Abstract: There are provided a sheet processing apparatus which can perform a punching process while suppressing decrease in productivity, and an image forming apparatus including the sheet processing apparatus. In a third carry-in route R3 branching from a first carry-in route, a discharge roller and a buffer roller convey a sheet for which the punching process has been performed by a punching unit, so that an upstream end in a sheet conveyance direction of the sheet for which the punching process has been performed precedes an upstream end in the sheet conveyance direction of a succeeding sheet following the sheet for which the punching process has been performed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a heating member which heats a recording material on which an unfixed toner image has been formed, a pressurizing member which forms a nip portion between the heating member and the pressurizing member and applies pressure to press the recording material against the heating member in the nip portion, and a controller which applies a voltage, which has a polarity opposite to the polarity of the surface potential of the charged pressurizing member and a predetermined voltage value with which electric discharge does not occur between a hole in a surface layer of the pressurizing member and the heating member, to the heating member to remove electricity from the surface layer of the pressurizing member when the recording material is not present in the nip portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, which is capable of suitably preventing a separating discharge phenomenon from occurring at a fixing entrance guide for guiding a recording material to a fixing device, includes a control portion for controlling a transfer bias voltage and a separation bias voltage. A transfer roller transfers a toner image from a surface of a photosensitive drum onto a sheet at a transfer nip portion, and the control portion changes the transfer bias voltage applied to the transfer roller and the separation bias voltage applied to a charge eliminating needle to have larger voltage values before a trailing edge of the sheet, which is conveyed to the transfer nip portion and is subjected to transfer, passes through the transfer nip portion.

Abstract: An ink jet recording ink including a pigment; water; and water-soluble compounds. The pigment comprises a resin-dispersed pigment dispersed with a (meth)acrylate-based random copolymer having an acid value of 100-160 mgKOH/g. The water-soluble compounds include at least ethylene urea and a water-soluble compound having a hydrophilicity-hydrophobicity coefficient defined by the following equation (A) of 0.37 or less The total content of the water-soluble compounds is 22-50 mass % with respect to the total amount of the ink The content of the ethylene urea is 11.0 mass % or more with respect to the total amount of the ink, and the proportion of the amount of the ethylene urea in the total amount of the water-soluble compounds is 50% by mass or less, Hydrophilicity-hydrophobicity coefficient=((water activity value of 20% aqueous solution)?(molar fraction of water in 20% aqueous solution))/(1?(molar fraction of water in 20% aqueous solution))??Equation (A).

Abstract: A sheet binding processing apparatus includes a binding device which performs a binding process on a sheet bundle stacked on a stacking unit and a sheet bundle set at a manual setting portion, the stacking unit stacking introduced sheets, a sheet bundle being set to the manual setting portion from an outside; a moving portion which moves the binding device to a first binding position for performing the binding process on a sheet bundle stacked on the stacking unit and a second binding position for performing the binding process on a sheet bundle set at the manual setting portion; and a controller which causes the binding device, in a case that the binding process is not performed on a sheet bundle stacked on the stacking unit, to wait due to the moving portion at a position different from the first binding position.

Abstract: To prevent a flap of an envelope from sticking to an envelope main body, an image forming apparatus includes: an image forming portion forming a toner image on the envelope; a fixing device fixing the toner image onto the envelope by heating the envelope while conveying the envelope on which the toner image is formed by the image forming portion; and a conveying roller pair that rotates while nipping the envelope, onto which the toner image is fixed by the fixing device, to convey the envelope. A driven roller of the conveying roller pair includes driven runners divided in a rotary shaft center direction, and one driven runner located at one end is inclined in a direction separating from another driven runner so that an outer peripheral surface of the one driven runner is brought into contact with a corner portion of a rubber roller.

Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide a sheet bundle binding processing apparatus capable of performing a binding process on a sheet bundle set at a manual setting portion and a sheet bundle set on a processing tray, respectively, with a simple structure at low cost. The present invention comprises a sheet bundle binding processing apparatus including an external casing, a manual setting portion which is integrally formed with the external casing and to which a sheet bundle is inserted, a binding device which performs a staple-binding process on the sheet bundle inserted to the manual setting portion as being movable between a binding position where the sheet bundle of the manual setting portion is bound and a staple replenishment position where staples are replenished, and an open-close cover which is arranged at the external casing at a position being different from the manual setting portion.

Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide a sheet binding processing apparatus capable of promptly performing a binding process for binding a sheet bundle set at a manual setting portion and a sheet bundle set at a processing tray.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including: an apparatus main body including an image forming portion configured to form an image on a sheet; an image reading apparatus provided on an upper portion of the apparatus main body; a document feeding apparatus located on the image reading apparatus and configured to feed a document to the image reading apparatus; and a support portion configured to support the document feeding apparatus on the apparatus main body without the image reading apparatus in a state in which the document feeding apparatus is openable and closable with respect to the image reading apparatus.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus, including: an image reading unit configured to read an image of a document placed on a document placing portion; a document pressure unit configured to press the document placed on the document placing portion against the document placing portion; a first holding unit configured to hold the document pressure unit so that the document pressure unit is openable and closable with respect to the document placing portion with a shaft pivotally supporting the document pressure unit; and a second holding unit configured to hold the document pressure unit so that the document pressure unit is openable and closable with respect to the document placing portion without a shaft pivotally supporting the document pressure unit.

