A post-processing apparatus comprises a first processing tray on which fed paper is placed; a paper binding section configured to bind a plurality of sheets of paper stacked on the first processing tray into one bundle; a second processing tray which a plurality of paper bundles bound on the first processing tray are sequentially conveyed to and placed on; a paper bundle gluing section configured to coat glue at a given position of the top surface of a first paper bundle placed on the second processing tray before a second paper bundle is placed on the first paper bundle; a pressing section configured to press and bind the first paper bundle with the second paper bundle between which glue is coated; and a control section configured to control the timing for conveying the second paper bundle onto the first paper bundle after the glue is coated.

A medium feeder includes a medium mounter, a pair of edge guides, and a sheet number limiter. The medium mounter has a mounting surface on which a medium to be fed is placed. The pair of edge guides is provided at the medium mounter to guide side edges of the medium in a direction that intersects with a feeding direction in which the medium is fed. The sheet number limiter is provided at the pair of edge guides to limit the number of media mountable on the medium mounter. The sheet number limiter has an extension that extends in a feeding direction of the medium such that a distance between the extension and the mounting surface increases downstream.

A sheet feeding apparatus includes: a transfer medium loading tray that is movable vertically; a hardware processor configured to control vertical movement of the transfer medium loading tray; an overload detector configured to detect transfer media of a maximum loading amount prescribed for each type of the transfer media; and an intermediate tray position detector configured to detect the transfer medium loading tray being at an intermediate tray position prescribed for each type of the transfer media, wherein the hardware processor is configured to control the vertical movement of the transfer medium loading tray in accordance with a type of the transfer media and on a basis of a vertical position of the transfer medium loading tray, results of detection by the overload detector, and results of detection by the intermediate tray position detector.

An image forming apparatus includes a stacking unit, an access detecting unit, a malfunction detecting unit, a counting unit, and a process deciding unit. The stacking unit receives, as stacked, a recording material. The access detecting unit detects an access to the stacking unit by an operator. The malfunction detecting unit detects that a conveyance malfunction of the recording material has occurred on a conveying path guiding the recording material supplied from the stacking unit. The counting unit counts, after the access detecting unit detects an access to the stacking unit by the operator in a state that the malfunction detecting unit does not detect that the conveyance malfunction has occurred, the number of the conveyance malfunction detected by the malfunction detecting unit. The process deciding unit decides a process to address the conveyance malfunction based on the number of the conveyance malfunction counted by the counting unit.

To prevent sheets from being allowed to be delivered after activation of a system when over-stacking has been detected before the activation of the system, a post-processing apparatus includes a stacking tray configured to allow sheets subjected to predetermined processing to be stacked thereon. The post-processing apparatus determines whether or not additional sheets are allowed to be stacked onto the stacking tray based on the number of sheets stacked on the stacking tray. The determination result indicating that the additional sheets are prohibited to be stacked onto the stacking tray is stored in a nonvolatile RAM. The post-processing apparatus determines, after being activated, whether or not the determination result is stored in the nonvolatile RAM, and determines that the additional sheets are prohibited to be stacked onto the stacking tray when the determination result is stored in the nonvolatile RAM.

A bundle of printing media by eco-stapling often has a smaller thickness than a bundle of printing media by needle stapling by the thickness corresponding to an amount of used staples, although they have the same number of printing media, and there is room capable of stacking bundles in many cases in the eco-stapling. According to an embodiment, when a printing medium that has undergone an image forming process is taken in, stapling processing is performed on the printing medium, and then the printing medium is discharged to the tray, the following process is performed. That is, when the process is performed in accordance with instructed stapling processing, and the printing medium that has undergone the process is discharged outside the apparatus, the amount of printing media stacked on the tray is controlled in accordance with instructed stapling processing.

A sheet supporting apparatus includes a sheet supporting portion, a regulation member, a flag portion, a detection portion, and a holding portion con. At the holding position, the holding portion supports the flag portion at the upper position in a case where the sheet supporting portion is positioned at the first position, and, at the allowing position, the holding portion allows movement of the flag portion to the lower position in a case where the sheet supporting portion is positioned at the second position. A lower end of the flag portion is positioned above the regulation surface in a case where the flag portion is positioned at the upper position, and is positioned below the regulation surface in a case where the flag portion is positioned at the lower position.

A paper-sheet counting machine (10) includes: a recognition and counting unit (24) configured to count paper sheets; a stacking unit (26) configured to stack therein the paper sheets that have been counted by the recognition and counting unit (24), an opening being provided in a front face of the stacking unit (26); a rotary guide unit (28) provided to the stacking unit (26) and configured to allow the paper sheets that have been counted by the recognition and counting unit (24) to be stacked in the stacking unit (26); a shutter (40) configured to close the opening provided in the front face of the stacking unit (26); a shutter drive unit (50) configured to drive the shutter (40) to open and close the opening provided in the front face of the stacking unit (26); and a control unit (70) configured to control the shutter drive unit (50).

A pair of edge guides provided on a medium mounting section of a medium feeding apparatus each include a volume limiter spaced from the mounting surface of the medium mounting section and extending from the guide surface of at least one of the pair of edge guides in a direction intersecting the guide surface, the volume limiter including a limiting surface that limits a number of sheets mounted on the medium mounting section. The limiting surface includes a groove extending in the feed direction, at a position between a corner portion formed at an intersection of an end portion of the limiting surface in the width direction and the guide surface, and the other end portion of the limiting surface, and configured to insert at least a part of a side edge of the medium, to thereby restrict the side edge from moving in the width direction.

Provided is an image formation apparatus having a paper tray which is removably provided to an apparatus main body, in which sheets are loaded on a lifting plate, and from which the sheets on the lifting plate are fed by a paper feeding device, and the apparatus includes a holder that holds the lifting plate at a position higher than a lowest position when the paper tray is pulled out of the apparatus main body and the sheets are loaded on the lifting plate, wherein the holding by the holder is canceled to make the lifting plate go down to the lowest position before an operation of inserting the paper tray into the apparatus main body is completed.