Medicine packaging apparatuses and methods for accurately determining a remaining sheet amount of a medicine packaging sheet are described. The apparatus includes: a roll support section to which a core tube of a medicine packaging sheet roll is attached; a sensor disposed in the roll support section for outputting a count value according to a rotation amount; a wireless reader-writer unit for writing information to a core tube IC tag and reading said information; an information generation section for generating information to be written to the core tube IC tag; a remaining sheet amount estimation section for estimating a current amount of remaining sheet based on the information and dimensional information of the core tube; and a controller which selectively performs an operation if a reference time-point count value is not yet written to the core tube IC tag and another operation if the count value is already written thereto.

A method and apparatus for processing documents are provided. The apparatus includes a feeder for receiving a packet of a plurality of documents and separating the documents to serially feed the documents to a scanner. A retard adjacent the feeder is operable in first and second positions. In the first position the retard forms a nip with the feeder so that the retard is operable to impede the progress of one or more documents in the packet while the feeder feeds one of the documents in the packet. In the second position, the retard is spaced apart from the feeder to form a gap between the feeder and the retard. The system further includes a sensor for detecting a characteristic of the documents in a packet indicative of whether the number of documents in the packet exceeds a predetermined threshold. A drive mechanism automatically drives the retard pad between the first and second positions in response to the detected characteristic.

Medicine packaging apparatuses and methods for accurately determining a remaining sheet amount of a medicine packaging sheet are described. The apparatus includes: a roll support section to which a core tube of a medicine packaging sheet roll is attached; a sensor disposed in the roll support section for outputting a count value according to a rotation amount; a wireless reader-writer unit for writing information to a core tube IC tag and reading said information; an information generation section for generating information to be written to the core tube IC tag; a remaining sheet amount estimation section for estimating a current amount of remaining sheet based on the information and dimensional information of the core tube; and a controller which selectively performs an operation if a reference time-point count value is not yet written to the core tube IC tag and another operation if the count value is already written thereto.

A system for personalized printing, paper and paperboard processing, and binding to enable automatic management of simple, special, and mixed operations of paper and paperboard processing and binding, has the particular feature of being of a modular type and hence with high flexibility of use and operation in so far as into the system there may be inserted manufacturing machines or processing stations that can be allocated therein according to the desired modalities, number, and operating sequence, with the additional possibility of their being replaced with further machines different therefrom so as to obtain a system for personalized printing, paper and paperboard processing, and binding that is completely personalizable, with the maximum flexibility of use and operation according to the needs at the moment of production.

A method for forming a dye sublimation image in a vibrating membrane employed in a musical instrument comprising the steps of: providing an image, digitally prepared or otherwise, consisting of a simulated animal skin or another form of graphic; printing the image on a substrate employing a heat transfer ink dye; joining the substrate with the printed image with a sheet of a gas permeable membrane comprised of bi-axially oriented non-woven polyester fibers having a plurality of surface pores and vibrating and musical note producing capability; applying a combination of heat and pressure to the joined substrate with the printed image and the membrane to cause the individual surface pores to expand to enable the dye to gasify and permeate the surface pores to transfer the image; and, cooling the membrane to enable the surface pores to seal closed and encase the image within the surface of the membrane to protect against delamination and wear when the membrane vibrates which results from the intense and constant pounding of a drumstick, a mallet, a person's hand or some other rigid-like object.

An image forming system includes an image forming apparatus and a stacker that includes a discharged paper storage and a transporter, the discharged paper storage storing a sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus, and the transporter transporting the sheet to the discharged paper storage, wherein the image forming apparatus includes: an image former that forms an image on the sheet designated for a job and generates printed matter; and a hardware processor that performs control to cause the transporter to discharge a buffer sheet to the discharged paper storage, in which the printed matter is not discharged, before the job is executed, and that executes the job after the buffer sheet transported through the transporter is stored in the discharged paper storage to cause the transporter to transport the printed matter, which is generated by the image former, and cause the discharged paper storage to store the printed matter.

Provided is an image forming system capable of reliably preventing others from removing and taking printed matter even though printing is executed beforehand. The confidential notation reading unit reads a confidential notation. The user storage tray has a structure from which outputted printed matter cannot be removed unless the opening/closing door is opened. The locking mechanism locks the opening/closing door. The sorting mechanism sorts the printed matter outputted from the image forming apparatus and outputs the printed matter to either the open tray or the user storage tray. The sorting control unit outputs printed matter to which a confidential notation is not added to the open tray, and outputs a printed matter to which a confidential notation is added to the user storage tray, respectively.

In one example, a printed output inspection unit (300) for a web printing system (100). The inspection unit has a first L-inverter (310) disposed in a first plane (315), and a second L-inverter (320) disposed in a second plane (325) offset from the first plane in a direction orthogonal to the first plane. The inspection unit (300) also has an inspection area (340,350) between the first and second L-inverters to view a side (307,309) of a web substrate (305), the inspection area extending in the direction orthogonal to the first plane.

The present invention provides methods (100a or 100b or 100c) and machinery (200a, 200b & 200c) for making informational items (550a, 550b & 540c). The methods comprise steps of feeding a sheet (480a, 480b 480c) to a first folding machine (210a, 210b, 210c) for obtaining a strip (500a, 500b 500c).The strip is virtually divided into equal segments by marking fold lines thereon. A first cross folds on the strip using a second folding machine for obtaining a first folded strip (510a or 510b) having a first folded segment (512a or 512b) and a second folded segment (514a or 514b) with equal or unequal predefined lengths. A plurality of cross folds is performed on the first folded strip for making the final informational item. The methods and the machinery decrease the value of the ratio of the layer thickness (t.sub.s), thereby increases the easiness of folding operations.

A method for operating a postpress processing installation (1) for producing and processing product units, in particular completed final printed products (D) such as periodicals and newspapers, which are preferably compiled from a jacket product (A) and a plurality of part products and/or inserts (a, b, c, d), and a corresponding postpress processing installation (1). The final printed products (D) are produced according to a predetermined production plan in a manner adapted to the route along which they travel and are processed by means of at least one stacking device (70, 70.1) to form a sequence of standard packages (N) and part packages.