A sheet processing apparatus comprising: a scoring unit which scores a sheet; a folding unit which folds a sheet bundle including a plurality of sheets; a pressing unit which presses a folded part of the sheet bundle folded by the folding unit; and a controller which determines, based on information on the sheet bundle, whether the scoring unit scores the sheet included in the sheet bundle to be folded and whether the pressing unit presses the folded part of the sheet bundle.

A sheet processing apparatus includes a roller pair configured to convey a sheet, a sheet bundle conveyer configured to convey a sheet bundle to the roller pair, and circuitry configured to cause the sheet bundle conveyer to contact leading edges of sheets of the sheet bundle to the roller pair and cause the roller pair to rotate in reverse to align the leading edges of the sheets of the sheet bundle.

To prevent displacement of first fold positions and collapse of discharged and stacked sheets when sheet fold processing is performed a plurality of times for each sheet. First fold processing is applied to a sheet conveyed to a conveying path by a rotating body pair 22. The sheet that has been subjected to the first fold processing is fed back to the conveying path while a first fold line is being opened. Then, second fold processing is applied to the sheet that has been fed back to the conveying path by the rotating body pair 22. The resultant sheet is discharged with the first fold line opened.

A sheet processing apparatus includes a folding device to fold a sheet and a fold-enhancing device to press a folded portion of the sheet folded by the folding device to perform enhanced folding processing on the sheet whose trailing edge has exited the folding device.

A sheet processing apparatus includes a rotatable pressing member, a guide, and a contact member. The rotatable pressing member includes a pressing portion that is disposed in a predetermined range in a rotation direction of the pressing member to press a folded portion of a sheet. The guide is disposed opposite the pressing member. The contact member contacts the guide and is rotatably disposed at at least one end of the pressing member in an axial direction of the pressing member.

A folding apparatus includes a folding device to fold a sheet bundle, an additional folding device, a conveyer, and control circuitry. The additional folding device includes a pressure roller disposed downstream from the folding device in a sheet conveyance direction and configured to press the sheet bundle after the folding device folds the sheet bundle and a sheet support member disposed opposite the pressure roller via the sheet bundle. The conveyer conveys the sheet bundle to a position at which the additional folding device presses the sheet bundle and hold the sheet bundle at the position. The control circuitry causes the additional folding device to perform additional folding processing on a first position of the sheet bundle, the conveyer to move the sheet bundle to a second position different from the first position, and the additional folding device to perform the additional folding processing at the second position again.

A fold-enhancing device includes a pressing member, at least one retaining member, and a moving mechanism. The pressing member presses against a fold line of a recording-medium bundle folded into a booklet shape. The recording-medium bundle is obtained by stacking multiple sheets of recording media. The retaining member retains the recording-medium bundle and is provided at a position located away from the fold line in a direction intersecting the fold line and not in contact with the pressing member. The moving mechanism moves the pressing member and the retaining member in a direction extending along the fold line.

A sheet processing apparatus includes a folding unit, a fold reinforcing unit, and a control unit. The folding unit folds a sheet and forms a fold line thereon. The fold reinforcing unit includes a fold reinforcing roller. The fold reinforcing roller sandwiches the fold line on the sheet formed by the folding unit and moves in a fold-line direction in which the fold line extends. The control unit moves the fold reinforcing roller from a first position close to a first end of the fold line on a first side in the fold-line direction to a second position close to a second end of the fold line on a second side opposite to the first side. The control unit can execute, at this time, a division movement mode including a reversal return operation. The reversal return operation is an operation of reversing a movement direction of the fold reinforcing roller to the first side at a middle portion of the fold line and then returning the movement direction of the fold reinforcing roller to the second side.

The present invention seeks to flatten a sheet when transferred onto an endless belt conveyor facing a print head assembly in a simple and/or low costs manner. Thereto a sheet conveyor is provided comprising an endless, air permeable belt and pressing means. The pressing means comprise a plurality of pressing members spaced apart from one another in a lateral direction of the belt, each pressing member comprising a body which body is moveable in a perpendicular direction with respect to the belt as well rotatable or pivotable around an axis in the perpendicular direction independent of the corresponding bodies of other pressing members. This provides a simple and passive sheet flattening means, resulting in low operational and material costs.

A medium flattening method, when a medium is transported by being adhered to an adhesive layer which is on a surface of a transport belt, includes detecting a presence or absence of floating being generated in the medium on the transport belt using a sensor, executing a process for flattening to flatten the floating in the medium in the case where the floating exists, and transporting the medium, where the floating is eliminated using the process for the flattening, to a liquid discharge region of a liquid discharge section. The executing of the process for the flattening includes executing the process for the flattening with regard to the medium and liquid discharge with regard to the medium in parallel.