A medium-discharging device includes: a device main body including a medium-discharging section that discharges a medium; a medium-receiving tray that receives the medium discharged by the medium-discharging section; and a pressing member that is configured to be attached to and detached from to the device main body and presses the medium discharged by the medium-discharging section against the medium-receiving tray in a state in which the pressing member is attached to the device main body, in which the pressing member is configured to switch, in the state in which the pressing member is attached to the device main body, between a first state in which the pressing member comes into contact with the medium-receiving tray and a second state in which the pressing member retreats upward so as to be apart from the medium-receiving tray.

A sheet processing apparatus includes a transport path to guide a sheet transported in a predetermined transport direction, a rotating body pair capable of transporting the sheet in a first direction for nipping the sheet transported to the transport path thereby drawing the sheet to perform folding processing, and in a second direction for switching back the sheet to return to one direction side in the transport direction, a press member for pressing the sheet folded by the rotating body pair in the second direction, and a support portion for supporting the press member, where the support portion is disposed on the side opposite to the rotating body pair with the transport path therebetween and on the other direction side opposite to the one direction side in the transport direction with a nip line for connecting between the nip portion and a front end portion of the folding blade therebetween.

A sheet processing apparatus performs folding processing so that one end of a sheet exists inside the folded sheet. The sheet processing apparatus includes a transport path to guide a transported sheet, a rotating body pair capable of transporting the sheet in a first direction to perform folding processing, and in a second direction for switching back the sheet subjected to the folding processing, a folding blade that pushes the sheet to a nip portion of the rotating body pair, a press member that presses the sheet folded by the rotating body pair in the second direction, and a shift section that shifts the press member for pressing the sheet. In switching back the sheet, a control section controls transport of the sheet so that the one end of the sheet is halted within a region between the press member and a guide face of the transport path.

A printing apparatus comprises a sheet eject tray; a movable guide arranged on an upstream side of the sheet eject tray in a direction of conveyance of a sheet and is configured to be able to move to a protruding position and a retracted position; and a driving mechanism configured to cause the movable guide to move to the protruding position when a leading edge of a sheet is conveyed along the movable guide and cause the movable guide to move to the retracted position when a trailing edge of a sheet is conveyed along the movable guide, wherein the protruding position includes a first position at which the movable guide presses a sheet to the sheet eject tray and a second position between the first position and the retracted position.

With a cover in a closed position, a first internal gear and a first spur gear do not mesh with each other, and a second internal gear and a second spur gear do not mesh with each other. When the cover rotates by a predetermined angle around a first support shaft from the closed position, the first internal gear and the first spur gear start to mesh with each other. When the cover rotates by a predetermined angle around a second support shaft from the closed position, the second internal gear and the second spur gear start to mesh with each other.

A sheet stacking device includes a sheet outlet, a lower discharge roller, and a paddle member. The paddle member is disposed coaxially to a rotation shaft of the lower discharge roller, and is driven to rotate independently of the lower discharge roller in the same direction as the lower discharge roller, so as to contact downward an upstream part in a discharging direction of a sheet discharged through the sheet outlet. The paddle member includes a base part in which the rotation shaft is inserted, an arm part protruding in a direction separating from an axis center of the base part, and a paddle elastic part protruding from the arm part. A rotation speed of the paddle member is the same as a rotation speed of a discharge roller pair when the sheet passes through a nip of the discharge roller pair.

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.

There is disclosed a sheet media processing machine comprising a media inlet to receive sheet media along a feed direction from a first side of the machine and a media outlet to discharge sheet media along a discharge direction towards the first side of the machine. There is a feed mechanism to convey sheet media from the media inlet to the media outlet, and a re-feed prevention element disposed upstream of the media inlet with respect to the feed direction to inhibit recirculation of discharged sheet media along an external recirculation path between the media outlet and the media inlet. The re-feed prevention element is exposed to contact with sheet media and comprises an elastomer. There is also disclosed a feed guide comprising a re-feed prevention element, and a method in which such a feed guide is installed on a sheet media processing machine.

A sheet storage apparatus and a printing apparatus include simplified mechanisms for supporting a sheet and for guiding the sheet. A sheet storage device that can store a sheet discharged from a discharge port of a printing apparatus includes multiple flappers provided below the discharge port and arranged in a width direction of the sheet, each flapper being rotatable between a first posture in which the sheet discharged from the discharge port is guided downward in a gravitational direction by using a first surface, and a second posture in which the sheet is supported by using a second surface being different from the first surface; and a connecting unit which connects the plurality of flappers to one another.

A medium transporting apparatus including a transport belt that transports a medium while suctioning the medium against a transport surface, a first tray on which the medium transported with the transport belt is mounted, and a transport roller configured to move between a transporting position that nips the medium with the transport belt, and a retracted position that is a position distanced away from the transport belt with respect to the transporting position, in which the transport roller is positioned at the retracted position when a single medium is transported with the transport belt and is positioned at the transporting position when a plurality of mediums in a superposed state are transported with the transport belt.