Device for handling a freshly printed sheet

摘要

A sheet media handling system (20) is provided for use in supporting a sheet ("P") ejected from a wet-ink hard copy apparatus (10) output port (19) while ink on a preceding sheet ink an output tray 16 is allowed time to dry before depositing the succeeding on top thereof. The system employs a pair of guides (207, 208) having an elongate channel (205) therebetween which receives a predetermined side edge of an ejected sheet. The channel bends the sheet in order to stiffen the sheet along its longitudinal axis such that only one edge need be supported. Once a trailing edge 304 of an advancing sheet is ejected from the output port, a lower guide (208) is retracted whereby the sheet falls under the force of gravity onto the output media stack ("S") in the output tray. Several advantageous lower guide upper surface (208') constructs are disclosed. The advantages of the use of a guide mechanism (1120, 1121) on each side of the advancing output sheets is discussed. <IMAGE>