A sheet post-processing device includes: an alignment member which aligns a sheet bundle on a stacking tray; and a stapler which performs binding processing on a rear end of the sheet bundle. The stapler includes: a first stapler which moves along the rear end of a first sheet bundle and performs the binding processing on a plurality of positions at the rear end of the first sheet bundle; and a second stapler which performs, at one part of an end portion of the rear end on one side, binding processing different from the first stapler. The alignment member includes: a first alignment member and a second alignment member which align the sheet bundle in a first stacking position; and a third alignment member which is fixed to a position corresponding to the second stapler and which aligns the sheet bundle in a second stacking position with the first alignment member.

A binding apparatus includes a pair of pressing members to sandwich and press a sheet bundle to bind the sheet bundle, a rotator to rotate to periodically separate and contact the pressing members with each other, a detector to detect whether the rotator is between a first position at which the pressing members are separated from each other and a second position downstream from the first position in a forward rotation direction of the rotator, and control circuitry. The second position is upstream in the forward rotation direction from a peak position at which a pressing force between the pressing members is maximum. The control circuitry is configured to rotate the rotator in a reverse direction to the forward rotation direction to move the rotator to the first position when the detector detects that the rotator is between the first position and the second position in the forward rotation direction.

Deformed web materials are disclosed. The web materials have discrete deformations formed therein. The deformations may be features in the form of portions of a web with apertures therein, protrusions, depressed areas, and combinations thereof. These features may extend out from the surface on one side of the web, or from both of the surfaces of the web. Different features may be intermixed with one another.

A binding apparatus includes a binding tool, a binding tool driver, a shaft, and control circuitry. The binding tool is configured to execute a first binding process at a first binding position on a sheet bundle and execute a second binding process at a second binding position different from the first binding position on the sheet bundle. The binding tool driver includes a driver and is configured to apply a driving force to move the binding tool and a driving force to execute the first binding process and the second binding process. The shaft is disposed between the binding tool and the binding tool driver to support a movement of the binding tool by application of the driving force to the first binding position and the second binding position.

Deformed web materials are disclosed. The web materials have discrete deformations formed therein. The deformations may be features in the form of portions of a web with apertures therein, protrusions, depressed areas, and combinations thereof. These features may extend out from the surface on one side of the web, or from both of the surfaces of the web. Different features may be intermixed with one another.

A sheet binding processing apparatus includes a transport section transporting a bunch of sheets in a transport direction, a sheet discharge outlet to discharge the bunch of sheets transported from the transport section, a placement section to place the bunch of sheets discharged from the discharge outlet, a manual set section enabling a bunch of sheets inserted in a direction different from the transport direction to be set, a press member pressing the bunch of sheets placed on the placement section or on the manual set section to bind, a drive section applying a pressing force to the press member, and a control section controlling the drive section to make the pressing force applied to a binding member higher in the case of binding the bunch of sheets placed on the placement section than in the case of binding the bunch of sheets set from the manual set section.

A sheet processing apparatus includes a binding portion binding a plurality of sheets stacked on a sheet stacking portion as a bundle by deforming the sheets without a staple. The sheet processing apparatus further includes a moving member moving the sheet bundle bound at a binding position by the binding portion from the binding position and a restricting member restricting the move of the sheet bundle such that a distance between the sheet bundle and the moving member is kept to be less than a predetermined distance in moving the sheet bundle by the moving member.

A staple-less binding unit including a pair of upper and lower teeth binds a sheet bundle which is discharged to an intermediate processing tray by a sheet discharge portion and whose one edge abuts against a rear edge stopper. A control portion switches a binding mode of the staple-less binding unit that implements the binding process on the sheet bundle in a first binding mode of binding the sheet bundle without any staple such that the pair of upper and lower teeth bite across an edge of the sheet bundle and in a second binding mode of binding the sheet bundle without any staple such that the pair of upper and lower teeth do not bite across any edge of the sheet bundle.

A binding member is provided and includes: upper teeth having a tooth form configured to form a convex-concave portion on a recording material bundle; and lower teeth having a tooth form configured to form the convex-concave portion on the recording material bundle, and paired with the upper teeth. At least one of the upper teeth and the lower teeth includes: a first tooth row having a first tooth form having a first shape suitable for binding a first binding number of sheets; and a second tooth row having a second tooth form having a second shape suitable for binding a second binding number of sheets which is smaller than the first binding number of sheets.

A recording-medium binding device includes a first tooth row and a second tooth row. The first tooth row and the second tooth row to be engaged with the first tooth row cooperate with each other to pinch a recording medium batch. The first tooth row and the second tooth row include at least one first region and at least one second region adjacent to the at least one first region. When the first tooth row and the second tooth row are engaged with each other, teeth of the first tooth row and teeth of the second tooth row overlap one another in a tooth height direction by a first engagement overlapping amount in the at least one first region and by a second engagement overlapping amount in the at least one second region. The second engagement overlapping amount is larger than the first engagement overlapping amount.