A method for separating printed products, that are printed together onto a sheet of printed products, is disclosed. The printed products are printed onto a sheet in a printing press and are separated in a cutting system by a cutting device. Each of these printed products has an identification feature that identifies its respective position on the sheet. The sheet becomes deformed as it passes through the printing press. The separated printed products, which are likewise deformed, as a result of the deformation of the sheet, are inspected, in a quality control device which is located downstream of the cutting system, for compliance with the tolerance, at least with regard to the respective length or width of the printed products. For each printed product that has been identified, in terms of its position, the quality control device detects information relating to an exceeding of the tolerance, at least for the length or width of the printed product, and transmits that information, assigning that information to the position identified on the sheet, to a control unit of the cutting system. Based on the information transmitted by the quality control device, for printed products that are arranged in the same position on the sheet, and which will subsequently be separated in the cutting system, the control unit of the cutting system adjusts the relevant sheet and the cutting device in their respective positions, relative to one another, in such a way that each of the printed products to be separated complies with the respective tolerance. Compliance with the tolerance is achieved in that the position of the sheet and of the cutting device to be adjusted relative to one another is calculated in the control unit using a mathematical optimization method. The sheet is placed on a cutting table in the cutting system. The control unit of the cutting system adjusts the position of the sheet relative to the cutting device, according to the calculated position.

An apparatus and method for optional cross-folding of successively following, sequentially printed sheets on a first transport segment. A compressed air device comprises a first control element that is connected to a control unit for triggering or suppressing a compressed air blast from at least one exit opening in the compressed air device. A printed sheet is diverted into a second transport segment for the folding operation or a third transport segment for bypassing the folding operation. The latter empties downstream of folding rolls into the second transport segment at a joint segment point, at which a fourth transport segment adjoins in downstream direction. The third transport segment is longer than the second transport segment or can be operated at a lower speed than the second transport segment such that a first sequence of printed sheets successively following on the first transport segment is identical to a second sequence of the successively following printed sheets located on the fourth transport segment.

The invention relates to a method for separating and categorizing at least one substrate (02; 03) that originates from a sheet source (47) or is transported in the form of a material web (02) to a cross-cutting apparatus and is separated into a multiplicity of sheets (03) there, wherein the respective sheets (03) are inspected in respective inspection operations with regard to at least one property that the substrate (02; 03) already had before the particular separating operation or severing operation, and wherein the sheets (03) are each assigned to one of at least three categories in an assigning operation on the basis of the result of the inspection carried out in the particular inspection operation, and wherein each of the sheets (03) is deposited on a delivery pile (06; 07; 08) corresponding to its category, and to a substrate categorizing machine (01), which has a sheet source (47) or a material-web source (09) and a cross-cutting device (11), wherein the substrate categorizing machine (01) has, downstream of the sheet source (47) or downstream of the cross-cutting device (11), a sheet transport device (12) having a gripper system (13), and an inspection device (14; 16; 17; 18), and, downstream of the inspection device (14; 16; 17; 18), a delivery apparatus (19), which has at least three depositing stations (21; 22; 23).

Devices and methods for identifying categories or types of print media in image forming apparatuses are disclosed. In an example method print media are advanced in a feeding direction to reach a cutting position, a cutter is advanced in a cutting direction, perpendicular to the feeding direction to cut the print media, friction between the cutter and the print medium is measured, and the print media are identified based on the measured friction.

Devices and methods for identifying categories or types of print media in image forming apparatuses are disclosed. In an example method print media are advanced in a feeding direction to reach a cutting position, a cutter is advanced in a cutting direction, perpendicular to the feeding direction to cut the print media, friction between the cutter and the print medium is measured, and the print media are identified based on the measured friction.

A sheet processing apparatus includes a blade having a plurality of teeth aligned in a row, a mover to move in a direction in which the plurality of teeth is aligned and form a perforation in a sheet sandwiched by the blade and the mover, and a pressure device to press the mover toward the blade.

The present invention methods for manufacturing absorbent articles that involve the placement of absorbent cores having variable absorbency levels on consecutively aligned absorbent articles within the same manufacturing line. Additionally, the present invention also includes the provision of single packages of disposable absorbent articles that contain a first absorbent article having a first absorbency level and a second absorbent article having a second absorbency level, wherein the second absorbency level is higher than the first absorbency level.

The present invention methods for manufacturing absorbent articles that involve the placement of absorbent cores having variable absorbency levels on consecutively aligned absorbent articles within the same manufacturing line. Additionally, the present invention also includes the provision of single packages of disposable absorbent articles that contain a first absorbent article having a first absorbency level and a second absorbent article having a second absorbency level, wherein the second absorbency level is higher than the first absorbency level.

A folding machine for folding fiber products and fiber products formed and stacked thereby are disclosed. The folding machine includes two folding devices, each of which includes a cutting device, a delivery wheel, a folding-line wheel, a platen wheel, and a folding wheel. The cutting device cuts the fiber product and transports the cut fiber product to the delivery wheel. The folding-line wheel is adjacent to the delivery wheel for making a first folding line on the fiber product carried by the delivery wheel, and then the platen wheel folds the fiber product along the first folding line. Subsequently, the once-folded fiber product is transported to the folding wheel. The folding wheels of the two folding devices are adjacent to each other and are used to fold the fiber product passing therethrough for a second time, and thus fiber products with three folds are formed.

The invention relates to a method for cutting substrates with printed images in an automatic cutting device. The longitudinal cutting marks (LM) are provided with a discontinuity (N) arranged upstream of each transverse cutting mark (TM) with respect to a feeding direction (F) of a substrate (S) and spaced therefrom by a predefined known measure (d). The automatic cutting device has a first optical unit configured to detect the transverse cutting marks (TM) and a second optical unit configured to detect the discontinuities (N) in the longitudinal cutting mark (LM). Since the velocity of the substrate is known, the control system activates the first optical unit when the transverse cutting mark (TM) actually passed underneath it.