A binding unit includes a first pressing part that presses a recording material bundle to bind the recording material bundle, a second pressing part that faces the first pressing part, and a pushout part that pushes out the second pressing part toward the first pressing part by acting on the second pressing part using an upper shaft lever and by varying a distance from a start portion serving as a start point of pushout movement to the upper shaft lever. The start portion is formed integrally with a member at which the first pressing part is formed.

Meandering of a medium at a time of transporting is reduced. A recording apparatus which transports medium and performs recording on the medium is provided. The apparatus includes a recording unit, a medium clamping unit which is provided on a side further upstream than the recording unit in a transport direction, and clamps the medium therebetween, and a medium support unit which is provided on the side further upstream than the medium clamping unit in the transport direction, and supports the medium. The medium is slackened between the medium clamping unit and the medium support unit.

A switching device (130) for transferring and ejecting a plate element (20) in a sorting unit (100), comprises: transport means (132), capable of transporting (A) the plate element (20) from upstream to downstream; a pivot (134), positioned in an upstream portion of the transport means (132), and allowing the transport means (132) to tilt relative to a horizontal transverse axis (R2); and raising means (135), secured in a downstream portion of the transport means (132), for tilting the downstream portion of the transport means (132) between a high first position and a low second position, and vice versa,
so as to switch the plate element (20), respectively upward and downward.

A method and apparatus are disclosed for removing one item of media at a time from an item of media container. The apparatus includes a movable element locatable in an abutting relationship with an elected item of media in a media container and disposed to vibrating against the elected item of media to permit the elected item of media to be subsequently be removed alone from the container.

A sheet conveying device includes a sheet tray on which one or more sheets are placed, a pickup roller by which a sheet is picked up from the sheet tray, and an elevating mechanism. The elevating mechanism includes a shaft rotated by a motor, and a cam attached to the shaft and rotated together with the shaft to raise and lower the sheet tray with respect to the pickup roller. The sheet conveying device further includes a load applying mechanism contacting the shaft to apply a load thereto.

Disclosed is a corrugated paperboard box making machine which comprises a feeding control mode setting unit for setting a feeding control mode to one of a first feeding control mode for controlling a sheet feeding apparatus and a second feeding control mode for controlling the sheet feeding apparatus such that the sheet feeding operation is performed plural times during the period of time in which the printing rotor is rotated 360 degrees, and a control apparatus for controlling the sheet feeding apparatus according to the set feeding control mode. The control apparatus is operable to execute a sheet feeding stop control processing of, when the second feeding control mode is set, controlling the sheet feeding apparatus such that the sheet feeding operation is stopped at least once after execution of the sheet feeding control processing.

A manual feed tray is located at a side surface of a main housing. A supply roller conveys a sheet on the manual feed tray toward a print engine. A pressure plate is movable between a contact position at which the sheet on the manual feed tray contacts the supply roller and a separated position at which the sheet on the manual feed tray is separated from the supply roller. A push-up cam pushes up the pressure plate from the separated position to the contact position. The push-up cam includes a contact portion configured to contact the pressure plate. A controller is configured to: when performing printing on a plurality of sheets, after moving the pressure plate from the separated position to the contact position, convey the plurality of sheets by intermittently driving the supply roller while maintaining the pressure plate at the contact position.

A method and apparatus are disclosed for removing one item of media at a time from an item of media container. The apparatus includes a movable element locatable in an abutting relationship with an elected item of media in a media container and disposed to vibrating against the elected item of media to permit the elected item of media to be subsequently be removed alone from the container.

An insertion assembly for the continuous and automated feeding of laminar elements into a graphic printing station without the involvement of roller elements in the process, allowing the distance between the laminar elements in question to be adjusted such that adjacent laminar elements may be positioned very close to each other regardless of their length. Said assembly comprises an insertion device (1) that includes a rotating belt system on which the laminar elements (3) can be moved horizontally, and suction means, with the insertion device (1) connected to a stacking area (4) and; a pulling device (2) that includes a rotating belt system on which the laminar elements from the insertion device (1) can be moved, and suction means, with the pulling device (2) connected to a graphic printing station, said pulling device adjoining the insertion device (1) in a direction of forward motion.

A sheet binding unit includes a first sheet binder having first and second dentate uneven sheet binding elements to conduct a first sheet binding process by engaging each other by a prescribed meshing depth while sandwiching the sheet bundle therebetween to form a dentate unevenness on the sheet bundle at a first sheet binding portion of the sheet bundle, and a second sheet binder having third and fourth dentate uneven sheet binding elements to conduct a second sheet binding process by engaging each other by a greater meshing depth than that made by first and second dentate uneven sheet binding elements of the first sheet binder while sandwiching the sheet bundle therebetween to form a dentate unevenness on the sheet bundle at a second sheet binding portion different from the first sheet binding portion of the sheet bundle.