Paper buster

A flexible panel or sheet adapted for installation in a printer for separating the incoming blank paper web from the outgoing printed paper web. The sheet is wide enough to span (overlap) perforations in edge areas of the paper that are used to pull the paper web through the printer. By providing a physical separation between the incoming paper and outgoing paper it becomes possible to prevent uneven paper backups, misfeeds or uneven paper movement caused by tiny slivers of paper lodging or catching in the drive perforations when the webs come into contact with each other. The separator sheet is attached to the printer by two spaced-apart straps that extend from the sheet around a pre-existing crossbar in the printer. The straps lie in the general plane of the separator sheet to minimize the sheet thickness; cutouts in corner areas of the sheet accommodate the straps. The straps are of adjustable length to permit optimum positionment of the separator sheet.