Abstract: Problem The object is to provide an image-forming apparatus which is capable of releasing the heat generated in the apparatus without incorporating a fan. Means for Solving the Problem Three ribs 17 are provided to rise on the surface of a recording sheet-receiving tray 16 and to extend in the sheet discharge direction (arrow A direction) The three ribs 17 are arranged in the width direction of the recording paper sheet P held on the sheet-receiving tray 16. The number of the ribs 17 may be two, or four or more, regardless of the three ribs 17 as an example. The sheet-receiving tray 16 has many apertures 16a, 16b for connection of the inside of the casing 12 to the outside thereof. The heat generated by a polygon mirror-driving motor 18c, a fixation assembly 36, and so forth is released through many apertures 16a, 16b, 12a. Therefore, the laser beam printer 10 does not employ a fan for removing the heat from inside of the casing 12.

Abstract: Storage box for storing stacked recording mediums comprises a two-part structure consisting of in-apparatus mounting portion and out-apparatus mounting portion which are coupled via a rotational support mechanism. In-apparatus mounting portion and out-apparatus mounting portion of storage box are kept integrally coupled via lock mechanisms for locking in-apparatus mounting portion and out-apparatus mounting portion of storage box in normal use. On the other hand, when an improper handling is performed such that the whole image forming apparatus is lifted up by gripping the out-apparatus mounting portion of paper feed cassette, lock mechanisms are released to pivot out-apparatus mounting portion thereby to avoid the improper handling so that paper feed cassette which is exposed outside from the image forming apparatus is prevented from damages and the risk of the whole apparatus falling is avoided beforehand.

Abstract: In the image forming device, a discrepancy in timing of a control sequence is corrected, which is caused by abrasion of a paper sheet detection member placed on a paper sheet transport path from a paper feeder to a transfer part, the paper sheet detection member contacting the paper sheet to detect a paper sheet. A registration sensor functioning as the paper sheet detection member is placed on the paper sheet transport path from the paper feeder to the transfer part, and it contacts the paper sheet to detect a paper sheet. In transporting the paper sheet, time T? from when the paper sheet detection member detects the trailing edge of the paper sheet until when the trailing edge of the paper sheet passes through the transfer nip part is measured, and a difference ?T between the time T? being measured and a predetermined reference time T is obtained.

Abstract: An inkjet recording device according to the present invention performs preliminary ejection, not at an interval of fixed time but at a time detected by the inkjet recording device, to reduce the number of preliminary ejection for high-quality image recording or to reduce the number of preliminary ejection and the required time for higher throughput and faster image recording. A setting data count unit 1009 counts the number of occurrences of consecutive count patterns predetermined for each nozzle block according to the count patterns that are set in a preliminary ejection setting unit 1008 and the analysis result of the command analysis unit 1003. A preliminary ejection control unit checks, for each block, if the count value has reached a predetermined value and, if the count value has reached the predetermined value in at least one block, starts preliminary ejection for the recording head.

Abstract: It is an object of this invention to provide a print head which can stably eject ink droplets of large volume without being influenced by negative pressure variations in an ink supply source or by drive conditions. To this end the ink jet print head of this invention includes a plurality of nozzle openings to eject ink, a plurality of liquid paths communicating with these nozzle openings, and energy generation portion to eject ink supplied to each liquid path from each nozzle opening in the form of an ink droplet. In a part of each liquid path, a dividing portion to divide the liquid path into a plurality of paths is installed inward of the nozzle opening.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus, which records a image on a recording medium using a recording head provided with a plurality of ink discharge ports, comprises a rotative platen having a plurality of supporting pieces arranged at predetermined intervals; rotation means for rotating the platen; conveyance means for conveying the recording medium; control means for controlling the rotation means to rotate the platen in the conveying direction of the recording medium in synchronism with the conveyance of the recording medium when recording is performed near the edge of the recording medium conveyed by the conveyance means. With the structure thus arrange, this ink jet recording apparatus is capable of performing the entire area recording (no margin recording) on a recording medium without staining the platen that supports the recording medium at the time of recording.

Abstract: A method for forming an image is provided which forms an image, on a recording medium having no ink-receiving layer such as industrial printing paper sheets, at high image density with uniform image density without feathering of the image. A processing liquid S is discharged from a processing liquid applicator onto a recording medium P before ink droplets I are ejected from printing heads 21-24 onto the recording medium P. The amount of the processing liquid S is controlled so as to allow the processing liquid S to infiltrate entirely before the ink droplet I impacts against the recording medium P. By controlling the amount of the processing liquid S as above, the processing liquid S has infiltrated entirely into the recording medium P when the ink droplet I impacts against the recording medium P. As the result, an image is formed by ideal shape of dots D with high-quality.

Abstract: A printing medium includes a substrate, a device provided on the substrate, which stores information accessible from outside, and an image printing part provided on the substrate, wherein said device is provided in a laminated position of the printing medium.

Abstract: An inkjet recording ink is composed of an encapsulated water-insoluble colorant encapsulated with a high-molecular dispersant, a water-soluble organic solvent, and water. The water-insoluble colorant is at least one colorant selected from the group consisting of C.I. Solvent Yellow 21, 42, 79, 82, 83:1, 88 and 151, at least one colorant selected from the group consisting of C.I. Solvent Red 8, 49, 83:1, 91, 127 and 218, at least one colorant selected from the group consisting of C.I. Solvent Black 3, 27, 29 and 45, or at least one colorant selected from the group consisting of C.I. Solvent Blue 25, 38, 44, 67 and 70. The high-molecular dispersant is a block copolymer comprising at least one hydrophobic block and at least one hydrophilic block, which have been obtained by polymerizing vinyl ethers as monomers, respectively. The inkjet recording ink can stably record images of high fastness and excellent quality over a long period even under severe environmental conditions.

