An image forming apparatus includes: an image former that forms an image on a sheet-like recording medium; a cutting processor that cuts, into divided areas, a recording medium conveyed from the image former; a reversing processor having a function to reverse the recording medium cut by the cutting processor; and an image forming data generator that generates image forming data, wherein the image forming data generator generates, the image forming data in which the images are imposed on a front surface and a back surface of the recording medium before the cutting, the image former forms the images on the front surface and the back surface of the recording medium based on the image forming data, and the reversing processor aligns the cutoff sides of the recording media after the cutting, by executing front-back reversal for some of the recording media cut into sheets by the cutting processor.

An apparatus and method for optional cross-folding of successively following, sequentially printed sheets on a first transport segment. A compressed air device comprises a first control element that is connected to a control unit for triggering or suppressing a compressed air blast from at least one exit opening in the compressed air device. A printed sheet is diverted into a second transport segment for the folding operation or a third transport segment for bypassing the folding operation. The latter empties downstream of folding rolls into the second transport segment at a joint segment point, at which a fourth transport segment adjoins in downstream direction. The third transport segment is longer than the second transport segment or can be operated at a lower speed than the second transport segment such that a first sequence of printed sheets successively following on the first transport segment is identical to a second sequence of the successively following printed sheets located on the fourth transport segment.

An improved imbricating method, folding method, and device for producing imbricated streams (3) which are produced from singulated and preferably folded blanks (2) is provided. The method includes taking imbricated bundles of blanks including of a number of overlapping blanks corresponding to the number of the individual streams formed by the blanks of a first individual stream being transported at a distance from one another along a transport surface through a compiling station. In the process, the blanks of the at least one remaining individual stream are first of all deflected vertically with respect to the transport surface by a deflecting device of the compiling station and are then guided in the direction of the first individual stream and are subsequently deposited with an offset onto the blanks of the first individual stream.

A collating apparatus (10), in particular for printed products such as brochures, flyers or the like, comprising a collecting section (11) having at least two collecting zones (11a,b) arranged in parallel and working independently of each other, onto which respectively a plurality of products are fed successively and are united lying one on top of the other into a collected product, and at least one further processing section (13, 15) positioned behind the collecting section (11) having at least one further processing apparatus (13a,b; 15a,b). High flexibility during operation is achieved by the arrangement between the collecting section (11) and the at least one further processing section (13, 15) of a distribution apparatus (12), which feeds the collected products arriving from the collecting zones (11a,b) selectively to the at least one further processing apparatus (13a,b, 15a,b).

An improved imbricating method, folding method, and device for producing imbricated streams (3) which are produced from singulated and preferably folded blanks (2) is provided. The method includes taking imbricated bundles of blanks including of a number of overlapping blanks corresponding to the number of the individual streams formed by the blanks of a first individual stream being transported at a distance from one another along a transport surface through a compiling station. In the process, the blanks of the at least one remaining individual stream are first of all deflected vertically with respect to the transport surface by a deflecting device of the compiling station and are then guided in the direction of the first individual stream and are subsequently deposited with an offset onto the blanks of the first individual stream.

A system for forming and wrapping a plurality of stacks of sheet like product is provided. The system includes a separator apparatus for converting a stream of spaced apart sets of stacks into a repeating stepped configuration. The system includes a mechanism for merging the stepped configuration of stacks into a single file stream of stacks. The system includes a cutoff apparatus for cutting a plastic sleeve in which the stacks are wrapped. The system includes a turner apparatus for changing the direction of travel of individual units comprising of a stack of product within a length of the sleeve 90 degrees while maintaining the orientation of the units.

A conveying apparatus includes a first conveying unit that conveys a recording medium, a reversing unit that reverses the recording medium conveyed by the first conveying unit, a second conveying unit that conveys the recording medium from the reversing unit to the first conveying unit, and a first supply unit and a second supply unit that supply the recording medium to the second conveying unit at different supply positions. When sequentially reversing/conveying multiple sheets of the recording medium, a control unit alternately conveys the recording medium that has been reversed by the reversing unit and the recording medium that is supplied from the first or second supply unit after a predetermined number of sheets of the recording medium have been reversed by the reversing unit, and changes the predetermined number depending on whether the recording medium is supplied from the first supply unit or the second supply unit.

The present applications relates to techniques and equipment to control the alignment of cut sheets of paper that are transported in parallel in an inserting system prior to their assembly into a document and inserted into an envelope. The alignment of the parallel sheets is adjusted by commanding incremental position changes to servo drive motors used to control the position of the parallel sheets during their transport through a hold module of the inserting system.