The present application is directed to methods and devices for aligning media sheets in an image forming device, and more specifically to adjusting an input tray for various media sizes.
Image forming devices, such as a color laser printer, facsimile machine, copier, all-in-one device, etc, move media sheets along a media path. The media sheets initially begin at an input tray that is sized to hold a stack of sheets. Each sheet is individually picked from the stack and introduced into the media path.
The image forming device may handle a variety of media sizes, such as standard letter size, legal size, and A4. The image forming device may also handle a variety of sizes of envelopes, cards, labels, etc. While input trays may be dedicated to a single media size, such as when the image forming device prints a high volume of letter size media, most input trays can accommodate multiple media sizes. The input tray may use moveable side restraints to constrain and initially position the media prior to feeding into the image forming device. The side restraints may contact the media on one or more sides and be adjustable for a variety of different lengths and widths.
Problems may arise when a single input tray is used for both large and small media sizes. The side restraints may interfere with one another when the length and/or width of the media is small. Some input trays include a third side restraint, which may increase cost and complexity. The input tray may also interact with the image forming device to detect the size of the media in the input tray. Multiple side restraints increase the complexity of a mechanism used to detect media size, and increase the likelihood that a user could incorrectly position the side restraints for a given media size.