Abstract: An optical scanning device includes: a light source including a plurality of light-emitting elements; a deflector that defects light beams output from the light source; a scanning optical system that condenses the light beams deflected on the deflector onto a surface to be scanned, and includes at least one resin scanning lens and at least one folding mirror disposed behind the at least one resin scanning lens; a light-receiving element to which part of the light beams, which is deflected on the deflector but not used for scanning the surface, enters not via the at least one folding mirror as light-amount monitoring light beams; and a controller that controls a driving signal for the light-emitting elements based on an output signal from the light-receiving element.

Abstract: A deflector deflects a light beam from a light source. A scanning optical system focuses the light beam deflected by the deflector. An image carrying member is located at a focal position of the light beam and includes a surface that is scanned in a main scanning direction with the light beam focused by the scanning optical system. One pixel of an image is formed by a plurality of light spots having different focal positions in at least a sub-scanning direction. At least one light spot from among the light spots is formed on the surface of the image carrying member at a scan timing different from those of rest of the light spots.

Abstract: A printing system includes a first printing apparatus, a second printing apparatus, and a control device. The second printing apparatus is provided at a rear stage of the first printing apparatus, and includes a second preheating unit that preheats a recording medium from one surface before thermally fixing a toner image to another surface, and a temperature control unit that increase the temperature of the second preheating unit from a normal temperature to a target temperature, in response to a printing preparation instruction received in a temporary printing stop state from the control device. The control device starts printing, when the temperature of the second preheating unit reaches the target temperature. The temperature control unit decreases the temperature of the second preheating unit from the target temperature to the normal temperature, when the recording medium is conveyed by a length from a deformed portion to the second preheating unit.

Abstract: A disclosed servo control device includes a servo control unit configured to control a driving unit for driving a driven body with servo control, and a changing unit configured to change a timing of ending the servo control in response to stop position accuracy for a target stop position of the driven body when the driven body is driven to move, wherein the servo control unit detects an error between the target stop position and an actual stop position of the driven body, and corrects the timing of ending the servo control using the detected error.

Abstract: A failure predictor for predicting failure of a fixing device including a first characteristics value extractor to extract a first characteristics value representing a time interval between each implementation of repair of a surface of one of a pair of rotary bodies, a second characteristics value extractor to extract a second characteristics value representing a change in a degree of glossiness on the surface of one of the pair of rotary bodies during a period of time between before and after repair of the surface of one of the pair of rotary bodies, a third characteristics value extractor to extract a third characteristics value representing a change in a current value of a drive motor, and a determination device to predict failure of the fixing device caused by the condition of the surface of one of the pair of rotary bodies using the extracted first, second, and third characteristics values.

Abstract: A method of evaluating electrophotographic overcoatability of a composition is provided. The method includes measuring a color (C1) of a toner image fixed on a sheet, dropping the composition on the toner image, and removing the composition from the toner image. The method further includes measuring a color (C2) of the toner image from which the composition has been removed, and calculating a color difference between the color (C1) of the toner image and the color (C2) of the toner image on which the composition is dropped and from which the composition is removed thereafter.

Abstract: A printer device connects a plurality of stations each having a plurality of data transmission control units which perform data transmission for respective colors of C, M, Y, and K received from an upper level device, and prints transmitted image data of the respective colors. The transmission of image data received from the upper level device is performed to be thinned out in a raster unit in accordance with the number of stations by a plurality of data transmission control units, which controls image data of the same color, from among a plurality of data transmission control units of each of a plurality of stations. A sheet conveying speed is determined in accordance with the number of stations, and the determined conveyance speed is allocated on a conveyance control unit when sheet conveying starts.

Abstract: A sheet folding device includes a transport unit that transports a sheet; an abutting unit that abuts an end of the sheet being transported to form a bent portion at the sheet; a folding unit that nips the bent portion of the sheet by a pair of folding rollers to form a fold line in the sheet; a guide member that partially covers the folding roller and guides the sheet; and a position adjustment unit that adjusts a position of the guide member. An exposure amount of the folding roller with respect to the sheet can be varied by adjusting the position of the guide member through the position adjustment unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a setting memory storing multiple voltage settings; two or more voltage applying members each contacting a voltage applied member at respective contact positions close to each other, which are simultaneously being applied with respective voltages selected from the voltage settings; two or more current detectors each detecting a current flowing in the respective contact positions; and a setting changer performing a setting changing processing in which the voltage applied to one of the voltage applying members is changed based on the current detected by the corresponding current detector while a predetermined voltage is applied to the other voltage applying members, so that an optimum current flows in the corresponding contact position.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a rotatable first nip formation member, a rotatable second nip formation member, a first heater, a second heater, and a controller. The second nip formation member is provided under the first nip formation member to contact the first nip formation member to form a fixing nip portion between the first nip formation member and the second nip formation member. The first heater heats the first nip formation member. The second heater heats the second nip formation member. The controller supplies a portion of power to the second heater and the remainder of power to the first heater when a plurality of sheets having a sheet weight not greater than about 100 g/m2 passes through the fixing nip portion continuously.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for scheduling multiple types of print jobs for a printer more efficiently by scheduling jobs together that share print settings. In one embodiment, a system includes a print queue that stores print jobs scheduled for a printer. The system also includes a scheduler that receives requests to schedule a print job for the printer. The scheduler compares the print settings of the requested print job to print settings of the print jobs already in the print queue. The scheduler then schedules the requested print job among the print jobs in the print queue that have print settings corresponding with the print settings of the requested print job.

