A convertible printed product collecting assembly (10) includes a collecting fabric (11) rolled on a rotatable fabric bearing rod. Supporting legs (13) have a lower end tiltably connected to a printer (18) and are tillable in the collecting fabric's longitudinal direction. A tensioning and locking mechanism (15, 16) is arranged to release or to lock the fabric bearing rod to rotate. Stabilizing brackets (14) secure the supporting legs (13) in at least one tilting angle. The tensioning and locking mechanism (15, 16) is operable to tension and to hold the collecting fabric (11) in a flat, tensioned shape when in the locking state so as to provide a receiving desk for the printed product. Further, the collecting fabric (11) forms a collecting bag when unreeled from the fabric bearing rod.

According to an example aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method and apparatus for folding a stack of superposed sheets. The method comprises transferring the stack to a folding station, gripping a first part of the stack with a first grip and forming a crease on the stack to facilitate the folding. Then the at least a part of the stack is folded over the first part of the stack that has been gripped by utilizing the crease, the folded stack is gripped with a second grip and the folded stack is transferred from the folding station to a next handling stage and releasing the first grip.

A sheet accommodating apparatus includes a main body portion, a loading portion that is provided in the main body portion and supports a portion of a sheet loaded thereon from below, a lifting unit that lifts the loading portion, and a supporting portion that is connected to the main body portion and supports another portion of the sheet from below during a process in which the loading portion is lifted.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a reversing portion configured to reverse the sheet received through a first feeding passage by feeding the sheet in a first direction and then in a second direction opposite to the first direction, a sheet feeding portion provided in a second feeding passage branching from the first feeding passage on a side upstream of the reversing portion with respect to the first direction, a first guiding surface forming the second feeding passage for guiding a first surface of the sheet fed by the feeding portion, and a second guiding surface for guiding a second surface, opposite from the first surface, of the sheet fed from the reversing portion in the second direction. The second guiding surface is movable with movement of the first guiding surface for opening the second feeding passage.

Equipment for stacking sheets with a stack support, input rollers for feeding entering sheets and transport belts with lower branches arranged above the stack support. A compensation mechanism modifies the height of the stack support, while the transport belts are motorized to drag the entering sheets with the lower branches and deposit the sheets on the stack support or on stacked sheets. An arrest member is provided for the entering sheets, a pressure member for the stack to be stacked and a sensor device for a last sheet of the stack. The arrest member arrests the sheets in stacking while the pressure member is contiguous to the stop member and operates on the last sheet of the stack with a stabilizing function and in which the compensation mechanism is servoized to the sensor, for maintaining constant the height of the last sheet of the stack from a reference plane.

An image forming apparatus includes a first supporting member supporting a long sheet, a feeding unit for feeding the long sheet supported by the first supporting member with respect to a feeding direction and a second supporting member, rotatable about a rotational shaft, for supporting the long sheet with the first supporting member. In a state in which the sheet is bent so that a first portion of the long sheet is supported by the first supporting member and a second portion which is a more rear side than the first portion is positioned above the first portion, the second supporting member is movable between a first position where the second supporting member supports the second portion of the sheet and a second position where the center of gravity of the second supporting member is positioned downstream of a rotational center with respect to the feeding direction and the second supporting member maintains an attitude thereof by its own weight.

A sheet feeding device includes a sheet stacking unit, a long sheet stacking unit, a first guide, a first detector, and a closing unit. The sheet stacking unit is movable up and down. Sheets are stacked on the sheet stacking unit. The long sheet stacking unit is detachably mounted on the sheet stacking unit. Long sheets are stacked on the long sheet stacking unit. The first guide is movable along a feeding direction through a groove. The first guide is deformable into a shape that does not interfere with the long sheet stacking unit. The first guide guides a rear end portion of the sheets in the feeding direction. The first detector is provided in the first guide. The first detector detects the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit. The closing unit is detachably attached to the groove in the sheet stacking unit. The closing unit closes the groove.

A convertible printed product collecting assembly includes a rotatable first rod connected to a printer, a second rod, a collecting fabric having flexibility, the collecting fabric fixed between the rotatable first rod and the second rod, wherein the collecting fabric is to receive a printed product from the printer, and two supporting legs to tiltably connect between the printer and the second rod.

In an example, a media catcher may include a first frame member and a second frame member spaced away from the first frame member along a lateral direction, thereby defining a catcher width of the media catcher. Additionally, the media catcher may also include a device interface disposed at a top end of the first frame member or the second frame member. The device interface may attach the media catcher to an imaging device. The media catcher may further include a catch panel extending between the first frame member and the second frame member to catch and support media.

A printer extension kit that modifies a printer to receive and output longer pieces of paper. The printer extension kit includes an input extension part, an output extension part, and an output extension clip. The paper tray of a printer is extended by the input extension part allowing the printer to hold longer pieces of paper. The input extension part is attached to the paper tray of a printer. The output extension part allows a printer to output longer pieces of paper. In more detail, the output extension part prevents longer pieces of paper from falling of the catch tray of a printer. The output extension part is attached into the catch tray of a printer. The output extension clip provides another means for a printer to output longer pieces of paper. In more detail, the output extension clip is attached along the output paper catch of a printer.