Abstract: An ink jet printing apparatus prints an image by employing a print head capable of ejecting ink through an ejection opening. The ink jet printing apparatus comprises: a blade having a distal end portion which wipes an ejection opening face of the print head where the ejection opening is formed; and a blade cleaner having a face which moves relatively to the bade in a predetermined direction while being in contact with the distal end portion of the blade. The face of the blade cleaner includes a plurality of inclined faces which are located by being shifted in the predetermined direction and inclined in the predetermined direction. The plurality of inclined faces have different inclination angles in the predetermined direction.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus sets an irradiation region below a fixed reading glass when light guide members diffuse light of LEDs upward so that the irradiation region corresponding to a significantly sagged portion in a main scanning direction is wider than that corresponding to portions on both sides of the significantly sagged portion, and sets a light intensity of a plurality of LEDs corresponding to the significantly sagged portion in the main scanning direction to be larger than that of a plurality of LEDs corresponding to the portions on both sides of the significantly sagged portion. Therefore, the degradation of the illuminance corresponding to the significantly sagged portion due to the pressed fixed reading glass can be prevented, and the entire document can be read with uniform reading precision.

Abstract: A developer replenishment container accommodating assembly, in which a developer replenishment container is removably put in a main body of an accommodating apparatus, replenishes a developer while rotating the developer replenishment container and includes a holding portion provided on the main body and configured to hold the developer replenishment container put in the main body of the accommodating apparatus in a replenishment position for replenishing the developer, and an engaging portion configured to engage with the developer replenishment container when it is positioned in the main assembly. In addition, a biasing member is configured to bias the engaging portion in a predetermined direction so that the developer replenishment container rotating while held by the holding portion is pressed against the holding portion by the biased engaging portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including: an image bearing member; a transfer member to which a transfer voltage is applied to transfer the toner image on the image bearing member to a recording medium; a transfer voltage applying unit configured to apply the transfer voltage to the transfer member to make a value of a current flowing through the transfer member into a set current value; and a control unit configured to control the transfer voltage applying unit by changing stepwise the set current value according to a resistance of the transfer member, wherein the control unit sets a set current value smaller than a target current value when a target voltage value is larger than a preset threshold voltage value, the target current value being set according to the resistance of the transfer member, the target voltage value being applied to flow a current of the target current value.

Abstract: A sheet binding device includes a pressurizing unit that pressurizes a sheet bundle to bind the sheet bundle, a pressurizing section that is disposed in the pressurizing unit and configured to be moved from a waiting position separated from the sheet bundle to a pressurizing position at which the pressurizing section pressurizes the sheet bundle, a drive motor that actuates the pressurizing unit, and a controller that controls the drive motor such that the pressurizing section is engaged with the sheet bundle at a predetermined setting velocity.

Abstract: A static-electricity-blocking mounting unit, including: a mounting sheet metal in which a female screw portion is formed, the female screw portion being configured to threadably engage with a male screw configured to fix a member to be fixed to a housing; and an insulating member made of an insulating material and configured to support the mounting sheet metal, wherein the mounting sheet metal is fixed to the housing via the insulating member, and the member to be fixed is fixed to the housing by the male screw threadably engaging with the female screw portion of the mounting sheet metal.

Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a print head that ejects ink for printing, an ink tank from which ink is fed to the print head, a first channel provided between the print head and the ink tank to feed ink in the ink tank to the print head, a second channel through which the ink in the first channel is transferred, and a pump connected to the second channel to transfer the ink in the first channel. The pump allows air or the ink in the first channel to be discharged via the second channel.

Abstract: Provided is a structure capable of preventing shaking of an image reading unit (1) during movement at low cost. A first contact portion (T1) between the image reading unit (1) and a guide shaft (2A) supports force (F1) acting in a gravity direction and force (F2) acting in a horizontal direction in the case where the image reading unit (1) moves in a predetermined direction. In this case, the first contact portion is arranged so as to satisfy F1>F2×tan ?1, where ?1 represents an angle formed by a perpendicular line (?) with respect to a tangential plane (?) of the guide shaft (2A) and the horizontal direction. Thus, the image reading unit (1) can be prevented from being lifted due to rotation moment during movement.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a charging device which charges the image bearing member, an exposure device which exposes the charged image bearing member to light, a developing device having a developer carrying member, and developing the electrostatic latent image by supplying the developer from the developer carrying member, and an instructing portion which generates an instruction signal for instructing to perform a developer install mode for installing developer in the developing device at a time of non-image formation. In the developer install mode a control portion sets an absolute value of a potential on the image bearing member charged by the charging device to a value which is smaller than an absolute value of a potential of the developer carrying member caused by a direct current component of the bias to be applied to the developing device and larger than an absolute value of an image dark section potential on the image bearing member at the time of image formation.

Abstract: A print control device communicably connected to an inkjet recording apparatus capable of performing form overlay printing for incorporating original document data into form data, the print control device comprising: a correction unit that performs head shading correction on the form data based on information of a characteristic of a nozzle of a recording head provided in the inkjet recording apparatus; a storage unit that stores the form data therein; and a control unit that, upon reception of information on another recording head different from the recording head, causes the correction unit to perform head shading correction on the form data stored in the storage unit based on information of a characteristic of a nozzle of the another recording head, and causes a transmission unit to transmit, to the inkjet recording apparatus, the original document data and corrected form data corresponding to the another recording head.