeding section is configured to feed the medium toward the alignment member. The lower guide member has a notch, and an upstream end of the notch in the transport direction is formed at a position inside the rotation locus in the lower guide member.

A sheet processing apparatus is configured to sandwich one or more sheet media in a two-ply sheet in which two sheets are overlaid and bonded together at a portion of the two-ply sheet. The sheet processing apparatus includes circuitry configured to control insertion processing to insert the one or more sheet media into the two-ply sheet based on a length of the two-ply sheet in a conveyance direction, a length of one of the one or more sheet media in the conveyance direction, and a number of the one or more sheet media.

An image forming apparatus includes a housing, a toner image forming portion, a foil transfer unit, a sheet tray, and a discharge portion. The toner image forming portion is provided in the housing and configured to form a toner image on a sheet. The foil transfer unit is configured to superpose a foil with a surface of the sheet. The sheet tray is installable in the housing in an inserting direction and configured to accommodate a sheet to be supplied to the toner image forming portion. The first discharge portion is configured to discharge the sheet from the foil transfer unit to the outside of the housing in a discharging direction opposite to the inserting direction. The second discharge portion is configured to discharge the sheet from the toner image forming portion to the outside of the housing without passing through the foil transfer unit in the discharge direction.

A sheet processing apparatus includes a conveying portion, a conveying path, a discharge port, a stacking portion, a manual setting portion, a binding device which binds a sheet bundle formed by the stacking portion and a sheet bundle set at the manual setting portion by a staple, a first regulating portion which regulates a position of the sheet bundle at a rear side of the apparatus in a width direction, and a second regulating portion which regulates a position of the sheet bundle in the conveying direction. The binding device is formed to be movable back and forth to a front side and the rear side of the apparatus. When a staple is replenished to the binding device, the binding device is positioned at the third position so that a cartridge of the staple is loaded into the binding device from the front side of the apparatus.

An image reading apparatus connectable to a post-processing apparatus includes an image reading unit for transmitting image data to an inspection processing unit, and a communication unit for outputting a sheet discharge timing signal to the post-processing apparatus through a signal line. The communication unit outputs the sheet discharge timing signal having different waveforms to the post-processing apparatus on the basis of an inspection result of a sheet obtained from the inspection processing unit such that the sheet discharge timing signal includes a first waveform when the sheet determined by the inspection processing unit as that there is no image abnormality is discharged and such that the sheet discharge timing signal includes a second waveform different from the first waveform when the sheet determined by the inspection processing unit as that the image abnormality occurs is discharged.

An image forming system includes an image forming unit, an inspection unit, a conveyance unit configured to convey a sheet to the inspection unit, a controller configured to execute a first inspection mode in which a sheet having an image formed thereon is conveyed by the conveyance unit to the inspection unit and is inspected, and a second inspection mode in which, without executing image forming by the image forming unit, a sheet is conveyed by the conveyance unit to the inspection unit and is inspected, and a setting unit configured to set a recovery process. The setting unit permits the setting of the recovery process in the first inspection mode and prohibits the setting of the recovery process in the second inspection mode.

A sheet separation device separates a non-bonding portion of a two-ply sheet in which two sheets are overlapped and bonded together at one end of the two-ply sheet. The sheet separation device includes a separator that includes a first separator and a second separator. The first separator is inserted into a gap between the two sheets of the two-ply sheet. The second separator is inserted between the two sheets at said another end of the two-ply sheet that is opposite to the one end of the two-ply sheet and moves in a width direction of the two-ply sheet after the first separator is inserted into the gap and relatively moves from the one end to said another end.

A sheet processing apparatus includes a first conveyance rotary member, a second conveyance rotary member, a punch member, a sensor, a punch motor, a conveyance motor, a first drive transmission portion including a first number of drive transmission members configured to sequentially transmit driving force of the conveyance motor to the first conveyance rotary member, and a second drive transmission portion including a second number of drive transmission members configured to sequentially transmit driving force of the conveyance motor to the second conveyance rotary member, the second number being larger than the first number.

The present invention is to enable folding processing to be applied to also large sheet sizes without upsizing the entire apparatus, in the sheet post-processing apparatus for performing the folding processing and binding processing on sheets, a sheet post-processing apparatus is provided with a binding processing section for performing binding processing using a binding needle on a sheet bunch inside a storage section, first folding roller pair for nipping a sheet P inside the storage section in a first position to form a first fold portion, a receiving section for receiving the sheet with the first fold portion formed fed out of the first folding roller pair, and second folding roller pair for nipping the sheet inside the receiving section in a second position to form a second fold portion.