A main object of the invention is to provide a sheet material separation-aiding apparatus that ensures that there can be a gap produced stably between a specific sheet material from a stack of sheet materials and a sheet material just below it, and that achieves size reductions, reduced energy consumptions and a decreased parts count. As shown in FIG. 4, the sheet material separation-aiding apparatus 1 comprises a rotating means 2 including an abutment portion 21 that is capable of coming in abutment on an end of the uppermost sheet material 101, a supporting means 3 that supports the rotating means 2 in a rotatable manner and is capable of moving in a vertical direction, a biasing means 4 that biases the supporting means 3 in a downward direction, and a lifting means 5 that lifts up an end 23 of the rotating means 2 in opposition to the abutment portion 21. As the end 23 is lifted up, it causes the rotating means 2 to rotate with the abutment portion 21 coming in abutment on the end of the sheet material 101, and as the end 23 is further lifted up, it causes the supporting means 3 and rotating means 2 to keep on going up while the rotating means 2 is kept from rotation by a counterforce that the abutment portion 21 receives from the sheet material 101.

An auxiliary device and a printing apparatus are provided. The printing apparatus includes a print output device, including a print exit. The printing apparatus also includes an auxiliary device disposed at the print exit of the print output device and having a first position state and a second position state. During a transition of the auxiliary device between the first position state and the second position state, the auxiliary device pushes print outputted from the print exit to move in a direction away from the print exit.

A main object of the invention is to provide a sheet material separation-aiding apparatus that ensures that there can be a gap produced stably between a specific sheet material from a stack of sheet materials and a sheet material just below it, and that achieves size reductions, reduced energy consumptions and a decreased parts count. As shown in FIG. 4, the sheet material separation-aiding apparatus 1 comprises a rotating means 2 including an abutment portion 21 that is capable of coming in abutment on an end of the uppermost sheet material 101, a supporting means 3 that supports the rotating means 2 in a rotatable manner and is capable of moving in a vertical direction, a biasing means 4 that biases the supporting means 3 in a downward direction, and a lifting means 5 that lifts up an end 23 of the rotating means 2 in opposition to the abutment portion 21. As the end 23 is lifted up, it causes the rotating means 2 to rotate with the abutment portion 21 coming in abutment on the end of the sheet material 101, and as the end 23 is further lifted up, it causes the supporting means 3 and rotating means 2 to keep on going up while the rotating means 2 is kept from rotation by a counterforce that the abutment portion 21 receives from the sheet material 101.

A sheet discharging device has a discharge port, a discharge tray, a discharge roller including first and second rollers, a flick-out pulley, a sheet pressing member, and a pressing rib. The flick-out pulley is formed coaxially with the rotary shaft of the first roller at an interval from an end of the first roller, and has a circumferential edge and a plurality of projections protruding from it. The sheet pressing member is supported on a pivot axis provided on the downstream side of the discharge roller with respect to the sheet discharge direction to be swingable in the sheet discharge direction. A pressing rib is arranged at a position overlapping the flick-out pulley in the direction along the pivot axis as seen from the sheet discharge direction.

A component supplying apparatus comprises a tape guide surface facing a lower surface of the carrier tape, a preceding tape contact part climbing onto a upper surface of the preceding carrier tape, and a subsequent tape blocking part configured to wait on the upstream side of the preceding tape contact part in a tape feeding direction while keeping a distance from the tape guide surface so as to enable the carrier tape to pass between the subsequent tape blocking part and the tape guide surface, and to move downwardly toward the preceding carrier tape when the preceding tape contact part is climbed onto the preceding carrier tape. The subsequent tape blocking part keeps the subsequent carrier tape waiting by contacting a front end of the subsequent carrier tape stacked on the preceding carrier tape onto which the preceding tape contact part climbs.

A recording medium processing apparatus includes: a first conveyance unit that conveys a recording medium; a cutting member that is provided alongside the first conveyance unit in a width direction of the conveyed recording medium and cuts the recording medium along a conveying direction of the recording medium; a second conveyance unit that is located upstream of the first conveyance unit in the conveying direction and conveys the recording medium having reached a predetermined conveyance route; and a preventing or avoiding unit that, in the recording medium which is conveyed by the first conveyance unit and whose upstream end in the conveying direction has not passed the predetermined conveyance route, prevents or avoids a portion overlapped with the cutting member in the conveying direction from being pulled by the second conveyance unit.

A sheet dropping portion abuts on a sheet conveyed in a first conveyance direction by a pair of conveyance rotary members from above to drop the sheet onto a placement portion by pivoting from an upper position to a lower position. The guide portion is arranged above the placement portion and extends toward the placement portion, and guides the sheet toward an abutment portion in a case where the sheet on the placement portion conveyed in a second conveyance direction opposite to the first conveyance direction by a reverse conveyance portion comes into contact with the guide portion. The sheet dropping portion located at the lower position overlaps a part of the guide portion when viewed in a rotational axis direction of the pair of conveyance rotary members.