Cardboard-handling system and method

A method of transporting a substrate sheet through a processing station, the method comprising:

• (a) providing a transport system for transporting said substrate sheet through said Processing station, said transport system including:
• counter-rotating upper and lower conveyors, and
• a gap defined between two vertically spaced runs of upper and lower conveyors for receiving only a lateral edge of the substrate sheet, the two runs extending parallel to a transport direction of the transport system,
• wherein, in operation, the substrate sheet is gripped between the two runs and is advanced through the processing station while remaining in a fixed position relative to the surfaces of the two runs, and
• wherein operation of the processing station is synchronized with the movement of the upper and lower conveyors;
• (b) aligning the substrate sheet so that the lateral edge of the substrate sheet lies parallel to the transport direction;
• (c) feeding the substrate sheet into the transport mechanism so that the substrate sheet is gripped between the two runs;
• and
• (d) advancing the substrate sheet though the processing station while separately supporting the remainder of the substrate sheet on a further conveyor synchronized with movement of the upper and lower conveyors, and synchronizing operation of the processing station with the movement of the upper and lower conveyors.