Patent ID: 8267604

Claim:
A printer configured for printing individual sheets from a continuous feed roll, comprising: a housing configured for receipt of a feed roll of sheet material; a print mechanism disposed within said housing, whereby the sheet material is conveyed within said housing to said print mechanism; a sheet separating device disposed within said housing downstream of said print mechanism to separate the sheet material into individual printed sheets; a discharge assembly disposed downstream of said sheet separating device, said discharge assembly defining a gap extending across the conveying path of the sheet material through which the sheet material is advanced; a plurality of opposed protruding members disposed in said gap at a position so as to contact and deflect the sheet material as the sheet material moves through said gap, and to impart a curved transverse profile to a trailing edge of a first individual sheet held in said gap; whereby a leading edge of a subsequent second individual sheet bisects the curved trailing edge of the first individual sheet and pushes the first individual sheet out of said gap as the second individual sheet is advanced through said print mechanism; and said discharge assembly further comprising a discharge tray that defines a stationary component of said gap, at least one of said protruding members disposed on said discharge tray.