Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image holding unit that holds an image that is formed of a developer, the image being intended to be transferred onto a medium, and an image that is not intended to be transferred onto a medium, a transfer unit that transfers the image that is intended to be transferred onto a medium onto a medium, a removing unit that removes the image that is not intended to be transferred onto a medium from the image holding unit, and a forming unit that forms the image that is not intended to be transferred onto a medium onto the image holding unit by using a developer and that has a first forming mode for a first medium and a second forming mode for a second medium that has a transfer sensitivity lower than a transfer sensitivity of the first medium, the forming unit being configured to use a larger amount of the developer in formation of the image that is not intended to be transferred onto a medium in the first forming mode than in the second forming mode.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a motor configured to rotationally drive an image bearing roller and a developer bearing roller at a first peripheral velocity ratio and a second peripheral velocity ratio which is larger than the first peripheral velocity ratio. A development contrast formed between a developing bias to the developer bearing roller and a light-part potential formed on the image bearing roller in a case where a development operation is performed at the second peripheral velocity ratio is larger than a development contrast formed between the developing bias to the developer bearing roller and the light-part potential formed on the image bearing roller in a case where the development operation is performed at the first peripheral velocity ratio.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a cassette attachment part and a collection side attachment part. To the cassette attachment part, a sheet feeding cassette storing a sheet is detachably attached. The collection side attachment part is disposed adjacent to the cassette attachment part. To the collection side attachment part, a collection container storing a waste toner discharged without transferred on the sheet is detachably attached. The cassette attachment part includes a cassette rail which supports the sheet feeding cassette slidably and a rail holding member which holds the cassette rail. The collection side attachment part includes a displacement sensor which is disposed so as to face the collection container and detects an electrostatic capacity varying in response to an accumulation amount of the waste toner stored in the collection container. The rail holding member is disposed so as to face at least a part of the displacement sensor.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a first conveying member that nips and conveys a sheet; a guide member rotatable between a first guiding position where the guide member guides a sheet that is conveyed by the first conveying member toward a first direction and a second guiding position where the guide member guides the sheet toward a second direction that is different from the first direction; a second conveying member that conveys a sheet that has been guided toward the first direction; a third conveying member that conveys a sheet that has been guided toward the second direction; a driver that drives the guide member; an acquiring portion configured to acquiring a basis weight of a sheet; and a controller that controls the driver such as to change torque for driving the guide member based on a basis weight of a sheet acquired by the acquiring portion.

Abstract: A transfer device includes a rotatable image bearer configured to bear a toner image to be transferred to a recording medium, a first rotator, and a second rotator. The second rotator is configured to contact the first rotator via the rotatable image bearer to form a transfer nip in which the recording medium is sandwiched. The second rotator is rotatable with the image bearer. The transfer device satisfies a conditional expression (t1+R)/(t2+R)>0.98, where t1 represents a thickness of a thinnest recording medium, t2 represents a thickness of a thickest recording medium, and R represents a radius of curvature of the transfer nip.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a roller including a rotational shaft supported by a bearing; a support unit that movably supports the bearing and an attached component of the bearing between a use position of the roller and a retraction position away from the use position; and a contact portion that is provided in one or both of the bearing and attached component, and the support unit, and when the roller is moved to the retraction position, comes into contact with part of the support unit or the attached component opposed to the bearing and the attached component.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes image forming units, supply devices, and a speed changing unit. The image forming units form toner images of different colors. Each of the image forming units includes a developing device containing toner of a corresponding one of the different colors. The supply devices supply toner to the developing devices. In a high development mode, the speed changing unit changes a drive rotational speed of the developing device or a speed of an image formation operation to a lower speed compared with a case of a normal mode. The normal mode is a mode in which a toner image is formed with a normal amount of toner adhesion. The high development mode is a mode in which at least one of the image forming units forms a toner image with a large amount of toner adhesion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body and an exhaust unit. The exhaust unit includes a first duct and a separating member. The first duct includes a first duct A forming member and a first duct B forming member provided with a plurality of communication ports which form one side surface of a second sheet transport path through which a sheet after heating and fixing is transported, a first exhaust fan for discharging air of the first duct to an outside of the apparatus body, and a filter disposed on a downstream side from the second sheet transport path. The first duct separates the second sheet transport path from spaces other than the first duct in the apparatus body. Further, the separating member separates the second sheet transport path from spaces other than the first duct in the image forming apparatus.

Abstract: A fixing device includes: a fixing-surface-side member disposed on a fixing surface side on which a toner image is to be formed in a recording medium; a back-surface-side support member that is disposed on an opposite surface side to the fixing surface in the recording medium, and forms a fixing nip that nips and conveys the recording medium with the fixing-surface-side member; a heat source that heats the toner image formed on the recording medium passing through the fixing nip; a nip time changing part that can change a nip time that is a time required for the recording medium to pass through the fixing nip; and a hardware processor that controls the nip time changing part and the heat source to shorten the nip time and increase a fixing temperature of the toner image, and to lengthen the nip time and lower a fixing temperature of the toner image.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a main body including a first guide portion and a second guide portion, a process cartridge including a photosensitive drum, a support frame configured to support the process cartridge and move between an inside position and an outside position. The support frame includes a first side frame. The first side frame includes a first guided portion to be guided by the first guide portion. The second side frame includes a second guided portion guided by the second guide portion A dimension of the first side frame is greater than or equal to a dimension of the first side frame. A dimension of the second side frame is greater than or equal to a dimension of the second side frame.

