Abstract: The present invention relates to a technology for printing an image of a letter, a drawing, etc. on the surface of a metallic material and, specifically, to printing equipment and a printing method using same, which can stably print an image on the surface of a metallic material at high speed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, an intermediary transfer member, a secondary transfer member, a cleaning blade, first and second feeding portions, and a controller. In the case where a recording material feeding source is changed from the first feeding portion to the second feeding portion, when a position of a leading end of an untransferred toner image is an untransferred toner image leading end, and a position of a leading end of an image forming region in which a first toner image after resumption of image formation is formable is a post-resumption image leading end, the controller controls the image forming portion to carry out control in which the image formation is resumed so that the untransferred toner image leading end first passes through a primary transfer portion and then the post-resumption image leading end first reaches the primary transfer portion.

Abstract: A charging device includes: a housing having a U-shaped cross-section, disposed such that an opening thereof faces a surface of a rotating image carrier, and extending in an axial direction of the image carrier; a discharge electrode configured to charge the surface, the discharge electrode being attached to the housing, inside the housing, and extending in the axial direction; and a cleaner having a protrusion that comes into contact with a bottom plate of the housing and configured to move in the axial direction to clean the discharge electrode in a state in which the protrusion is in contact with the bottom plate, regardless of whether the opening in the housing faces upward or downward.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprising an apparatus body including a first developing unit including a first developing container and a first developing roller, and a second developing unit including a second developing container and a second developing roller, a first toner container configured to attachably and detachably supported on the apparatus body, the first toner container being configured to supply the first toner together with air toward the first developing container, a second toner container configured to attachably and detachably supported on the apparatus body, the second toner container being configured to supply the second toner together with air toward the second developing container, a pump unit including a first pump and a second pump, and aligned with the first pump in the first direction, and one driving source configured to drive the first pump and second pump.

Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus including: a cleaning roller; a web feeder; and a hardware processor. The cleaning roller collects an adhering substance adhering to a fixer for fixing a toner image onto a recording medium. The web feeder feeds, to the cleaning roller, a web for collecting the adhering substance adhering to the cleaning roller. The hardware processor that controls operation of the web feeder. The hardware processor: calculates, based on job information of image formation, a required feed amount of the web required for collecting the adhering substance adhering to the cleaning roller; and, when the required feed amount is greater than a feed amount of the web that can be fed during execution of image formation of a job related to the job information, feeds the web to the cleaning roller after completion of the image formation.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an acquiring portion to acquire information including first information on a rotation amount of a developer carrying member in a first position and second information on the rotation amount of the developer carrying member in a second position, and a controller to control a driving portion for rotating the developer carrying member and the acquiring portion. The controller controls (i) so that both a remaining life of a developing unit is reduced based on the first information and the remaining life of the developing unit is reduced based on the second information, and (ii) so as to change a degree of decrease of the remaining life of the developing unit based on the first information and the degree of decrease of the remaining life of the developing unit based on the second information.

Abstract: The present invention relates to printing equipment for printing images such as letters, pictures and the like on the surface of metal such as a steel plate, that may stably print images on the surface of metal at high speed, a printing method using the same, and a printed metal material obtained therefrom.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an exposure head including a light emitting portion that includes a first electrode layer including a plurality of electrodes that are two-dimensionally arranged in a main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction, a light emitting layer stacked on the first electrode layer, and a second electrode layer through which light is transmissible; and a controller configured to control a voltage applied to each of the plurality of electrodes in such a way that the light emitting layer emits light, in which the plurality of electrodes for forming an identical pixel are arranged in such a way that the electrodes partially overlap each other when viewed from the rotation direction, and an inter-centroid distance of the plurality of electrodes in the rotational axis direction is equal in the rotational axis direction, and d3=W1/n (n is a natural number of 2 or more), in which W1 [mm] is a width of the electrode in the rotational axis direction, n is the number of electrodes for

Abstract: A process cartridge includes a toner and a developing roller. In the toner, a cohesion cluster containing fine silica particles and a binder component is present on surfaces of toner particles. Ratios of toner particles having the cohesion cluster before and after treatments with ultrasonic waves under specific conditions in terms of number % are within predetermined ranges. The developing roller has an Asker C hardness of 56 degrees or more and 75 degrees or less.

Abstract: According to an embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes an image forming device, a scanning device, and a controller. The image forming device forms a first test image and forms a second test image. The scanning device scans the first test image with a first amount of emitted light corresponding to a first input value and scans the second test image with a second amount of emitted light corresponding to a second input value. The controller selectively executes any one of a first correction process, a second correction process, or a third correction process on the basis of an event change.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developer container to and from which a replenishment container is attachable and detachable, the developer container including an accommodating portion, and a supporting portion, wherein the developer container includes a projection portion that is provided at one end portion thereof in the rotation axis direction of the developer bearing member and projects toward the supporting portion more than a center portion of the developer container in a crossing direction crossing the rotation axis direction, the projection portion communicates with the accommodating portion and includes, at a distal end portion thereof, an attachment portion configured such that the replenishment container is attachable thereto in a state of being exposed to the outside of the apparatus, and a replenishment port for replenishing the accommodating portion with developer from the replenishment container is defined in the attachment portion.

