A sheet stacking device includes a discharge port, an alignment wall, a discharge tray, an alignment belt, and a guide part. The alignment wall extends in an upper-and-lower direction below the discharge port. The discharge tray is provided so as to be capable of moving up and down along the alignment wall. The alignment belt with endless is stretched along the alignment wall in the upper-and-lower direction. The alignment belt has an inner circumferential surface facing the alignment wall and an outer circumferential surface with which an upstream edge of the sheet stacked on the discharge tray comes into contact, and circulates at a same speed as the discharge tray in synchronization with the discharge tray. The guide part is configured to be provided between the alignment wall and the alignment belt. With the guide part, the inner circumferential surface of the alignment belt slides in contact.

A sheet processing machine has at least one shaping device and at least one sheet delivery unit, arranged downstream of the at least one shaping device along a transport path provided for a transport of sheets. The at least one shaping device has at least one shaping point which is formed by at least one forme cylinder, on one hand, and at least one impression cylinder, on the other hand. At least one separation device, for removing scrap pieces from sheets, is arranged downstream of the at least one shaping point along the transport path provided for the transport of sheets. The at least one separation device has at least one separation transport device. At least one transport device, configured as a selective transport device, is arranged following the at least one separation transport device along the transport path provided for the transport of sheets. The transport device is configured as at least one upper suction transport device for a hanging transport of sheets.

A sheet processing machine has at least one shaping device and at least one sheet delivery unit, arranged downstream of the at least one shaping device along a transport path provided for a transport of sheets. The at least one shaping device has at least one shaping point which is formed by at least one forme cylinder, on one hand, and at least one impression cylinder, on the other hand. At least one separation device, for removing scrap pieces from sheets, is arranged downstream of the at least one shaping point along the transport path provided for the transport of sheets. The at least one separation device has at least one separation transport device. At least one transport device, configured as a selective transport device, is arranged following the at least one separation transport device along the transport path provided for the transport of sheets. The transport device is configured as at least one upper suction transport device for a hanging transport of sheets.

A sheet guide includes an endless belt, and a guide supported by a plurality of places of the endless belt, the guide configured to hold a downstream end of the sheet in a conveyance direction of the sheet, wherein the endless belt is configured to rotate to move the sheet held by the guide in the conveyance direction.

A recording apparatus includes a recording head; an output unit that outputs the recording medium; an output tray that receives the recording medium; a pressing member that is configured to be displaced in an up-down direction and that presses the recording medium toward the output tray by displacement of the pressing member from an upper side to a lower side with respect to the recording medium; and a restricting member configured to contact an upstream end portion in an output direction of the recording medium pressed by the pressing member, the restricting member including a contact position thereof with respect to the upstream end portion being configured to rotate. The restricting member restricts deformation of the upstream end portion pressed by the pressing member at the contact position. The pressing member is displaced upward in a state in which the restricting member restricts the deformation of the upstream end portion.

A sheet discharging device includes: a medium supporting portion configured to support a transported medium, the medium supporting portion being configured to swing; a stacking portion which is provided vertically below the medium supporting portion and on which the medium dropped from the medium supporting portion is stacked, the stacking portion being configured to move up and down; and a detecting portion that detects swinging of the medium supporting portion, in which the detecting portion detects the swinging of the medium supporting portion when the medium on the rising stacking portion comes into contact with a lower surface of the medium supporting portion.

A hold down finger for a finisher process tray contacts the top sheet of paper on a paper tray to prevent subsequently printed pages from disturbing pages disposed on the paper tray. The hold down finger includes gears that move a portion of the hold down finger that contacts the top sheet of paper from a retracted position to a forward hold down position along a substantially elliptical path. After each sheet is printed and placed on top of other pages in the paper tray, the paper tray lowers and the hold down finger continues along the substantially elliptical path back to the retracted position. A rack gear associated with the paper tray engages a cylindrical gear of the hold down finger to return the hold down finger to the retracted position if the paper tray is forced upwards while the hold down finger is in the forward position.

A hold down finger for a finisher process tray contacts the top sheet of paper on a paper tray to prevent subsequently printed pages from disturbing pages disposed on the paper tray. The hold down finger includes gears that move a portion of the hold down finger that contacts the top sheet of paper from a retracted position to a forward hold down position along a substantially elliptical path. After each sheet is printed and placed on top of other pages in the paper tray, the paper tray lowers and the hold down finger continues along the substantially elliptical path back to the retracted position. A rack gear associated with the paper tray engages a cylindrical gear of the hold down finger to return the hold down finger to the retracted position if the paper tray is forced upwards while the hold down finger is in the forward position.

The invention provides a paper path structure that is able to perform the following four functions: pass a sheet of paper through the paper path structure with is original orientation maintained; pass a sheet of paper through the paper path structure with its original orientation reversed; stack a sheet of paper in a stack repository with its original orientation maintained; and stack a sheet of paper in the stack repository with its original orientation reversed. The invention also provides a method to operate said paper path structure as well as a stacker and a printer comprising said paper path structure.

The present application discloses a post-processing apparatus including a second tray which receives a sheet stack ejected from a first tray, a pushing mechanism including a pushing portion which pushes the sheet stack against the second tray, a motion detector which detects a motion of the pushing mechanism, and a controller including an ejection controller which controls an ejector. When the ejector ejects the sheet stack, the pushing mechanism moves the pushing portion in a first direction away from the second tray. When the ejector finishes ejection of the sheet stack, the pushing mechanism moves the pushing portion in a second direction which is opposite to the first direction. Unless the motion detector detects the motion of the pushing mechanism moving the pushing portion in the first direction when the ejector ejects the sheet stack, the ejection controller executes interruption control of stopping the ejection of the sheet stack.