Abstract: Provided is a peer-to-peer industrial printing system that performs distributed processing in variable printing for production printing. The industrial printing system includes a plurality of print servers and performs variable printing for production printing. Each of the plurality of print servers has a variable attribute generation unit, a variable distribution unit, and a processing management unit. The variable attribute generation unit generates variable attribute information including record information, which is information about each record of variable data for the variable printing. The variable distribution unit distributes each record of the variable data to one of the plurality of print servers based on the variable attribute information generated by the variable attribute generation unit. The processing management unit transmits the job ticket including the record distributed by the variable distribution unit to the other print server that is distributed to request processing.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a development device, and a control unit that controls the development device. The development device includes a toner collection mechanism having a duct, a filter, and an exhaust fan. The duct is connected to a conveyance chamber of the development container and allows air in the conveyance chamber to flow through. The filter is disposed at a connecting part between the duct and the conveyance chamber, and collects toner flowing into the duct from the conveyance chamber. The exhaust fan makes the air in the conveyance chamber flow to the outside via the duct. The control unit changes rotational frequency or operation frequency of the exhaust fan based on current detected by a current detection unit at non-image forming time.

Abstract: A sheet feeding cassette includes a main body, a lift plate, a pair of side cursors, and an auxiliary lift plate. The main body is configured to accommodate a sheet fed out in a predetermined sheet feeding direction. The lift plate is provided in the main body in a liftable manner, and has a sheet placement surface on which the sheet is placed. The pair of side cursors is configured to be moved in a width direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction and to come into contact with side edges of the sheet placed on the lift plate to align the sheet. The auxiliary lift plate is detachably attached to a notch portion which is formed in the lift plate so as to allow a moving of the side cursors.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a cleaning unit, a development device, and a control unit. The development device includes a toner collection mechanism having a developer carrier and a filter. The control unit is capable of executing a scattered toner recovery mode at non-image forming time, in which the filter is vibrated, a potential difference is generated in the direction for the toner to move from the developer carrier to the image carrier, the developer carrier is rotated in a reverse direction to that at image forming time, and the image carrier is rotated in the same direction as that at the image forming time, so that scattered toner, which has dropped from the filter and adhered to the developer carrier, is recovered by the cleaning unit via the image carrier.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrying member, a charging device, an exposure device, a developing device, a development voltage power supply, and a control section. The developing device includes a development container which contains a non-magnetic one-component developer and a developer carrying member which includes a rotary shaft and a roller portion stacked on the outer circumferential surface of the rotary shaft, and the resistance value of the roller portion is 9 to 11 [Log ?], and when the amount of toner conveyed on the developer carrying member is Md [g/m2], the amount of toner adhered on the image carrying member in a solid image is Mp [g/m2], the peripheral speed of the developer carrying member and the image carrying member are Sd [mm/sec] and Sp [mm/sec], 0.8×Sd/Sp<Mp/Md and 0.8?Sd/Sp?1.2 are satisfied.

Abstract: Inkjet ink contains a pigment, a water-soluble organic solvent, water, and a surfactant. The water-soluble organic solvent contains both a glycol ether and a glycol compound. The inkjet ink has an Ohnesorge number Oh of 0.180 or more but 0.188 or less.

Abstract: A heating device includes a tube, a container, a heater, and heat medium. The tube through which liquid flows is spirally formed. The container has a cylindrical part whose axial direction is along a spiral direction of the tube and stores the tube. The heater is provided in the cylindrical part. The heat medium is in liquid form and fills the container.

Abstract: An inkjet ink includes a self-dispersing pigment, specific particles and an aqueous medium. The specific particles include a pigment and a resin. In the specific particles, the mass ratio of the resin to the pigment is equal to or greater than 1.2 and equal to or less than 2.0. The resin includes a styrene-(meth)acrylic resin. The volume median diameter of the specific particles is equal to or greater than 100 nm and equal to or less than 170 nm.

Abstract: An inkjet ink contains a pigment, a water-soluble organic solvent, water, and a surfactant. The water-soluble organic solvent includes a glycol ether compound. A difference between a dynamic surface tension ?10 of the inkjet ink at a surface age of 10 milliseconds and a dynamic surface tension ?10000 of the inkjet ink at a surface age of 10000 milliseconds is no greater than 3.4 mN/m. An inkjet recording method is an inkjet recording method for forming an image on a recording medium with the above-mentioned inkjet ink and includes forming the image by ejecting the inkjet ink toward the recording medium. The recording medium is a poorly absorbent recording medium.

Abstract: The intermediate transfer unit includes: an endless intermediate transfer belt which is turned around while carrying a toner image on its outer circumferential surface; and a plurality of rollers on which the intermediate transfer belt is turnably stretched, wherein the intermediate transfer belt has, on its inner circumferential surface, an information recording area in which belt information has been recorded, and the intermediate transfer belt has a mark at a position in the outer circumferential surface where a positional relationship between the mark and the information recording area comes to a specified relationship.

Abstract: A toner includes toner particles each including a toner mother particle and external additive particles attached to the surface of the toner mother particle. The external additive particles include fluororesin particles, specific external additive particles, and silica particles. The specific external additive particles contain barium titanate or strontium titanate. The silica particles have a detachment fraction of at least 5% by mass and no greater than 22% by mass. The detachment fraction of the silica particles is a percentage of a mass M2 of silica particles of the silica particles that have separated from the toner mother particles after ultrasonication to a mass M1 of the silica particles included in the toner particles before the ultrasonication. The ultrasonication is application of ultrasonic vibration to a mixed liquid of 5 g of the toner and 105.5 g of a nonionic surfactant-containing aqueous solution containing 0.55 g of a nonionic surfactant.

Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes two or more line recording heads and inks each accommodated in a corresponding one of the line recording heads. The line recording heads perform ink ejection onto a recording medium in a specific order at a regular ejection interval T. The ejection interval T is at least 300 milliseconds and no greater than 530 milliseconds. The line recording heads include at least a first line recording head that performs ink ejection onto the recording medium first and a second line recording medium that performs ink ejection onto the recording medium next to the first line recording head. Each of the inks contains a pigment, a water-soluble organic solvent, and water. The water-soluble organic solvent includes a glycol ether compound.

Abstract: A development device includes an accommodation section that accommodates a developer and a developer bearing member that carries the developer in the accommodation section. The developer bearing member includes a magnetic member and a sleeve provided around the magnetic member rotatably around the magnetic member. The sleeve includes a metal substrate with a surface having projections and recesses and a plating layer covering the surface of the metal substrate. The plating layer contains chromium and cobalt. The developer contains a toner and the toner includes toner particles. The toner particles each include a toner mother particle and external additive particles attached to the surface of the toner mother particle. The toner mother particles contain a binder resin and a magnetic powder. The external additive particles include alumina particles with surfaces that are hydrophobized.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device includes a sheet feeding roller, a sheet conveying roller, a separation roller, and a cleaning member. The sheet feeding roller is rotated to feed the sheet in a predetermined sheet feeding direction. The sheet conveying roller is disposed on a downstream side of the sheet feeding roller in the sheet feeding direction. The separation roller forms a separation nip between the sheet conveying roller and the separation roller. The cleaning member is disposed on an upstream side of the separation nip in the sheet feeding direction, and cleans a surface of the separation roller. The cleaning member is configured to be deformable to be separated from the surface of the separation roller when the sheet feeding roller does not feed the sheet and to come into contact with the surface of the separation roller by the sheet fed by the sheet feeding roller.

Abstract: A document transport device includes a document tray, an actuator, a delivery roller, a rotary shaft, a sheet feeding roller, a separation member, a slider movable along the rotary shaft, between a connected position where the slider is linked with the sheet feeding roller to transmit rotational force thereto, and a separated position where the slider is spaced from the sheet feeding roller, thereby disconnecting transmission of the rotational force to the sheet feeding roller, and an operation lever rotatably supporting the slider, and configured to move parallel to an axial direction of the rotary shaft, when the actuator rotates. When no document is on the document tray and the actuator is not rotating, the operation lever moves the slider to the separated position, and when the document is placed on the document tray and the actuator rotates, the operation lever moves, thereby moving the slider to the connected position.

Abstract: A packaging member (100) has a pair of holding portions (230) folded from opposite edges of each of a pair of first wall portions (210); the pair of holding portions (230) have an opposed portion (230a) opposed to a second wall portion (220), and an insertion piece (231); the second wall portion (220) has a wall-portion slit (221); and by inserting the insertion piece (231) in the wall-portion slit (221), the first wall portions (210) and the second wall portion (220) are held in a standing state.

Abstract: A processor derives a plurality of unit density values which are each an average value of sensed densities for each of a plurality of unit areas sectioned for each unit length in a test toner image. The processor derives a weighted average of the plurality of unit density values to derive a test image density used for adjusting a control parameter in a printing portion. The unit length is a greatest common factor of two target lengths corresponding to perimeters of two types of target rotating members out of the plurality of rotating members. When a number of the plurality of unit areas is represented by n, n is a value obtained by subtracting 1 from an added value of a first constant and a second constant. The first constant and the second constant are values obtained by respectively dividing the two target lengths by the unit length.

Abstract: A gripping mechanism (3) includes a gripping roller (32) and a holder (31) that houses the gripping roller (32). A gripped portion (42) of a first component (4) is gripped between an outer surface of the gripping roller (32) and an inner surface of the holder (31) through action of gravity acting on the gripping roller (32). Preferably, the gripping roller (32) includes a core (321) that is cylindrical or columnar in shape and a covering section (322) that is an elastic body covering a circumferential surface of the core (321). Preferably, the covering section (322) has a circumferential surface with a friction coefficient greater than a friction coefficient of the circumferential surface of the core (321).

Abstract: A light guide device includes: a housing main body; a side member attached to a side portion in the housing main body; a light guide body supported by the housing main body and including a light incident surface to which light enters; a light source substrate held by the side member and including a light element that emits the light toward the light incident surface; and a positioning portion configured to position the light element to a reference position with respect to the light incident surface. The positioning portion includes: an abutting member provided in the housing main body and configured to abut on a mounting surface in the light source substrate on which the light element is mounted; and an elastic member held by the side member and configured to press the light source substrate toward the light guide body to position the light element to the reference position.

Abstract: Provided is an information processing apparatus that enables an objective determination of an estimation of work related to printing. A data acquiring unit acquires a job for estimation. A unit estimating unit calculates an estimation of the work for each specific unit of the job acquired by the data acquiring unit. An entire estimating unit estimates and updates the estimation of the work for the entire job in real time based on the estimation of the work for the specific unit at the time calculated by the unit estimating unit. An estimation presenting unit presents the estimation of the work calculated by the entire estimating unit in real time.