A tension detection device according to an embodiment includes a base, a support member, a continuous body, an external force detection unit, and a tension detection unit. One end or both ends of the support member are fixed to the base. The support member has an external force measurement section integrally provided at the one end or both ends thereof. The continuous body is conveyed while wound around an outer circumference of the support member. The external force detection unit is provided at the external force measurement section of the support member. The external force detection unit detects an external force. The tension detection unit detects tension of the continuous body based on a detection result from the external force detection unit.

A medium transport device includes a feeding roller that feeds a recording medium, a transport roller that transports the recording medium toward a recording head, and a transport motor which is a common driving source for the feeding roller and the transport roller. The medium transport device includes a power transmission mechanism that transmits power of the transport motor to the feeding roller, and a control section that controls a current of the transport motor. The control section measures a current value flowing through the transport motor during driving as a measured current value, and adds a predetermined offset value to the measured current value to set a second limit value as a limit value of the current supplied to the transport motor.

A sheet detection device includes a sheet guide disposed between a sheet feeding opening into which a sheet is inserted and a printing mechanism of printing on the sheet, the sheet guide including a guide surface through which the sheet passes, a sheet detector including an optical sensor that detects a predetermined position of the sheet, an opening formed in the guide surface, the sheet detector being disposed inside the opening and the optical sensor being exposed through the opening, and a transparent guide cover provided in the guide surface to cover at least a first border position between the sheet detector and the opening on an upstream side in a sheet transport direction.

An inkjet printing apparatus for printing on a printing medium by dispensing inks thereto. The apparatus includes a transport device; print heads for performing printing by dispensing the inks to the printing medium; and a drying section including a heat source for generating heat for drying the inks dispensed to the printing medium, and a shutter switchable between an open state and a closed state. In the open state, a drying amount of heat is applied for drying the inks dispensed to the printing medium, and in the closed state, the heat from the heat source is applied in a minute amount of heat smaller than the drying amount of heat. A controller switches the shutter to the open state when a transporting speed of the printing medium is faster than a predetermined threshold, and switches the shutter to the closed state when the transporting speed of the printing medium becomes equal to or less than the predetermined threshold.

A recording device has: a recording head configured to perform recording on a medium; a medium storage below the recording head configured to store the medium to be recoded; a supply path comprising a first curved supply path curved so as to be convex upward and transporting the medium fed out of the medium storage in a reversed direction via the first curved supply path; and a reversing path comprising a second curved path curved so as to be convex downward and transporting the recorded medium into a direction including a vertically upward component via second curved path from a direction including a vertically downward component; wherein the supply path joins the reversing path, and the first curved path and the second curved path overlap when viewed horizontally.

A sheet material processing unit (20, 22, 24) comprises a transport system (32) for transporting sheets (12) or parts thereof from a respective input end (20i, 22i, 24i) to a respective output end (20o, 22o, 24o). A gripper unit (46) is releasably coupled to the transport system (32) and is configured for holding at least a part of one of the sheets (12). Additionally, at least one handover mechanism (47d, 47r) is provided being configured for decoupling the gripper unit (46) from the transport system (32) and providing the gripper unit (46) to a neighboring sheet material processing unit (20, 22, 24) and/or receiving a gripper unit (46) from a neighboring sheet material processing unit (20, 22, 24) and coupling the received gripper unit (46) to the corresponding transport system (32). Additionally, a sheet material processing machine (10) is presented which comprises at least two such sheet material processing units (20, 22, 24).

A recording device includes a holding part that holds a roll body of a recording medium, a rotation mechanism that rotates the roll body, a pair of transport rollers that transport the recording medium by nipping and rotating the recording medium, a recording part that performs recording on the transported recording medium, a first detection part that detects a leading end of the recording medium, and a notification part that notifies information, wherein whether or not the leading end is detected by the first detection part is monitored in a first monitoring operation in a state in which nipping by the pair of transport rollers is released, and when the leading end has been detected by the first detection part, a first notification operation of causing the notification part to notify that the leading end has been detected by the first detection part is performed.

A printing apparatus, comprising a conveyance unit for conveying a sheet, a carriage mounted with a printhead and configured to scan the printhead in a sheet widthwise direction, a platen arranged so as to face the printhead, a detection unit mounted on the carriage and configured to detect a distance to a sheet, a support portion, for supporting a sheet from below, arranged on a downstream side of the carriage in a conveyance direction, movable between a first position at which the support portion forms a conveyance surface for a sheet and a second position at which the support portion protrudes above the conveyance surface, and a determination unit configured to determine, based on a detection result of the detection unit, whether the support portion is at the first position or the second position.

A printing apparatus includes a conveyance unit including a pair of rotation members that nip a roll sheet, and configured to convey the sheet by rotation of the pair of rotation members, a printing unit, and a control unit configured to, upon executing a new print job, cause the conveyance unit to perform a preparatory operation in which the sheet is conveyed in a forward direction and then conveyed in a reverse direction and stopped. If a predetermined condition is met after completion of a previous print job, the control unit causes the conveyance unit to perform the preparatory operation, and if the predetermined condition is not met after completion of a previous print job, the control unit does not cause the conveyance unit to perform the preparatory operation.

A printer and corresponding method of printing an image on a surface of a plurality of food products by providing a system having a printer with an extendable and retractable receiving arm and a rotating food product delivery tray for continuously and automatically providing delivery of unprinted food products which are retracted into the printer, printed on, and returned by the receiving arm to the rotatable delivery tray and the tray further moves to deliver subsequent food products for printing.