Abstract: Disclosed is a drum cartridge attachable to an image forming apparatus that includes a casing, a drum shaft bearing, a photosensitive drum rotatably supported by the drum shaft bearing, a charging roller for charging the photosensitive drum, a charging roller bearing, a charging roller urging member, a cleaning roller for cleaning the charging roller, a cleaning roller bearing, and a cleaning roller urging member. The charging roller is regulated in a circumferential direction by the charging roller bearing. The cleaning roller is regulated in a circumferential direction by the charging roller bearing. The charging roller bearing includes a first portion for regulating the cleaning roller bearing, and a second portion for regulating the cleaning roller bearing. The cleaning roller includes a regulation portion for regulating the cleaning roller bearing in a rotation shaft axis direction of the cleaning roller.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises a photosensitive drum, an exposure head and a control unit. The control unit can execute a first mode and a second mode in which the drum is rotated at a second rotational speed that is a/b times of the first rotational speed of the first mode. In exposure of the second mode, the control unit controls a cycle of a light emission timing at a cycle of b/a times of a cycle of the first mode, controls the light-emitting units to cause, among n rows, the light-emitting units of (n×((d?c)/d)) rows to not emit light, and sets a drive current so that an amount of light matches (a×d)/(b×c) times of the first mode.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, a development cartridge is movable between a contact position in which a development roller is in contact with a photosensitive drum and a separate position in which the development roller is separate from the photosensitive drum, by a cam and a cam follower that is caused to slide in directions parallel to a rotation axis of the cam between a push position in which the development cartridge is pushed by the cam and positioned in the separate position and a no-push position in which the development cartridge is in the contact position. The cam follower includes a first shaft and a contact arm extending from the first shaft and configured to contact a cam surface of the cam. A projection of the first shaft onto the first cam in a direction parallel to the rotation axis is positioned inside a contour of the first cam.

Abstract: A developing cartridge includes a housing, a developing roller, a shaft, a first cam, and an elastic member. The housing has a first outer surface at one end portion of the housing in a first direction. The developing roller is rotatable about a first axis extending in the first direction. The shaft is along a second axis extending in the first direction. The shaft is movable in the first direction relative to both the housing and the developing roller. The first cam is at one end portion of the shaft in the first direction. The first cam is movable in the first direction together with the shaft. The elastic member is positioned outward of the shaft in a radial direction of the shaft. The elastic member is positioned between the first outer surface and the first cam in the first direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus main body, a first unit dismountable from the apparatus main body, a second unit dismountable from the first unit, and a protective member. The first unit includes a photosensitive member, a transfer unit, and a first unit memory section. The second unit includes a development roller, a storage section that stores a developer, and a second unit memory section. The apparatus main body includes a first main body contact that is electrically connectable to the first unit memory section and a second main body contact that is electrically connectable to the second unit memory section. When the image forming apparatus is packed, the first unit and the second unit are mounted to the apparatus main body with the second unit mounted to the first unit and with the protective member mounted to the first unit and the second unit.

Abstract: A supporting member supports an image reading device. The image reading device is movable between a first position at which a front side of the image reading device is close to an image forming unit and a second position at which a front side of the image reading device is spaced apart from the image forming unit. A first end portion of an operation unit protrudes outward of the image forming unit from one side surface. A second end portion of the operation unit that opposes the first end portion is positioned on an inner side of the image forming unit relative to one side surface of the image forming unit.

Abstract: A sheet-shaped sealing member to be pulled out from a front side of the sheet-shaped sealing member in a pull-out direction that is a longitudinal direction of the sheet-shaped sealing member includes a sealing portion and a cutout portion. The sealing portion seals a sealed portion. The cutout portion is cut out to be cantilevered with a position different from the sealing portion as a root portion. The cutout portion has a free end as a fixing portion to be removably fixed to the sealed portion or a fixed portion of a housing in which the sheet-shaped sealing member is installed.

Abstract: A conductive member includes a substrate; an elastic layer provided on the substrate; and a surface layer provided on the elastic layer, in which the surface layer has a sea/island structure that consists of a sea portion containing a first resin and an island portion containing a second resin, a conductive agent is unevenly distributed in an interface between the sea portion and the island portion, in observation of a cross section of the surface layer, a ratio A of a total area of the island portions in a region X from a surface of the surface layer to a depth that is 10% of a film thickness is 40% or more and 80% or less, a linked island portion where two or more of the island portions are linked is present in the region X, and a ratio B of a total area of the linked island portions to the total area of the island portions is 50% or more and 100% or less.

Abstract: In the case that a developer supply container is provided with a feeding portion for feeding a developer by receiving a rotational force and a pump portion for discharging the developer by reciprocation, and the rotational force and a reciprocating force are received from a main assembly side of an image forming apparatus, there is a liability that a driving connection is not properly established between a portion of the developer supply container for receiving the reciprocating force and a portion of the main assembly side for applying the reciprocating force. The developer supply container is provided with a drive converting mechanism for converting the rotational force received from the main assembly side to a force for operating a volume changing type pump.