A position fine tuning device for a unit-type die cutting & hot stamping machine includes at least two imprinting elements, wherein paper of the imprinting elements is delivered by the gripper installed on the chain. The present invention is characterized in that a positioning element is disposed on an input end of a first unit imprinting element and a positioning element is disposed on an output end of each imprinting element. Two neighboring positioning elements accomplish the positioning between the two positioning elements together. By providing the fine tuning elements, the accuracy in the art of die cutting & hot stamping can be assured when the machine is performing a multiple-working-position procedure; whereas, by setting up the reference positioning, it assures that the standards of the front and rear positioning are consistent.

A printed material includes: a recording medium having a pressure-bonding surface on which an image portion and a pressure phase transition layer are formed, the recording medium being folded upon the recording medium and pressure-bonded; or a recording medium having a pressure-bonding surface on which an image portion and a pressure phase transition layer are formed and an additional recording medium, the recording medium and the additional recording medium being stacked and pressure-bonded together. When the printed material is unfolded into an unfolded medium by peeling pressure-bonded surfaces of the printed material off from each other and a surface of the unfolded medium that corresponds to the pressure-bonded surfaces of the printed material is observed, an exposed area ratio EA of the pressure phase transition layer in an outer edge portion E located in a location corresponding to at least one of edges of the printed material is smaller than an exposed area ratio IA of the pressure phase transition layer in a region other than the outer edge portion E.

An image forming apparatus includes: an image former that prints a foil stamping image on a recording material in accordance with a job for printing the foil stamping image, the foil stamping image being a target to which foil is transferred in foil stamp printing; and a hardware processor that trims an image on a page identical to at least one page included in the job such that the image on the identical page does not overlap an image adjustment mark that is printed for adjusting an image to be overprinted, and causes the image former to print, together with the job, the identical page having the trimmed image.

A device for driving a stamping foil over a path through a stamping machine is disclosed herein. The driving device comprises two foil-introduction chain-like elements and a drive member coupled to the foil-introduction chain-like elements for driving the foil-introduction chain-like elements notably through a platen press of a stamping machine. The driving device further comprises at least one first load-measurement device comprising a first detector configured to measure a parameter indicative of the load applied by the drive member for driving the foil-introduction chain-like elements in a first direction, the at least one first load-measurement device being connected to a stamping-machine control unit configured to stop the driving by the drive member when the parameter indicative of the load applied by the drive member and measured by the first detector crosses a threshold.

A foil reel mounting device for supporting a reel of stamping foil in a supporting module. The device includes a support having a recess to receive an axle of the reel of stamping foil. A retaining element mounted on the support and arranged to move between a closed position, in which the retaining element retains the axle of the reel in the recess, and an open position, in which the retaining element releases the axle of the reel from the recess. The retaining element is biased towards the closed position. Also, a supporting module has at least one foil reel mounting device and a stamping machine includes a supporting module or at least one foil reel mounting device. A method for loading and unloading a reel of stamping foil with such at least one foil reel mounting device is also disclosed.

The invention relates to a device (410; 410′) for driving a stamping foil over a path through a stamping machine, the driving device (410; 410′) comprising two foil-introduction chain-like elements (420a, 420b) and a drive member (440) coupled to the foil-introduction chain-like elements (420a, 420b) for driving the foil-introduction chain-like elements (420a, 420b) notably through a platen press (310) of the stamping machine (1), characterized in that it further comprises at least one first load-measurement device (3a; 3a′) comprising a first detector (7a) configured to measure a parameter indicative of the load applied by the drive member (440) for driving the foil-introduction chain-like elements (420a, 420b) in a first direction, the at least one first load-measurement device (3a; 3a′) being connected to a stamping-machine (1) control unit (4) configured to stop the driving by the drive member (440) when the parameter indicative of the load applied by the drive member (440) and measured by the first detector (7a) crosses a threshold.

The present invention also relates to a stamping station and machine comprising the driving device. The present invention also relates to a method for controlling the driving of a stamping foil.

An image forming apparatus includes: an image former that prints a foil stamping image on a recording material in accordance with a job for printing the foil stamping image, the foil stamping image being a target to which foil is transferred in foil stamp printing; and a hardware processor that trims an image on a page identical to at least one page included in the job such that the image on the identical page does not overlap an image adjustment mark that is printed for adjusting an image to be overprinted, and causes the image former to print, together with the job, the identical page having the trimmed image.

A position fine tuning device for a unit-type die cutting & hot stamping machine includes at least two imprinting elements, wherein paper of the imprinting elements is delivered by the gripper installed on the chain. The present invention is characterized in that a positioning element is disposed on an input end of a first unit imprinting element and a positioning element is disposed on an output end of each imprinting element. Two neighboring positioning elements accomplish the positioning between the two positioning elements together. By providing the fine tuning elements, the accuracy in the art of die cutting & hot stamping can be assured when the machine is performing a multiple-working-position procedure; whereas, by setting up the reference positioning, it assures that the standards of the front and rear positioning are consistent.

A position fine tuning device for a unit-type die cutting & hot stamping machine includes at least two imprinting elements, wherein paper of the imprinting elements is delivered by the gripper installed on the chain. The present invention is characterized in that a positioning element is disposed on an input end of a first unit imprinting element and a positioning element is disposed on an output end of each imprinting element. Two neighboring positioning elements accomplish the positioning between the two positioning elements together. By providing the fine tuning elements, the accuracy in the art of die cutting & hot stamping can be assured when the machine is performing a multiple-working-position procedure; whereas, by setting up the reference positioning, it assures that the standards of the front and rear positioning are consistent.

According to one aspect of the present invention, when there is no leaf object striding over a boundary of two leaf rolls in a leaf image, a leaf image generating section performs processing for dividing first leaf image in first print data for leaves and a second leaf image of second print data for leaves at the boundary, replacing one of divided leaf images with one of other divided leaf images that hold the boundary between the first leaf image and the second leaf image to generate a first combined-leaves image and a second combined-leaves image, and rotating the second combined-leaves image at a predetermined angle.