A vacuum station comprising a main housing and a pair of arms extending from the main housing. The arms are configured to hold a roller. The main housing has a front face and a rear face, with the front face having a recess therein. An air path extends from the front face to the rear face. The vacuum station also includes a removable plate having a plurality of suction holes therethrough located within the recess in the front face of the main housing. The removable plate is removably connected to the main housing by magnets. A sheet of labels can be held to the removable plate by a suction force through the air path in the main housing and the suction holes in the removable plate.

An image forming apparatus, comprises: a setting unit configured to set a divider region in a group of images that are continuously printed during feeding from a feeding apparatus in which a roll-shaped printing medium has been set, the divider region being for separating the roll-shaped printing medium into a plurality of rolls. The setting unit sets the divider region based on the number of rolls indicating the count of the plurality of rolls, the number of rolls being required in terms of a configuration of a post-processing device that executes post-processing with respect to the roll-shaped printing medium on which printing has been performed by the printing unit.

A joining apparatus for supporting strips of adhesive labels comprises two modules each of which in turn comprises a conveying element of the respective supporting strip; a cutting element configured to cut a respective supporting strip; a joining element that can be configured in a first operating position, in which it keeps in position a respective supporting strip and/or a fixing element, and in a second operating position in which it abuts against the joining element of the other module so as to join the supporting strips; a locking element that can be configured between an active position and a passive position. In particular, at least one joining element can be removed from the respective module to allow the introduction of the fixing element even when the two modules are in the neared configuration to one another. The subject matter of the present patent application is also a joining process for supporting strips of adhesive labels.

An assembly for feeding backing ribbon for adhesive labels for labeling products to be labeled, comprising a splicing device and at least two supporting elements for the backing ribbon, the splicing device being intended to perform on command the splice between a first splicing region, formed on a first backing ribbon being unwound from a first supporting element, and a second splicing region, formed on a second backing ribbon wound on a second supporting element, the first backing ribbon supporting a plurality of adhesive labels which are arranged, mutually spaced, on the face directed toward the second splicing region; the first backing ribbon having, when associated with the respective first supporting element, at least one portion that is free from self-adhesive labels and forms the first splicing region; the portion is located substantially at the end of the first backing ribbon that is associated with the first supporting element.

A label cutter comprises a movable cutting blade, a pre-tensioning device, and a trigger. The pre-tensioning device pre-tensions the cutting blade into an arrested position. Upon its release, the cutting blade moves from the arrested position to a cutting position for cutting a label strip. In the arrested position, the cutting blade is retracted behind a component of the cutter.

A continuous tape feeder includes a first tape fixing roll configured to feed a first tape, a second tape fixing roll configured to feed a second tape, a fuser adjacent to the first tape fixing roll, the fuser being configured to connect the first tape to the second tape through fusion to form a connection portion, a cutter between the fuser and the first tape fixing roll, the cutter being configured to cut a first tape portion between the connection portion and the first tape fixing roll, and a controller configured to determine a timing for operating the fuser and the cutter.

An assembly for feeding backing ribbon for adhesive labels for labeling products to be labeled, comprising a splicing device and at least two supporting elements for the backing ribbon, the splicing device being intended to perform on command the splice between a first splicing region, formed on a first backing ribbon being unwound from a first supporting element, and a second splicing region, formed on a second backing ribbon wound on a second supporting element, the first backing ribbon supporting a plurality of adhesive labels which are arranged, mutually spaced, on the face directed toward the second splicing region; the first backing ribbon having, when associated with the respective first supporting element, at least one portion that is free from self-adhesive labels and forms the first splicing region; the portion is located substantially at the end of the first backing ribbon that is associated with the first supporting element.

A vacuum station comprising a main housing and a pair of arms extending from the main housing. The arms are configured to hold a roller. The main housing has a front face and a rear face, with the front face having a recess therein. An air path extends from the front face to the rear face. The vacuum station also includes a removable plate having a plurality of suction holes therethrough located within the recess in the front face of the main housing. The removable plate is removably connected to the main housing by magnets. A sheet of labels can be held to the removable plate by a suction force through the air path in the main housing and the suction holes in the removable plate.