Abstract:
A duplicating machine for duplicating printed material from selected master cards onto a workpiece comprises a master card feed station including a feed device for feeding cards to a print station and a workpiece feed station including a device for feeding workpieces to a moistening apparatus and to the print station. Also provided is a card reading device for detecting predetermined information characteristics stored on an adjacent master card in a stack and for determining whether the printed material on that card is to be duplicated. If the material is to be duplicated the reading device provides a signal to a control system that actuates the workpiece feed device for feeding the workpiece to the print station. As the workpiece is fed from its feed station, it actuates an envelope feed detector which provides a signal that operates a common drive arrangement that actuates the moistening apparatus and the master card feed device whereby the master card and a moistened workpiece arrive at the print station for duplicating the printed material from the master card onto the workpiece. If the printed material on the card being read is not to be duplicated, the reading device provides another signal that operates the common drive arrangement so that only the master card is fed to the print station whereby the printed material is not duplicated.