Abstract: Provided is a sheet processing apparatus for performing a bookbinding process by folding a sheet stack, including: a folding roller pair including a first roller and a second roller brought into press contact with the first roller to be contacted/separated with/from the first roller, for conveying the sheet stack while folding the sheet stack; a plurality of urging members capable of urging the second roller in a direction of the first roller; and an urging mechanism for changing a number of the urging members for urging the second roller according to a thickness of the sheet stack to be folded.

Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid ejection head, a liquid supply apparatus, a liquid ejection apparatus, and a liquid supply method which enable the channel resistance and pressure loss of liquid in the liquid ejection head to be reduced to increase the speed at which liquid is supplied to the nozzles. To achieve this, an ink supply chamber (44) is placed so as to be laminated on a main ink supply chamber (42). A filter (40) interposed between the main ink supply chamber (42) and the ink supply chamber (44) extends along a surface substantially parallel to a nozzle arrangement plane on which a plurality of nozzles are arranged.

Abstract: The present invention employs novel phase control for a fixing heater, which uses first and second heaters, to reduce the generation of a higher harmonic wave current and a power line terminal noise. With four consecutive half wavelengths (two cycles) of a power supply voltage employed as a period, two half waves are used for phase control and other two half waves are made full ON or full OFF for each of the first and second heaters and, at the same time, the phase control is performed complimentarily to both the heaters. That is, for each half wave, when the power is turned on with the phase control of one heater, the other heater is made full ON or full OFF. This causes turn-on switching to occur only on at most one heater in a half wave period. As a result, as compared with usual phase control, a power-supply higher-harmonic-wave current and a power line terminal noise are reduced.

Abstract: A printing system uses a plurality of printing apparatus arranged in a print medium feed direction. A memory is installed in each of the printing apparatuses to store a plurality of pages of image data. Print completion page information representing a page that has completely been printed immediately before an interruption of a printing operation is notified by each printing apparatus. Based on a plurality of pieces of the print completion page information notified, print resumption page information representing the same pages from which the printing operation is to be resumed is determined. The printing apparatuses are made to resume the printing operation beginning with those image data among the plurality of pages of image data stored in the memory which corresponds to the print resumption page information. So, when the printing operation is resumed, a page inconsistency is avoided.

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus can secure the stackability of a sheet when discharging a residual sheet. When a residual sheet is conveyed from a main body of an image forming apparatus to a first sheet stacking portion at turning on the power for the main body of the image forming apparatus, the trailing edge of the residual sheet is aligned first by a trailing edge aligning portion. And then, a residual sheet is moved to a sheet discharging position, in which the sheet is discharged onto a second sheet stacking portion, while the residual sheet, the trailing edge of which has been aligned, is being held by a holding member.

Abstract: A water-based inkjet printer ink contains at least a colorant and a resin. The resin is a block copolymer, which contains at least one hydrophilic block and at least one hydrophobic block. Each of the blocks is a vinyl ether polymer, wherein said block copolymer is obtained by polymerizing vinyl ethers as monomer by using at least one aluminum compound selected from the group consisting of tripropylaluminum, triisopropylaluminum and aluminum compounds as Ziegler-Natta catalysts.

Abstract: An image recording method for causing an ink to adhere on a recording medium, which provides with at least one ink-receiving layer on a base material to form an image. The ink is an inkjet recording ink, which composed of a high molecular dispersant, a water-insoluble colorant, a water-soluble organic solvent and water. The high molecular dispersant contains at least one hydrophobic block and at least one hydrophilic block. The ink receiving layer contains fine inorganic particles and a water soluble resin or water dispersible resin, and a surface pH of the ink receiving layer is controlled within a range of from 3.0 to 6.5, wherein said fine inorganic particles are made of at least one selected from the group consisting of aluminum hydrate of boehmite structure and aluminum hydrate of the pseudo-boehmite structure each of which has an average particle size of from 100 to 300 nm.

Abstract: An ink jet aqueous ink mainly containing a water-insoluble coloring material, a water-soluble organic solvent, an auxiliary ingredient and water is characterized by containing as an auxiliary ingredient at least one ethylene oxide adduct of an ester of cholesterin, lanosterin or agnosterin and a hydroxyl fatty acid.

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes: a buffer unit which stores plural supplied sheets with upstream edges in a conveying direction thereof aligned; a processing tray on which sheets discharged from the buffer unit are stacked; and an oscillation roller pair and a return roller which convey the sheet stacked on the processing tray to bring the sheet into abutment against a stopper for receiving the upstream edge of the sheet. The buffer unit is adapted to align the upstream edges of only sheets to be stored before a sheet to be supplied last among the sheets to be stored.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a sheet cutting apparatus comprising cutting means for cutting a sheet bundle, receiving means for receiving the cutting means, receiving position moving means for moving a receiving position on the receiving means for receiving the cutting means; and counting means for counting a number of cutting times of the sheet bundles. The receiving position moving means moves the receiving position on the receiving means according to information out of the counting means.

Abstract: Provided is a sheet processing apparatus, including: a stacking unit that is capable of stacking discharged sheets; a drive mechanism that is capable of moving the stacking unit; a storage device that holds data on a moving time of the stacking unit in a rewritable manner; an arithmetic unit that is calculates an estimated value of the moving time of the stacking unit based on the data; and a correcting unit that corrects the data held in the storage device by using an actual measurement value of the moving time of the stacking unit.