Abstract: An information processing system includes a plurality of information processing apparatuses, each apparatus including a transmission unit and a verification unit, and a plurality of authentication servers connectable to the plurality of information processing apparatuses via one or more networks.

Abstract: An error diffusion processing circuit includes a memory having a predetermined size in which (P?1)×M dithering threshold matrices in a predetermined size for each of the quantization thresholds and color components are pre-stored, and a quantization threshold selector configured to select (P?1) matrices for the color component of the target pixel data from the dithering threshold matrices stored in the memory, and read an element from the elements of the selected matrices in accordance with a pixel position of the target pixel data in the image data for output as the (P?1) quantization thresholds. P is an integer of 2 or more and M is a positive integer. The data size of the dithering threshold matrices is set to be equal to or less than a value obtained by dividing a size of the memory by the number of dithering threshold matrices.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: a decoding unit; a printing unit; an error detecting unit; and a control unit. The decoding unit decodes code data, which is obtained by encoding image data with a variable-length code on a line-to-line basis, into the image data. The printing unit performs a printing process on the basis of the image data which is decoded from the code data by the decoding unit. The error detecting unit compares a decoding amount indicating the amount of code data decoded in a predetermined range by the decoding unit with a predetermined decoding amount and outputs an error signal when the decoding amount is different from the predetermined decoding amount. The control unit controls the printing unit to stop the printing process when the error signal is output from the error detecting unit.

Abstract: A sheet adjusting device, applicable to a sheet holding receptacle and an image forming apparatus, includes a sheet setting plate to place a sheet thereon, first and second regulating member to slidably move in a given direction, and a drive transmission unit to transmit a driving power generated by a driving power source to at least the first regulating member and move the first regulating member in the given direction and to include a torque limiting unit to stop the first regulating member moving on the sheet setting plate by cutting off transmission of the driving power between a driven side transmission roller unit of the torque limiting unit and a driving side transmission roller unit of the torque limiting unit when a torque exceeding a given threshold is applied to the driven side transmission roller unit.

Abstract: Methods and systems herein provide for halftoning of Run length (RL) encoded datastreams. In one embodiment, a print controller identifies a packet within a RL encoded datastream. The packing includes a header and a block of continuous tone data. The print controller identifies an array of conversion values for converting RL encoded data to halftone data, and indexes the array using one or more bytes of the block of bitmap data. The print controller then outputs halftone data from the conversion array based on the index to convert the RL encoded continuous tone data of the packet to halftone data for a print engine.

Abstract: A jam-processing assisting device that performs a jam removal process for removing a sheet jammed at a carriage roller by rotating the carriage roller includes: a motor that drives the carriage roller to rotate; a rotation-direction detecting unit that detects a direction of rotation in which the motor is required to rotate for removing a jam; and a motor-driving controlling unit that drives the motor to rotate in the direction that has been detected. The rotation-direction detecting unit determines, based on a detection of a pulling-out direction in which the jammed sheet is pulled by an external force, the pulling-out direction that has been detected as the direction of rotation of the motor and drives the motor in the direction that has been determined.

Abstract: Techniques for enabling video conferencing with interactive sharing of drawings and/or other information. In one set of embodiments, a system is provided that includes a drawing surface, a video camera embedded or integrated into the drawing surface, and a front projector. The drawing surface can capture drawings made on the surface by a user, and the video camera can capture a video stream of the user. The system can send digital information representing the captured drawings and the video stream to a remote system. The system can also receive digital information representing drawings made by a remote user and a video stream of the remote user from the remote system. The front projector can project a video signal onto the drawing surface that incorporates the captured drawings, the drawings made by the remote user, and the video stream of the remote user.

Abstract: A photopolymerizable inkjet black ink having a viscosity not greater than 20 mPa·s at 60° C., including a clear ink having a viscosity not greater than 15 mPa·s at 60° C. including a photopolymerizable monomer having a Stimulation Index (SI value) less than 3 when subjected to a skin sensitization test (LLNA method) and a polymerization initiator without including carbon black and insolubles; and a carbon black in an amount not greater than 7% by weight.

Abstract: A data transfer apparatus includes: a first port and a second port that communicate data; a memory unit that stores the data; and a securing unit that secures, when a first time period starting from transmission of data up to reception of a response to transmitted data at the first port is longer than a second time period starting from transmission of data up to reception of a response to transmitted data at the second port, a first memory space that is used in data transfer in the first port so as for the first memory space to have a larger size than a size of a second memory space used in data transfer in the second port.