Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device that forms a toner image on a recording medium, a first rotator, and a second rotator that presses against the first rotator to form a nip therebetween. The first rotator conveys the recording medium bearing the toner image through the nip with a first orientation of the recording medium to fix the toner image on the recording medium to create a cleaning sheet bearing a cleaning image in a cleaning sheet creation mode. The first rotator conveys the cleaning sheet bearing the cleaning image through the nip with a second orientation of the cleaning sheet, that is different from the first orientation of the recording medium, such that the cleaning image is disposed opposite the first rotator to cause the cleaning image to remove a foreign substance from a surface of the first rotator in a cleaning mode.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a latent image forming portion configured to form a latent image on an image bearing member; a developing device including a container configured to store toner and a developing member configured to supply the toner to the latent image formed on the image bearing member to form a toner image; an environment sensor configured to detect environmental information related to an environment in which the developing device is placed; and a controller configured to control switching between a first mode and a second mode, in which a number of prints per unit time is less than that in the first mode. The controller is configured to perform switching from the first mode to the second mode based on an update value obtained by adding or subtracting over time an index value weighted in accordance with the environmental information detected by the environment sensor.

Abstract: An optical scanning device and an imaging apparatus are provided. The optical scanning device includes a light source for emitting a light beam, a first optical unit for collimating the light beam emitted by the light source in a main scanning direction and focus the light beam in an auxiliary scanning direction, an optical deflector for deflecting the light beam, and an imaging optical system for guiding the light beam to a scanned surface for imaging. When the optical deflector deflects the light beam at a maximum deflection angle, the light beam in the main scanning direction forms a maximum incident angle ?max with a normal line of the scanned surface. A spot tilt rate e/a of a light spot on the scanned surface satisfies e a ? 10 ? % , where a is a size of the light spot in the main scanning direction and e is a spot tilt.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a supply processing portion, and a second release processing portion. The image forming portion includes a storing portion that stores developer, and forms an image by using the developer stored in the storing portion. The supply processing portion supplies the developer to the storing portion from a developer storing portion attached to an attachment portion, when a storage amount of the developer in the storing portion is less than or equal to a first threshold. The second release processing portion releases regulation on a removal of the developer storing portion when an expected amount of developer to be used by a user is greater than or equal to a reference value that is determined based on a remaining amount of the developer in the developer storing portion attached to the attachment portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member that bears a toner image, a transfer unit having an endless belt, a positioning unit that positions the transfer unit, and a secondary transfer member. The secondary transfer member is in touch with the endless belt to form a secondary transfer portion. When the toner image is transferred to the endless belt from the image bearing member, the secondary transfer member transfers the toner image from the endless belt at the secondary transfer portion to a transfer material. The positioning unit includes a first abutting face to position the transfer unit in a conveyance direction and a second abutting face to position the transfer unit in a direction opposite to the conveyance direction. An attaching/detaching direction of the transfer unit is a direction intersecting with a surface of the transfer material to which the toner image is transferred.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image carrier; an exposing device; a developing device with a developing roller; a development current detector that detects development current between the image carrier and the developing roller; and a hardware processor. Under an image forming condition, the hardware processor causes the exposing device to draw, on the image carrier, a development current-detection pattern that includes a solid image and a halftone image that follows the solid image in an image-conveying direction of the image carrier, causes the developing device to develop the development current-detection pattern, obtains information on a chronological change of the detected development current from the development current detector, and determines whether or not a ghost image due to the solid image occurs based on a temporary drop of the detected development current during development of the halftone image.

Abstract: In an example method, an image of a printed document is descreened. The descreened image is separated into blocks. A smooth area of the descreened image is selected based on an averaging of localized color distance values of pixels in each of the blocks. A streak in a block of the smooth area is detected in response to detecting that a magnitude of a color distance projection of the block exceeds a threshold value.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developing roller, a photoconductor drum, a density detector, a current detector, and a controller. The developing roller carries a toner. The photoconductor drum carries a toner patch. The density detector detects toner density of the toner patch. The current detector detects developing current flowing to the toner patch. The controller calculates an inclination of an approximate straight line approximating a relation between the toner density and the developing current. The developing roller develops three or more toner patches, different in toner density and different in developing current from one another, on the photoconductor drum. The controller calculates the inclination, using different mathematical expressions depending on whether three toner patches or four toner patches are provided.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, an exposure unit, a developing member, and a control unit. The exposure unit exposes a surface of the image bearing member to light to form an electrostatic latent image. The developing member develops the electrostatic latent image by using toner to form a toner image. In image formation based on input image data, the control unit uses the exposure unit to control a maximum gradation value of the toner image to be formed on the image bearing member surface, based on a repetition length of a dither pattern. The control unit performs control so that the maximum gradation value is larger in a case where a first dither pattern having a first length as the repetition length is used than where a second dither pattern having a second length longer than the first length as the repetition length is used.

