Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier that holds a toner-image; an intermediate transfer member onto which the toner-image that has been held on the image carrier is transferred; a transfer unit that transfers onto a recording medium the toner-image that has been transferred onto the intermediate transfer member, the transfer unit transferring thereon a color-toner-image for checking toner-image, which has been formed in a non-image forming region on the intermediate transfer member; an application unit that applies an adhesion force reducing agent to a surface of the transfer unit before the color-toner-image for checking formed on the intermediate transfer member passes through the transfer unit, the adhesion force reducing agent reducing adhesion force to the transfer unit of the color-toner-image for checking; and a cleaning unit that removes the color-toner-image for checking that has been transferred onto the transfer unit and the adhesion force reducing agent.

Abstract: A photoconductor containing a fluoroalkyl ester layer, a supporting substrate, a photogenerating layer, and at least one charge transport layer.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for operating a fuser in a marking device is disclosed. The method may include determining a total power available for warm-up of fuser elements in a fuser, determining power constraints of the fuser elements, selecting a power allocation to be applied to the fuser elements, calculating a fuser warm-up time based on the determined total power available, the determined power constraints, and the selected power allocation, determining whether the fuser warm-up time is reduced, wherein if the fuser warm-up time is reduced, applying the selected power allocation.

Abstract: A material processing apparatus has a reader unit, an information extracting unit and a grade determination unit. The reader unit reads a material. The information extracting unit extracts information from the material, the information having information written by a user and information printed on the material in advance. The grade determination unit grades the information written by the user based on the information printed on the material in advance.

Abstract: An ink set for an inkjet of the present invention comprises an ink and a processing liquid, wherein at least one of the ink and the processing liquid contains a water-soluble non-linear polymer. The non-linear polymer has at least one selected from the group consisting of a branched structure, a cross linking structure and a mesh structure in a molecule.

Abstract: A system is provided for measuring gloss and spatial dependence of gloss. In a first embodiment, the system comprises: a first illuminator configured to emit a first light beam at a point on a target, thereby producing a generally specular reflectance in a first direction; a second illuminator configured to emit a second light beam at the point on the target, thereby producing generally diffuse reflectance in the first direction; a linear array sensor configured to detect the generally specular reflectance and the generally diffuse reflectance in the first direction; and a processor configured to process the generally specular reflectance and the generally diffuse reflectance detected by the linear array sensor.

Abstract: A color processing apparatus determines, based on output color gamut information, the color gamut conversion condition for converting the image data so that the color gamut of image data on the predetermined color space may fall within the output color gamut, converts the color gamut of input image data according to the set color gamut conversion condition, determines the limiting condition of the color gamut conversion, changes the color value of the specified color so that the color value of the specified color out of the input image data may be converted into the color corresponding to the output satisfying the limiting condition, and pre-processes so as to change the color value other than the color value of the specified color out of the input image data according to the relation between the color value before change of the specified color and the color value after change.

Abstract: A remote instruction system includes: an imaging unit that captures an image of an object; a projecting unit that projects an annotation image in the imaging area of the imaging unit, the annotation image being formed in accordance with an instruction issued based on the captured image; and an annotation adjusting unit that adjusts the conditions for projecting the annotation image, in accordance with a situation in the imaging area of the imaging unit.

Abstract: An image processing method takes as its input, a patch of an image where a candidate red-eye has been detected. The method includes classifying the patch with a classifier trained to assign the patch either to a default first class of patches associated with a standard correction of the candidate red-eye or to at least one second class of patches associated with a modified correction of the candidate red-eye. The modified correction may be designed to reduce a risk of degradation of the image for the second class of patches. The classification optionally includes determining a confidence level associated with the classification. If the image is classified into the at least one second class and the confidence level, where determined, exceeds a threshold, the modified correction is applied to the patch, otherwise, the standard correction is applied.

Abstract: A method of operating a print head comprises heating the print head from a first temperature below a melting temperature of the phase change ink to a second temperature above the melting temperature. The print head has a nozzle plate with plurality of nozzles for ejecting the phase change ink onto an ink receiver. A first pressure is applied to an interior of the print head as the temperature of the print head increases from the first temperature to the second temperature. The first pressure is configured to prevent phase change ink from entering into the print head through the nozzles of the print head. The first pressure is removed from the print head in response to the print head being at approximately the second temperature.

Abstract: An elastic roll is used in a fixing device of an image forming apparatus. The elastic roll includes an elastic layer and a covering layer disposed on an outside of the elastic layer. The covering layer is made of a heat-resistant resin or a metal, which has higher rigidity than a material of the elastic layer.

