A bi-directional paper pickup mechanism includes a pickup roller, a fastening structure, an input shaft, a first ratchet element, a second ratchet element, an actuating unit, a first transmission rotor and a second transmission rotor. The pickup roller has an inner space. The fastening structure is disposed in the inner space. The input shaft is accommodated in the inner space, and one end of the input shaft is pivotally connected to the fastening structure. The first ratchet element is mounted around the input shaft. The second ratchet element is mounted around the one end of the input shaft. The actuating unit is fastened around a middle of the input shaft to synchronously rotate with the input shaft. The first transmission rotor is mounted around the one end of the input shaft. The second transmission rotor is mounted around the other end of the input shaft.

A magnetic-ink reading device includes a housing and a conveyor in the housing. A medium inlet and outlet port for inserting and pulling out a medium printed using magnetic ink are in the housing. The conveyor conveys the medium along a conveying path. The magnetic-ink reading device includes a magnetizing mechanism configured to magnetize the magnetic ink of the medium on the conveying path and a magnetism detection head disposed near the magnetizing mechanism and configured to read magnetism of the magnetized magnetic ink. The magnetic-ink reading device includes a reversing mechanism provided on the medium inlet and outlet port side of the conveying path and configured to reverse front and rear surfaces of the medium on a reversing path on an inside. The reversing mechanism includes a retraction path for temporarily retracting the medium when the magnetism of the medium is read by the magnetism detection head.

Example implementations provide a controller comprising circuitry to align a substrate; the controller comprising: circuitry to control varying the tension of an unspooled portion of the substrate between a spool bearing the substrate and a pinch roller; said circuitry comprising circuitry to control varying the pinch load exerted by the pinch roller on the unspooled portion of the substrate.

A sheet conveyance device includes: a first conveyance path configured to allow a sheet to be conveyed along the first conveyance path; a second conveyance path that extends upward from a branch position in the first conveyance path; a third conveyance path that extends downward from the branch position; a first conveyance roller disposed in the second conveyance path and configured to rotate normally and reversely to convey the sheet; a first drive motor disposed below the branch position; and a first belt disposed in a drive transmission path from the first drive motor to the first conveyance roller and configured to transmit a driving force from the first drive motor to the first conveyance roller.

A medium conveyance route switching device includes a support unit, a gate assembly, and a rotation mechanism. The support unit is located at a branching point of a first conveyance path, a second conveyance path and a third conveyance path where conveyance directions of a medium converge in three directions. The gate assembly includes a first to a third gate positioned on one ends of the first to the third conveyance path to guide at the branching point the medium to other conveyance paths than a conveyance path from which the medium is conveyed. The rotation mechanism includes a first actuator rotating the first gate to switch the medium conveyed from the first conveyance path to the second conveyance path or the third conveyance path, and a second actuator, when the first gate is rotated, rotating the second gate and the third gate in associated with the second gate.

A roll sheet with a continuous sheet wound in a roll form is rotated in a forward direction to supply the sheet to a printing unit. A sensor whose output is changed in accordance with a distance between the sensor and the sheet is used. A rotation direction of the roll sheet is switched from an opposite direction to the forward direction on the basis of the output of the sensor during rotation of the roll sheet in the opposite direction.

A roll sheet, in which a continuous sheet is wound in a roll form, is caused to rotate in a forward direction to supply the sheet to a printing unit. First and second sensors are arranged at positions facing an outer circumferential surface of the roll sheet and deviated in an axis line direction of the roll sheet. Outputs of the first and second sensors are changed in accordance with a distance to a sheet of the roll sheet. A rotation direction of the roll sheet is switched from a forward direction to a reverse direction on the basis of the outputs of the first and second sensors while the roll sheet is being rotated in the reverse direction.

A sheet feeder includes an ejection tray, an ejector, an aligner, a pressing member, a friction member, and a switching device. The ejection tray stacks sheets. The ejector ejects a sheet to the ejection tray. The aligner is disposed downstream of the ejector in a direction of ejection of the sheet. The aligner is rotatable in a normal direction and a reverse direction. The pressing member applies pressure between the sheet and the aligner to enable the aligner to convey the sheet by rotation in the normal direction and the reverse direction. The friction member contacts the sheet ejected on the ejection tray to prevent conveyance of the sheet. The switching device switches contact and separation of the friction member with respect to the sheet.

To enable highly accurate fold processing by properly moving a sheet that has been subjected to fold processing. In a sheet processing apparatus that that performs fold processing in such a manner as to apply first fold processing to a sheet and then apply second fold processing at a position different from a fold line formed in the first fold processing so as to make one end of the sheet folded in the first fold processing lie inside the folded sheet, the first fold processing is applied to a sheet conveyed to an intermediate tray by a fold roller pair and, when a regulating stopper is moved to move the folded sheet that has been subjected to the first fold processing to a predetermined position of the intermediate tray, the folded sheet is gripped by a grip unit.

A stacker includes a medium stacking portion for receiving and stacking a medium processed and discharged by a processing unit, a medium butting portion for aligning the medium by contacting a leading end of the medium, and a paddle that includes a feeding portion and is for transporting the medium received by the medium stacking portion in a direction toward the medium butting portion by rotating. Furthermore, the stacker has a first mode in which the paddle stops in a state in which the feeding portion does not contact the medium on the medium stacking portion and a second mode in which the paddle stops in a state in which the feeding portion comes into contact with the medium on the medium stacking portion and is deformed.