Abstract: An exposure device for an electrophotographic apparatus including one or more laser light sources which expose an image carrier in accordance with a print information signal supplied from an external information processing apparatus, a resolution switching lens, and a switching unit to switch over a low resolution and a high resolution by inserting and extracting the resolution switching lens into and from a laser optical path. Preferably, a light emission time of each of the laser light sources with respect to the print information signal is changeable.

Abstract: A printing system includes a network, a first computer connected to the network, a second computer connected to the network, and a printer connected to the network. The first computer instructs the printer to print. The printer includes a printer controller and a printer engine. The printer controller includes an individual printer management part for managing the printer, and an individual printer information DB part. The second computer includes a total printer management service processing part for managing a plurality of printers including the printer connected to the network, and a total printer management information DB part. The second computer communicates with the printer controller and/or the first computer over the network to manage the printer to cope with trouble in the printer, order consumable items and replacement parts for the printer, and update programs and data for using the printer.

Abstract: A film loader for the image forming apparatus has a film formed endlessly and a film frame for holding the film, wherein a guide member for attaching or detaching the film with respect to the film loading portion of the film frame is formed by a packaging member for use in transporting and storing the film.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a image forming unit, a measurement unit and a controller. The image carrier includes a central region on which a target image as an object of an image forming is formed and a peripheral region placed outward of the central region. The image forming unit forms a reference image on the peripheral region and the central region, before the image forming is started. Also, the image forming unit forms the target image on the central region based on a preset condition and a third reference image on the peripheral region, during the image forming. The measurement unit measures a physical quantity for the reference images.

Abstract: An ink-jet printer head is characterized by comprising an organic film coated on the surface of the nozzle plate for discharging ink, in which solid particles having abrasion resistance are dispersed, and a water-repellent film on the surface of the organic film, in which the chains of fluorocarbon polymer is grown. The head shows improved durability of the chains of the fluorocarbon polymer on the nozzle plate during cleaning of the nozzle surface.

Abstract: An electrophotographic toner for visualizing an electrostatic latent image formed by an electrophotographic process, an electrostatic printing process, an electrostatic recording process, etc., which is produced in consideration of the environment and safety. The electrophotographic toner includes a fixing resin and a colorant. The electrophotographic toner is a black toner using a titanium compound containing no carbon black as the colorant. The electrophotographic toner may be an electrophotographic two-component black toner using magnetic iron oxide containing no carbon black as the colorant.

Abstract: An optical fiber array is constructed by using a plurality of laser modules, which guide a laser beam emitted from a semiconductor laser of a blue color wavelength to an optical fiber, such that beam emitting ends of respective optical fibers are aligned in one row at an equal interval, and the laser beam being output from the optical fiber array is used as a multibeam of an optical recording apparatus. A relative refractive index difference of the used optical fiber is set between 0.1% to 0.2%, and a core diameter is set to 4.5 ?m or less, and also a mode field diameter of the optical fiber, i.e., a diameter of a beam spot emitted from the optical fiber is set to 3 ?m or more.

Abstract: A fixing device wherein supposing that the total load given to a heating roller and a pressure roller is W (kgf) and the area of the pressure contact portion of the heating roller with respect to the pressure roller (nip area) is S (cm2), the nip pressure (=W/S) is 2.7 kgf/cm2 or more and the length of the pressure contact portion in the direction parallel to the direction of conveyance of a recording material is defined to be 14 mm or more.

Abstract: An inkjet apparatus 100 includes a plurality of nozzles 200, a plurality of piezoelectric elements 204, a drive voltage generator 406 and a plurality of switches 403. The plurality of piezoelectric elements 204 is provided in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of nozzles 200. The drive voltage generator 406 generates a drive voltage having a waveform Vd. Each switch 403 adjusts the waveform Vd of the drive voltage. Each of the plurality of piezoelectric elements 204 applies pressure to a corresponding nozzle 200 to eject ink droplets therefrom in response to the drive voltage having an adjusted waveform Vd.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes a photoreceptor, a charging unit, an exposure unit, a developing unit, a transfer unit, a fixing unit, an environment detecting unit and a control unit. The charging unit includes a charger and a static eliminator. The charger contacts with a surface of the photoreceptor and charges the surface to a first voltage. The static eliminator contacts with the surface and discharges the surface to a second voltage. The environment detecting unit detects an environmental data. The control unit controls the first voltage based on the environmental data.