Abstract: In a fusing apparatus including a fuser member and pressure member fusing nip, a controller and sensors, there is provided a method of controlling fused image gloss. The method includes (a) sensing a copy sheet moving into the fusing nip; (b) sensing a temperature of a pre-fusing nip portion of a surface of the fuser member; (c) sensing a temperature of a post-fusing nip portion of the surface of the fuser member; (d) sensing an exit of each copy sheet from the fusing nip; (e) determining a start and an end of each inter-sheet gap portion on the surface of the fuser member; (f) making control calculations using sensed data; and (g) based on the control calculations, applying temperature conditioning only onto an inter-sheet gap portion on the surface of the fuser member for maintaining a near-constant uniform temperature on the surface of the fuser member.

Abstract: The present invention provides a carbazole compound represented by the following formula (I): wherein each Ar1 independently represents a substituted or unsubstituted monovalent aromatic group or an aromatic group containing a heteroring, and R1 and each R2 independently represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group, or a substituted or unsubstituted aralkyl group.

Abstract: Extended colorant sets are used to hide data or provide a watermark in printed images. Extended set colorants are colorants other than, and in addition to, the standard or common subtractive primary colorants: cyan, magenta, yellow and/or black. Where the extended colorant set supports a plurality of colorant recipes for rendering a given color, watermark data is used to select a colorant recipe from the plurality. As the watermark data to be encoded in the image changes state with image position, alternate colorant recipes or colorant selection functions are selected. The image is rendered based on the alternate colorant recipe selections. Watermark information is encoded in the colorant recipe or colorant selection function selection. Use of the extended colorant sets allows information to be encoded even in portions of an image having colors that do not include a neutral component.

Abstract: A system and method is provided for printing variable information documents including processing a VI request which has a dynamic reference and uses a namespace and schema, wherein the dynamic reference specifies information to be integrated into a resolved document. The processing includes mapping between respective namespaces and schemas used by a plurality of data sources and the namespace and schema used by the VI request, and generating at least one query in accordance with the dynamic reference and the mapping. The data sources are queried using the generated at least one query. The resolved document is generated and printed, including integrating data received in response to the querying into the resolved document. The data source(s) to be queried may be selected based on a comparison of a type of information available from the plurality of data sources and a type of information requested via the dynamic references.

Abstract: An electronic-document management system includes an acquisition unit, an edit unit, first and second storage units, a generation unit and an output unit. The acquisition unit acquires a target electronic document. The edit unit edits the acquired target electronic document. The first storage unit stores the target electronic document edited by the edit unit and a feature value of the edited target electronic document in association with each other. The generation unit generates meta-information of the edited target electronic document, which comprises a feature value of the edited target electronic document. The second storage unit stores the meta-information of the edited target electronic document and a feature value of the meta-information of the edited target electronic document in association with each other. The output unit outputs the feature value of the meta-information of the edited target electronic document as reference information of the edited target electronic document.

Abstract: Disclosed is a machine readable cord of a set of printed markings, wherein each printed marking of the set has a predetermined height on a substrate and represents a predetermined date value, wherein printed markings having a same predetermined height represent a same data value, and wherein printed markings representing different data values have different heights. Also disclosed is a system for embedding and recovering information on a substrate, including an image forming device containing at least one marking material, wherein the image forming device receives data, corresponding to the information, for forming machine readable code in accordance with claim 1 on an image receiving substrate, and forms an image including the machine readable code on the image receiving substrate with the at least one marking material, and a document reading device comprising a reader that detects the differences in height among the different printed markings of the machine readable code.

Abstract: A system for detecting reflectance from an image bearing surface in a printer or electronic copier includes an illuminator array, positioned adjacent to the image bearing surface, comprising a plurality of discrete illuminator elements that are spaced in a linear arrangement; a lens array comprising a plurality of collimator lenses positioned between the illuminator array and the image bearing surface, the collimator lenses being positioned with respect to the illuminator array to receive light beams emitted by the illuminator elements and to collimate the light beams for transmission to the image bearing surface at an incidence angle; a linear sensor array comprising a plurality of sensors and positioned adjacent to the image bearing surface such that, of the light beams reflecting off the image bearing surface, specular portions and diffuse portions reflecting at a reflectance angle are received by the sensors.

Abstract: An image formation apparatus includes: a photoconductor that has a photoconductive layer having a surface on which an electrostatic latent image is formed; a charging roll to which a bias with an AC component superposed on a DC component is applied for charging the photoconductor at a predetermined potential; a film thickness detector that detects a film thickness of the photoconductive layer of the photoconductor without applying the AC component; an environment measuring section that measures at least one of ambient temperature and humidity; an AC component setting section that sets a value of the AC component of the bias based on detection results of the film thickness detector and the environment measuring section; and a charging controller that controls at least one of voltage and current applied to the charging roll based on the value of the AC component set by the AC component setting section.