The invention provides a tape dispenser for liquid-activated tape which can be used in handheld or table-top modes. A main body of the dispenser has a rear section for holding a tape reel, and a front section which houses a drive section, a cutter, an activation section, and a main reservoir located below the activation section for holding liquid to activate the tape. A pump is arranged to pump liquid from the main reservoir to the activation section, where in use liquid is applied to the tape to activate it, and means are provided to allow liquid that overflows from the activation section to return to the main reservoir, preferably under gravity. The tape reel is supported by a drum in the rear section, and the drum can be slid out of the rear section to allow the tape reel to be replaced.

An image forming apparatus is to supply paper sheets on which images are formed to a post-processing apparatus to pressure-bind binding areas of paper sheets bundled. The image forming apparatus includes a conveyor, an image forming device, and a controller. The conveyor conveys a paper sheet. The image forming device discharges liquid ink to the paper sheet conveyed by the conveyor. The controller repeatedly executes a process of: causing the conveyor to convey the paper sheet to a position facing the image forming device; causing the image forming device to discharge the liquid ink to form an image on the paper sheet; and causing the conveyor to convey the paper sheet on which the image has been formed toward the post-processing apparatus. The controller further causes the image forming device to apply the liquid ink to a binding area of at least one of the paper sheets.

A sheet processing apparatus includes a pair of belts, a water supplying unit, a curving unit and a controller. The pair of belts defines a conveying path for holding and conveying a paper sheet. The water supplying unit supplies water to outer surfaces of the belts. The curving unit curves the conveying path defined by the belts. The controller makes the water supplying unit supply water to the outer surfaces of the belts, and makes the belts convey the sheet between the belts in a state where the conveying path is curved by the curving unit to correct the curling of the sheet.

The apparatus for combining tobacco sheets (3, 4) comprises a first shaft for carrying a first bobbin (30) of tobacco sheet (3) and a second shaft for carrying a second bobbin (40) of tobacco sheet (4). The apparatus also comprises a splicing unit (2) for combining an end portion of tobacco sheet from the first bobbin (30) to a head portion of tobacco sheet from the second bobbin. The splicing unit comprises a cutting device (20) for cutting the tobacco sheets such as to provide complementary cuts to the tobacco sheets (3) from the first bobbin and from the second bobbin (4), a dispensing device (23) for dispensing water to at least one of the tobacco sheets (3, 4), and a combining device (24) for applying force onto the tobacco sheets thereby producing a spliced tobacco sheet.

A taping unit for a box closing machine is disclosed, including: an enclosure frame; a gummed tape reel and a plurality of running rollers mounted on the frame; at least an applicator roller arranged in the bottom part of the enclosure frame; and a guiding and sliding path of the gummed tape within the enclosure frame. The taping unit further includes: an operating assembly provided with a respective frame movably mounted on the enclosure frame, whereon a drive motor of a drive roller and at least an actuator to operate a cutting blade are installed; and a wetting system provided with a tank storing wetting liquid arranged in a position below the operating assembly. Between the drive roller and the wetting system, the guiding and sliding path is provided, arranged according to a substantially vertical plane.

Examples described herein include a print media edge repair system that includes a first repair element disposed adjacent to a media handling path to repair a leading edge of a sheet of print media as the sheet of print media moves into a position relative to a printing system associated with the print media edge repair system. The print media repair system may also include a second repair element disposed opposite the first repair element across the media handling path to repair a trailing edge of the sheet of print media as the sheet of print media moves into the position relative to a printing system.

A liquid discharge apparatus is provided that includes a transport unit configured to transport a medium, a discharge unit configured to discharge a liquid onto the medium, a housing including therein the discharge unit, a humidifying unit configured to humidify an interior of the housing, and a humidity detection unit configured to detect a humidity. When the humidity detection unit detected a humidity less than a lower limit value (one example of a first predetermined value) (positive determination in step S12), the interior of the housing is humidified by the humidifying unit during transport by the transport unit or during discharge by the discharge unit (step S16).

The apparatus and method for splicing substantially flat continuous material (10) comprises a transport unit (1) for transporting a first substantially flat continuous material (70) and a second substantially flat continuous material (71) to a splicing location. The transport unit is adapted to transport the first substantially flat continuous material and the second substantially flat continuous material parallel to each other forming an overlap portion of the first substantially flat continuous material and the second substantially flat continuous material in the splicing location. A pressure unit (3) is arranged in the splicing location. The pressure unit is adapted to apply a mechanical impact onto at least a part of the overlap portion of the first substantially flat continuous material and the second substantially flat continuous material, thereby at least partially merging the first substantially flat continuous material with the second substantially flat continuous material.

The apparatus and method for splicing substantially flat continuous material comprises a transport unit for transporting a first substantially flat continuous material and a second substantially flat continuous material to a splicing location. The transport unit is adapted to transport the first substantially flat continuous material and the second substantially flat continuous material parallel to each other forming an overlap portion of the first substantially flat continuous material and the second substantially flat continuous material in the splicing location. A pressure unit is arranged in the splicing location. The pressure unit is adapted to apply a mechanical impact onto at least a part of the overlap portion of the first substantially flat continuous material and the second substantially flat continuous material, thereby at least partially merging the first substantially flat continuous material with the second substantially flat continuous material.

A sheet post-processing apparatus includes a sheet introducing unit, a first sheet discharge unit, a second sheet discharge unit, a sheet processing unit, a sheet conveyance unit, and a control unit. The first and the second sheet discharge unit are configured to be able to discharge a sheet to an outside. The sheet conveyance unit includes a sheet conveyance path arranged between the first sheet discharge unit and the second sheet discharge unit. The control unit controls the sheet conveyance unit to convey the sheet along the sheet conveyance path toward the first sheet discharge unit to a predetermined position at which the sheet is not discharged from the first sheet discharge unit to the outside, then convey the sheet along the sheet conveyance path in an opposite direction toward the second sheet discharge unit, and discharge the sheet from the second sheet discharge unit.