Abstract: A belt unit of an electrophotographic printing apparatus, includes: two rollers for supporting a belt so as to be substantially in parallel with each other; two frames for supporting the rollers and attached to opposite ends of one of the rollers respectively so as to be perpendicular to the rollers; two support members attached to opposite ends of the other roller so as to be perpendicular to the rollers; two elastic members interposed between the two support members and the two frames respectively; and a belt mounting guide provided between the two frames. The belt mounting guide includes a rotating shaft disposed in parallel with the rollers, and an edge portion inclined relative to an axial direction of the rotating shaft.

Abstract: A color printing apparatus includes a printer driver for receiving a print instruction of print data issued from an application program, and for rasterizing the print data to produce con-tone/multi-bits bitmap data and bi-tone/single-bit bitmap data; a page memory for independently storing thereinto both the con-tone/multi-bits bitmap data and the bi-tone/single-bit bitmap data; a control unit for executing a control operation in such a manner that the con-tone/multi-bits bitmap data is converted into con-tone/multi-bits print data, the bi-tone/single-bit bitmap data is converted into bi-tone/single-bit print data, and at least one of the con-tone/multi-bits print data-and the bi-tone/single-bit print data is stored into the page memory in a bitmap format; and an output control unit for reading at least any one of the con-tone/multi-bits print data and the bi-tone/single-bit print data from the page memory, and for logically synthesizing the print data with each other to output the synthesized print data to a

Abstract: A fixing device includes a first fixing part having a heater disposed therein, a second fixing part, disposed to oppose to the first fixing part, for pinching a recording medium to form a first nip portion, a pair of transfer rollers, disposed at a downstream side of the recording medium, for forming a second nip portion, a guide for biasing the recording medium discharged from the transfer rollers towards the first fixing part side from one of the transfers rollers, and means part for biasing the guide towards the recording medium side.

Abstract: A film loader for the image forming apparatus has a film formed endlessly and a film frame for holding the film, wherein a guide member for attaching or detaching the film with respect to the film loading portion of the film frame is formed by a packaging member for use in transporting and storing the film.

Abstract: Ink jet recording is performed using an ink that is adjusted such that the thickness dependence rate determined by dividing the difference in optical density between images having an ink layer thickness of 30 ?m and 15 ?m by the ink layer thickness difference of 15 ?m is less than 0.043 per unit layer thickness of 1 ?m or ?Eab* between the same hues is 8 or less.

Abstract: An image forming device includes an openable panel disposed on a side of the image forming device. The panel includes a pair of carrying rollers, a transcribing roller and a pair of discharging sheet carrying rollers.

Abstract: In a semiconductor laser module in which light emitted from a packaged semiconductor laser is incident on an optical fiber via a lens, the semiconductor laser, the lens, the optical fiber, and a holding member which holds the optical fiber are disposed in an integrated module structure, and at least one space in the module has a flow path communicating with an ambient air via an adsorbent.

Abstract: A corona wire cartridge includes: a reel around which a corona wire is wound; a reel holder that rotatably supports the reel; a casing having a receiving portion which receives the reel and the reel holder and a wire drawing opening through which the corona wire is drawn; and an elastic member that movably connects the casing to the reel holder.

Abstract: The invention aims at provision of an optical scanner in which an optics required for equalizing an optical magnification in a scanning range is produced with high accuracy, so that intervals among a plurality of scanning lines on a to-be-scanned surface are even in the scanning range. The scanning optics includes a refraction surface and a reflection surface whose sub-scanning-direction curvature radii vary continuously. The reflection surface is disposed on the to-be-scanned surface side of the refraction surface. The curvature radius of the reflection surface varies symmetrically with respect to the optical axis, and the curvature radius of the refraction surface varies asymmetrically with respect to the optical axis.

Abstract: The invention is to provide a light scanning unit designed to suppress the quantity of torsion of a light beam caused by an inclination angle of a cylindrical lens disposed between a light source and an optical deflecting element so as to suppress increase in diameter of the beam imaged on a to-be-scanned surface. The object is achieved by the light scanning unit in which a collimator lens, an aperture, a cylindrical lens, a spherical lens, a rotary polygon mirror, an F? lens and a to-be-scanned surface are disposed in an optical path between the light source and the optical deflecting element in order of increasing distance from the light source. The light scanning unit is designed to satisfy an expression of Mt?D/? when ? designates a diameter of the aperture, D designates a diffraction diameter of each beam focused on the to-be-scanned surface and scanning the to-be-scanned surface, ? designates a rotation angle with a generatrix of the cylindrical lens, and Mt designates a conjugate magnification.