Automatic copier signature set production

In the method of signature printing with an automatically duplexing copier by presenting plural document sheets to the imaging station of the copier in a predetermined nonserial page order for producing a set of signature copy sheets comprising copies of said plural document sheets in signature page order, suitable for subsequent center-folding of said set of signature sheets into page order signature sets, the improvement comprising the steps of:

• loading a set of document sheets into an automatic document reordering and presenting system associated with said copier in normal serial(nonsignature)page order,
• automatically reordering said set of document sheets with said automatic document reordering and presenting system into a predetermined nonserial reordered page order for signature page order copying for collated signature set output from said copier, and
• automatically presenting pairs of said reordered document sheets to said imaging station to be copied in said reordered page order from said automatic document reordering and presenting system so as to provide plural completed page order signature sets automatically with said copier without requiring any manual reordering of either the document sheets or the signature copy sheets.

Apparatus for signature printing with an automatic duplexing copier by presenting document sheets to the imaging station of the copier in a signature page order for producing signature copy sheets comprising copies of signature pairs of said document sheets on both sides of said copy sheets so that said copy sheets can be folded into page order signature sets comprising:

• automatic document reordering and presenting means associated with said copier and adapted to receive a stacked set of document sheets loaded therein in normal sequential serial (nonsignature) page order,
• said automatic document reordering and presenting means comprising means for automatically reordering said document sheets from said normal sequential page order into signature page order by feeding out individual said document sheets alternately from the top and bottom of said stacked set of document sheets therein, for automatically presenting said reordered document sheets to said imaging station in signature page order for automatic duplex copying in copying cycles for automatically providing duplexed signature copy sheets in proper page order signatures as the output of said copier.

In the method of signature printing with an automatically duplexing copier by presenting document sheets to the imaging station of the copier in a predetermined signature page order for producing signature copy sheets comprising copies of said document sheets in signature page order, suitable for subsequent folding of sets of said signature sheets into proper page signature sets, the improvement comprising the steps of:

• stacking the set of document sheets to be copied into an automatic document reordering and presenting system associated with said copier in normal sequential serial(nonsignature) page order,
• automatically reordering said set of document sheets with said automatic document reordering and presenting system into a predetermined signature page order for signature copying output from said copier by alternatively feeding out individual document sheets from the top and bottom of said stack until the entire stack has been fed out from said stack in this manner, without circulating said stack, and
• automatically presenting said reordered document sheets to said imaging station to be copied in said reordered page order to automatically provide plural completed page order signature copy sheets with said copier.