| 摘要 |
<p>An apparatus for printing on sheet material articles may be utilized to address envelopes. This involves printing from a plate. The apparatus and method is also useful for scanning from tab cards, labeling, and other such uses. The illustrated embodiment includes an improved assembly for feeding one envelope at a time from a support hopper, sequentially transporting envelopes to a printing station, supporting and registering each envelope in turn at the printing station, and moving the envelopes away from the printing station. The apparatus includes a pair of friction drive rollers which engage an upright side surface of an envelope disposed in the supply hopper. The outer side surface of the envelope is sucked into engagement with the drive rollers. When the drive rollers are rotated, the envelope is advanced toward a flexible separator finger which engages the end of a next adjacent envelope so that only one envelope at a time is removed from the hopper. As the envelope leaves the hopper in an on edge orientation, it moves onto the upper run of a continuously moving conveyor belt. The conveyor belt advances the upright envelope until its leading end portion engages a registration nip which positions the envelope relative to the printing station. The upper run of the conveyor belt supports the envelope while it is printed on at the printing station. The printed envelope is then advanced through the registration nip. To enable the apparatus to be utilized with the envelopes of different sizes, the registration nip and upper run of the conveyor belt may be moved toward and away from the printing station.</p> |