Abstract: An optical scanning device includes a light source that emits a light beam, a lens member, and a housing that supports the lens member. The housing and the lens member are provided with a housing-side engagement and a lens member-side engagement respectively that engage with each other. The housing-side engagement and the lens member-side engagement are capable of pivoting the lens member around an axis along an optical axis direction of the light beam passing through a contact contacted through concavo-convex engagement with each other.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive drum, a transfer unit, a voltage supply circuit, and a controller. The transfer unit is configured to transfer developer onto a printing medium from the photosensitive drum. The voltage supply circuit is configured to supply voltage to the transfer unit. The controller is electrically connected to the voltage supply circuit. The controller is configured to: calculate a cumulative voltage value, the cumulative voltage value being a total of supplied voltage to the transfer unit from the voltage supply circuit after using the transfer unit is started; and determine how long a lifetime of the transfer unit remains based on the calculated cumulative voltage value.

Abstract: The heater including a substrate, a first heat generation member, a second heat generation member having a length substantially a same in a longitudinal direction as a length of the first heat generation member, a third heat generation member having a length shorter than lengths of the first heat generation member and the second heat generation member in the longitudinal direction, and a fourth heat generation member having a length shorter than length of the third heat generation member in the longitudinal direction, wherein the first heat generation member, the second heat generation member, the third heat generation member and the fourth heat generation member are arranged on the substrate.

Abstract: A focus adjustment method is disclosed. The focus adjustment method includes depositing, using a print apparatus, print agent onto a printable substrate, the print apparatus comprising a photoconductive surface and a writing head having a first end and a second end, the writing head having an array of light sources to emit radiation onto the photoconductive surface during a printing operation. The method also includes during said depositing, moving the writing head relative to the photoconductive surface, between a first position and a second position, to create a printed image. The method also includes determining, based on the printed image, for each of a plurality of locations along the writing head, a position of the writing head relative to the photoconductive surface at which the writing head is most focussed.

Abstract: A drum unit includes: a frame; a first photosensitive drum; a second photosensitive drum; a charger; and a storage medium. The frame includes: a first frame plate; a second frame plate spaced apart from the first frame plate in a first direction; a third frame plate connecting one end of the first frame plate to one end of the second frame plate; and a fourth frame plate connecting another end of the first frame plate to another end of the second frame plate. The first photosensitive drum and the second photosensitive drum are rotatably supported by the frame. The second photosensitive drum is spaced apart from the first photosensitive drum and positioned closer to the third frame plate than the first photosensitive drum to the third frame plate in a second direction. The storage medium has an electrical contact surface positioned at an outer surface of the fourth frame plate.

Abstract: An image forming device includes a first detection sensor unit that detects a toner image formed on an image carrier; a second detection sensor unit that detects the toner image disposed to be separated in the main scanning direction with respect to the first detection sensor unit and formed on the image carrier; and a controller. The controller causes: an image carrier to carry toner images indicating a first test pattern and a second test pattern, and discriminate a difference from a determination condition with respect to a first determination result based on a first threshold value and a second determination result. The controller determines a component to be an occurrence cause of the difference based on a combination of the first determination result and the second determination result when it is determined that the difference is present.

Abstract: A light emitting device includes: a first light-emitting-element row that includes light emitting elements arranged in a row in a main scanning direction; a second light-emitting-element row that includes light emitting elements arranged in a row in the main scanning direction and that is positioned in such a manner that at least a portion of the second light-emitting-element row overlaps the first light-emitting-element row in a subscanning direction; and a light-emission control unit that switches a light-emitting-element row caused to emit light between the first light-emitting-element row and the second light-emitting-element row at a switching point that is set at a position in an overlapping portion in which the first light-emitting-element row and the second light-emitting-element row overlap each other.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a control portion, a switching processing portion, a determination processing portion, and a release processing portion. The control portion includes a detection portion that detects abnormality regarding an image forming portion, and controls the image forming portion. When the abnormality detected by the detection portion is a first abnormality, the switching processing portion switches an operation mode of the image forming apparatus from a normal mode to a stop mode in which the control portion is stopped. When a specific operation is performed in a case where the operation mode is the stop mode, the determination processing portion determines whether or not a second abnormality is continued, based on a record result of detection of the abnormality. When it is determined that the second abnormality is continued, the release processing portion releases regulation on a removal of a developer storing portion.

Abstract: A light source according to the present invention is for an exposure device of a multifunction peripheral and includes a multi-beam light source. Two laser diodes included in the multi-beam light source are individually driven by a laser driver. Reference signals Vref1 and Vref2 used to control the light emitting power of the laser diodes are individually generated by two reference signal generation circuits. The reference signals Vref1 and Vref2 are each generated by processing including digital calculation, and at least one of the reference signals Vref1 and Vref2 includes a component for correcting the relative output difference of the laser diodes.

Abstract: A housing includes a first side wall having a first opening and a second side wall arranged spaced away from the first side wall in a first direction. A drawer detachably supports a drum unit. The drawer moves through the first opening between an inside position at which the drawer is located inside the housing and an outside position at which the drawer is located outside the housing. An LED unit moves between: a first position at which the LED unit exposes the photosensitive drum; and a second position at which the LED unit is farther away from the photosensitive drum than at the first position and the LED unit is closer to the first side wall in the first direction than at the first position.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, an acquisition unit, and a controller. The image forming unit forms images of an output material set including multiple types of output materials. The acquisition unit acquires image information of the output material set transmitted from a terminal apparatus. The terminal apparatus provides an identifier for identifying the output material set to each of the multiple types of output materials included in the output material set and transmits image information of each of the multiple types of output materials. The controller controls, in a case where the image information of the multiple types of output materials for each output material set is ready, the image forming unit to form the images of the output material set.