Abstract: A transfer unit includes: a transfer body that forms a transfer nip together with an image holding member provided to hold a developer image and allows a recording medium to be nipped in and transported through the transfer nip so that a developer image is transferred to the recording medium; and a guide member that intersects a tangent to the transfer nip and has a tip end portion located closer to the image holding member across the tangent when viewed in an axial direction, and guides the recording medium transported from an upstream side to the transfer nip, wherein the tip end portion has plural regions having different distances from the image holding member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a transfer roller, an electric energy supply member, a voltage source, a detector, and a controller for adjusting a transfer voltage. A circumferential length 2K of the transfer roller and a distance k measured along an outer periphery of the transfer roller from the electric energy supplying member to the transfer roller satisfy 0.8K?k?1.2K. The controller controls the voltage source so as to satisfy 0.7T?t?1.3T, where 2T is time required for one full rotation of the transfer roller, and t is time during which the voltage source supplies the test current or the test voltage per one level in the operation of a setting mode.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus includes a photosensitive drum, a developing roller, a cam, a switching mechanism, a cam follower, and a controller for controlling the switching mechanism to control rotation of the cam. The cam is rotatable to move the developing roller between a contact position in contact with the photosensitive drum and a separated position in separation from the photosensitive drum. To maintain the developing roller at the contact position after being moved from the separated position, the cam is rotated to move the cam follower from a first holding surface to a second holding surface of the cam through a second guide surface, and is stopped rotating to hold the cam follower in contact with a first guide surface of the cam at a position closer to the first holding surface than to the second holding surface.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an image forming unit, a fixing device, and circuitry is provided. The image forming unit is configured to perform a special image forming operation that forms a color toner image and a special toner image with a color toner and a special toner, respectively, on a recording medium and a normal image forming operation that forms the color toner image without forming the special toner image on the recording medium. The fixing device is configured to fix the color toner image and the special toner image on the recording medium. The circuitry is configured to perform, in the special image forming operation, a toner amount suppression control that makes an amount of the color toner on the recording medium per unit area smaller than that in the normal image forming operation.

Abstract: An example apparatus includes a conveyor. The apparatus also includes a first developer unit. The first developer unit is to concentrate first printing liquid. The first developer unit also is to deliver the first printing liquid to the conveyor. The apparatus also includes a second developer unit. The second developer unit is to concentrate second printing liquid. The second developer also is to deliver the second printing liquid to the conveyor to form a thick layer of printing liquid comprising the first and second printing liquid.

Abstract: A powder transport apparatus includes a first transport path disposed in the first transport path, a second transport path connected to the first transport path through a first connection port and a junction port, a third transport path connected to the second transport path through a second connection port, a second transport member that is disposed in the second transport path and includes a first shaft provided with a first spiral blade that transports powder toward the first connection port, a second spiral blade that is provided in a portion of the first shaft between the first connection port and the junction port and that has a transport force smaller than a transport force of the first spiral blade in the one direction, and a third transport member disposed in the third transport path. The third transport member transports the powder toward the second connection port.

Abstract: A method for disassembling a developing device. The developing device includes a frame configured to store a developer, a developer bearing member, a regulation member configured to regulate the developer borne by the developer bearing member, and a fixing member configured to fix the regulation member to the frame. The fixing member has a holding portion configured to hold the regulation member. The developing device includes a cover portion attached to the regulation member and configured to cover at least a part of the holding portion. The disassembling method includes cover removing for removing at least a part of the cover portion to reduce the size of a region of the holding portion covered by the cover portion.

Abstract: A pair of pressure members are disposed at both ends of a pressure roller and rotatably support the pressure roller to press the pressure roller against a fixing roller including an elastic layer via a fixing belt. One of the pressure members that includes a fulcrum engaging section engaged with a rotation fulcrum at one end and is locked to a biasing member at a side opposite to the fulcrum engaging section is moved by a moving member in a direction intersecting a pressing direction of the pressure roller in a state where deformation of the elastic layer is regulated. Thus, a force acting on a fixing nip formed by the deformation of the elastic layer of the fixing roller is stabilized. As a result, the traveling performance of the fixing belt is stabilized, whereby the offset control can be performed with high accuracy.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a movement mechanism. The movement mechanism moves a pressing mechanism from a first position to a second position along with a start of an image forming operation and moves the pressing mechanism from the second position to the first position along with an end of the image forming operation, when image formation is carried out. The movement mechanism moves the pressing mechanism from the first position to the second position along with detection by a detection unit that a main body cover is opened, when the image formation is not carried out.

Abstract: A sealing assembly according to one example embodiment includes a housing and an imaging component positioned on the housing. A seal has opposed first and second edges extending along a longitudinal dimension of the seal. A lateral dimension of the seal is perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension and extends in a direction from the first edge to the second edge. The seal is attached to the housing along the first edge and contacts the imaging component along the second edge. Upon attachment to the housing, the seal is elastically deformed from an unassembled state in which the second edge has a first profile that varies in the lateral dimension along the longitudinal dimension to an assembled state in which the second edge is deformed relative to the first profile to a second profile having less variation in the lateral dimension along the longitudinal dimension than the first profile.