A discharge unit discharges the sheet has an image. A switching unit switches between stacking the sheet discharged from the discharge unit on a stacking unit or conveying the sheet the discharge unit toward an image reading apparatus. A conveyance unit conveys the sheet conveyed via the switching unit to a reading unit. A cooling unit cools the sheet discharged from the discharge unit or cools the reading unit.

A sheet conveying system includes an upstream conveyor section having an endless first conveyor belt movable in a first conveying direction x and extending in a first lateral direction z, the first conveying direction x and the first lateral direction z defining a first conveying plane xz; and a downstream conveyor section having an endless second conveyor belt that adjoins the first conveyor belt and is movable in a second conveying direction x′ and extends in a second lateral direction z′, the second conveying direction x′ and the second lateral direction z′ defining a second conveying plane x′z′. The conveyor sections are adapted to hold the sheets slip-free on the first and second conveyor belts. The second conveyor belt has a shear compliance in the second conveying plane x′z′ that is larger than the shear compliance of the first conveyor belt in the first conveying plane xz.

A sheet discharge apparatus includes a discharge unit configured to discharge a sheet in a discharge direction, a stacking surface configured to stack the sheet discharged by the discharge unit, and a wall including a plurality of hole portions and an abutting part, wherein the plurality of hole portions includes a first hole portion disposed across an extension line along the stacking surface when viewed in a width direction, the first hole portion including a first edge portion and a second edge portion, the first edge portion being positioned on a side of the stacking surface, and wherein, in the vertical direction, an upper end of the first edge portion of the first hole portion is positioned above the extension line, and a lower end of the first edge portion of the first hole portion is positioned below the extension line.

An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, an image forming device to form an image on a recording medium, a casing to accommodate the image forming device, a sheet discharging port through which the recording medium having the image is discharged from the casing, a sheet stacker to stack the recording medium output through the sheet discharging port and opening on one side of the apparatus body and surrounded by outer walls including an outer wall having the sheet discharging port, an air guide opening disposed within a sheet passing range in a width direction of the recording medium in a sheet conveying path through which the recording medium having the image passes from the image forming device to the sheet discharging port, and an air suction fan to discharge air passing through the air guide opening to an outside of the casing.

A suction or blow thermal roller includes: a cylindrical body extending along a longitudinal direction; the cylindrical body including at least one inner tubular element and at least one outer tubular element that is concentrically arranged around the inner tubular element; the inner tubular element includes an outer diameter d and the outer tubular element includes an inner diameter D, being D>d; two hubs, each arranged at one end of the cylindrical body; at least one heat-exchange chamber realized between the inner tubular element and the outer tubular element. The roller includes a coating layer for the inner tubular element. The coating layer includes at least one rib arranged along a helical path around the longitudinal direction. The at least one rib is made in one piece in the coating layer, realizing at least one helical channel between the coating layer and the outer tubular element.

A sheet discharge device includes a discharge conveyance path, a pair of discharge rollers, a side wall, a sheet stacking tray, a first fan, and a second fan. The discharge conveyance path communicates with a discharge port through which a sheet having passed through a fixing portion is discharged. The pair of discharge rollers convey the sheet along the discharge conveyance path and discharge the sheet from the discharge port. The side wall extends downward from the discharge port. The sheet stacking tray extends from the side wall in a sheet discharge direction in which the sheet is discharged by the pair of discharge rollers. The first fan is disposed below the discharge conveyance path and blows air toward the discharge conveyance path. The second fan is disposed above the discharge port and blows air from above the discharge port toward the sheet stacking tray.

A recording device including a recording unit that performs recording on a medium by ejecting liquid, a transporting belt that has a base material having a first surface provided with an adhesive layer on which the medium is stuck and a second surface which is a surface opposite to the first surface, and the transporting belt transports the medium, a pressing unit that presses the medium against the transporting belt, a cleaning member that cleans the adhesive layer by contacting the adhesive layer, a storage unit in which water for cleaning the cleaning member is stored, and a cooling unit having a flow path through which water flows and a contacting unit that contacts the second surface. The contacting unit is coupled to the flow path, and contacts the second surface downstream of the pressing unit and upstream of the cleaning member in the revolving direction of the transporting belt.

A printer includes a printing unit to form a toner image on a printing medium, a fuser to apply heat and pressure to the printing medium that has passed through the printing unit to fuse the toner image on the printing medium, and a liquid-vapor chamber having a length in a width direction of the printing medium greater than a width of the printing medium. The liquid-vapor chamber has a heat absorber side to face the printing medium to absorb heat from the printing medium, a condenser side apart from the heat absorber side in an opposite direction not facing the printing medium to form an inner space between the condenser side and the heat absorber side, and a working fluid sealed in the inner space and to undergo a liquid-vapor phase change by moving between the heat absorber side and the condenser side, to absorb heat from the printing medium to cool the printing medium that has passed through the fuser.

A multi-sheet cooling buffer suitable for use in a printing device and a method of sheet processing with the cooling buffer are described. The cooling buffer includes an inlet and an outlet and a sheet cooling mechanism. An array of cooling stations, intermediate the inlet and the outlet, are each configured to receive print media sheets independently from the inlet and direct cooled sheets towards the outlet. In the cooling buffer, multiple print media sheets are able to be cooled contemporaneously in respective ones of the cooling stations.

A multi-sheet cooling buffer suitable for use in a printing device and a method of sheet processing with the cooling buffer are described. The cooling buffer includes an inlet and an outlet and a sheet cooling mechanism. An array of cooling stations, intermediate the inlet and the outlet, are each configured to receive print media sheets independently from the inlet and direct cooled sheets towards the outlet. In the cooling buffer, multiple print media sheets are able to be cooled contemporaneously in respective ones of the cooling stations.