A drive transferring unit includes a first roller, a second roller, a first clutch, a second clutch, a transferring section, and a control section. The first roller includes a first shaft section. The second roller includes a second shaft section. The first clutch switches between enabling transfer of a driving force to the first shaft section and interrupting transfer thereof. The second clutch switches between enabling transfer of the driving force to the second shaft section and interrupting transfer thereof. The transferring section transfers the driving force from one of the first roller and the second roller to the other. The control section selects between first control in which the first clutch is in the on state and the second clutch is in the off state and second control in which the second clutch is in the on state and the first clutch is in the off state.

In an image-forming apparatus, when a sheet length of a first sheet is shorter than or equal to a predetermined length, a controller supplies power to an electromagnetic clutch to convey the first sheet and a second sheet so that a sheet gap of the second sheet is equivalent to a first gap. When the sheet length of the first sheet is longer than the predetermined length, the controller supplies power to the electromagnetic clutch to successively convey a first number of sheets so that the sheet gap of each of the first number of sheets is equivalent to the first gap. After the first number of sheets has been conveyed, the controller supplies power to the electromagnetic clutch to convey at least one sheet so that the sheet gap of each of the at least one sheet is equivalent to a second gap greater than the first gap.

An image reading device includes: a discharge guide including a discharge opening for discharging the sheet conveyed by the conveyance guide to the discharge tray, the discharge guide being configured to move from a third position to a fourth position according to the decrease in the number of the sheet to be supported by the supply tray, the fourth position being higher than the third position; a discharge roller configured to discharge the sheet through the discharge opening; and a first drive source which generates a first drive force for moving the discharge guide between the third position and the fourth position, wherein the first drive force is also used for rotating the discharge roller.

An image reading apparatus includes a supply tray which support sheets and includes a movable plate configured to move in correspondence to reduction in a number of the sheets supported on the supply tray, a discharge tray which is located below the supply tray and supports discharged sheets, a conveyance guide which guides a sheet conveyed from the supply tray toward the discharge tray, a reading sensor which reads an image on the sheet conveyed along the conveyance guide, and a discharge unit having a discharge opening for discharging the sheet to the discharge tray and moves from a third position to a fourth position in correspondence to reduction in the number of the sheets supported on the supply tray. A first timing for which the movable plate is to move and a second timing for which the discharge unit is to move are different.

A clutch device includes a sector gear, a cam, an electromagnetic solenoid, a first lever, a second lever, a first spring, and a second spring. The cam includes a slide portion. The first lever engages with the electromagnetic solenoid and includes a first restricting portion. The second lever includes a hook and a second restricting portion. The first spring is configured to urge the second lever in a direction in which the first restricting portion and the second restricting portion contact each other. The second spring is configured to, when the electromagnetic solenoid is in a de-energized state, move the first lever. The slide portion of the cam has a surface configured to, when the electromagnetic solenoid is in an energized state, press the hook in a direction opposite to an urging direction of the first spring such that the second restricting portion is separated from the first restricting portion.

A device for handling foil for use in a printing process during which portions of a layer of the foil are transferred to a substrate comprises a foil input unit for inputting at least one foil web to the device, a number of rotatable shafts and bars for directing the at least one foil web to the printing press and retrieving at least one used foil web from the printing press, an arrangement for controlling operation of the device, and a web tension feedback unit for detecting at least one characteristic related to an actual web tension during operation of the device so as to realize web tension control by adjusting motion and/or positioning of at least one of the rotatable shafts and bars in case the characteristic appears to deviate from a reference related to a set web tension.

A thermal transfer apparatus is disclosed. The thermal transfer apparatus has a heating roller movable between a film contact position and a retracted position. The thermal transfer apparatus also includes a nip roller positioned opposed to the heating roller when the heating roller is in the film contact position. The heating roller is moved from the film contact position to the retracted position in response to opening of the cover and is not moved from the retracted position to the film contact position during closing of the cover.

A sheet feeding apparatus includes an abutment part having an abutment area against which a leading edge of a sheet abuts and a moving part to move the abutment part between first and second positions. The moving part includes a link member having an engage portion to engage with a positioning portion, the link member being joined with the abutment part, and an urging member to urge the link member such that the abutment part moves toward the second position. The abutment part is retained at the first position against an urging force of the urging member in a case where the positioning portion is engaged with the engage portion of the link member.

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 sheet feeding apparatus includes a sheet stacker to stack at least one sheet; a sheet feed roller disposed at one side of the sheet stacker and to feed a sheet fed from the sheet stacker; a multi-feed prevention roller disposed to face the sheet feed roller and to prevent multi-feed of the sheet fed from the sheet stacker; a magnetic torque limiter disposed coaxially with the multi-feed prevention roller; a hall sensor disposed at one side of the magnetic torque limiter and to detect rotation of the magnetic torque limiter; and a controller configured to rotate the sheet feed roller in a state in which the sheet feed roller and the multi-feed prevention roller are in contact with each other without a sheet and to identify a lifetime of the multi-feed prevention roller by using a signal output from the hall sensor.