Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a turnable image bearing body for bearing a latent image; a turnable developer bearing body for bearing liquid developer, the developer bearing body and the image bearing body being pressed in contact with each other at a predetermined press-contact position, the developer bearing body being capable of carrying the liquid developer toward the press-contact position by turning, the image forming apparatus performing development of the latent image, which is bore by the image bearing body, with the liquid developer that has been carried toward the press-contact position; and a controller for causing the development of the latent image to start after a predetermined period of time has passed from when the turning speed of the developer bearing body and the image bearing body reached a predetermined turning speed for development at which the development is performed.

Abstract: Provided is an exposure head controller that controls, via pulse width modulation control, the emission quantity of each light emitting element in an exposure head having a light emitting element array formed by arranging a plurality of light emitting elements in a main scanning direction and a sub scanning direction orthogonal thereto, comprising: a data retention unit that retains dot gathering control data showing whether to emit each light emitting element at the starting point side, terminal point side or in the middle of an emission period corresponding to a 1 pixel pitch in the sub scanning direction, or to divide and emit each light emitting element at the starting point side and terminal point side, emission time data showing the emission time of each light emitting element, and skew data showing the skew quantity of each light emitting element; a dot gathering operation circuit provided to each light emitting element and which operates the time in which the light emitting element is to be retained i

Abstract: A line head, includes: a substrate on which a plurality of light emitting elements are provided; a lens array that includes a plurality of lenses; and a cover member that is optically transmissive, is opposed to the lens array, and is provided at the other side of the substrate with respect to the lens array.

Abstract: A line head includes: a first lens array having a plurality of first lenses each having a convex surface as a light incidence surface; a second lens array that is arranged at a light-emitting surface side of the first lens array so as to be opposite to the first lens array and that has a plurality of second lenses, which are arranged at positions corresponding to the plurality of first lenses and each of which has a convex surface as a light incidence surface; and at least a light-emitting element provided for each of the first lenses at a light incidence side of the first lens array.

Abstract: A line head, includes: a plurality of light emitting elements that are grouped into light emitting element groups, and an array that includes a plurality of imaging optical systems provided with respect to each light emitting element group which focus light beams emitted from the light emitting element groups toward a latent image-forming surface being conveyed in a second direction normal to or substantially normal to a first direction, wherein the plurality of imaging optical systems face positions on the latent image-forming surface mutually different in the second direction, and the respective imaging optical systems are constructed in accordance with differences in facing positions on the latent image-forming surface in the second direction.

Abstract: A developing roller includes a hollow cylindrical or solid cylindrical main body having a grooved portion that is formed in the outer circumferential surface of the main body and that supports toner. The grooved portion includes a plurality of first grooves parallel to each other and a plurality of second grooves parallel to each other and intersecting with the first grooves. The centers of four intersections at which adjacent two of the first grooves and adjacent two of the second grooves intersect differ from each other in the position in the direction of the axis of the main body.

Abstract: A fusing unit for fusing a nonfused toner image formed on a sheet medium, including: a heating roller; a pressing roller pressed to the heating roller; a heat-resistant belt which is wrapped around an outer periphery of the pressing roller and travels while being nipped at a nip portion between the pressing roller and the heating roller; a belt stretching member which stretches the heat-resistant belt; and a sliding member which is disposed between the belt stretching member and the pressing roller and slides along the outer periphery of the pressing roller, wherein the sliding member is disposed to be brought into contact with the heating roller through the heat-resistant belt at a contact portion.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a toner by using a liquid dispersion in which a dispersoid containing a material for manufacturing a toner is dispersed in a dispersion medium, and containing a dispersant having a function of improving the dispersibility of the dispersoid, the method including the steps of: preparing the liquid dispersion, applying ozone to the liquid dispersion and/or a liquid dispersion from which at least a portion of the dispersion medium has been removed, and irradiating UV-rays to the liquid dispersion and/or the liquid dispersion from which at least a portion of the dispersion medium has been removed.

Abstract: A registration mark is a toner image which has a first linear pattern and a second linear pattern, which extend along a main scanning direction, and a two-dimensional pattern. The first linear pattern, the two-dimensional pattern and the second linear pattern are arranged apart from each other in this order along a transporting direction. In short, the linear patterns and extending along the main scanning direction are formed spaced apart from the two-dimensional pattern, one toward the upstream side and the other toward the downstream side, along the transporting direction. This suppresses the edge effect along the transporting direction and realizes accurate detection of the position of each registration mark by a test pattern sensor.

Abstract: A liquid developer includes an insulation liquid containing a fatty acid monoester, and toner particles comprised of a polyester resin. By using the liquid developer, it is possible to provide superior fixing characteristic of toner particles to a recording medium. An image forming apparatus that can suitably use such a liquid developer is also provided.

Abstract: A liquid developer includes: an insulating liquid having dispersed therein toner particles, the insulating liquid containing a fatty acid monoester that is an ester of a fatty acid and a monohydric alcohol, and the insulating liquid having an aniline point of from 5 to 80° C.

Abstract: A color image forming apparatus, comprising: a plurality of image forming stations, each including a photo conductor on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, a developing member which develops the latent image as a visible toner image, and a single motor pinion which drives both of the photo conductor and the developing member, and a transfer belt, onto which the toner image is transferred, and which is driven by the single motor pinion of a first one of the image forming stations.

Abstract: Provided is an exposure head, including: an array substrate having a plurality of organic EL elements arranged in an array on one face; and a plurality of circuit chips having a circuit for driving the organic EL element, and in which the forming face of the circuit is serially arranged along the extending direction of the array substrate so as to face one face of the array substrate; wherein the plurality of circuit chips are mutually serially connected by providing a pair of wiring groups for each mutual boundary location of the circuit chips on one face of the array substrate and outside the arrangement area of the organic EL element, bump-bonding one of the adjacent circuit chips to one end of the pair of wiring groups, and bump-bonding the other adjacent circuit chip to the other end of the pair of wiring groups.

Abstract: A line head, includes: an element substrate that includes luminous element groups as groups of a plurality of luminous elements; and a lens array that includes lenses which have an optical property of inverting or non-unity-magnification, focus light from the luminous element groups to form spot groups on an image plane, and are provided corresponding to the respective luminous element groups, wherein the plurality of luminous elements are two-dimensionally arranged in point symmetry in each luminous element group, a plurality of spots are formed as the spot group when the respective luminous elements of the luminous element group emit light, and an inter-point distance between an intersection of a line extending from a symmetry center of the luminous element group in an optical axis direction of the lens with the image plane and a center of gravity position of the spot group is shorter than a specified distance.

Abstract: A print head includes a plurality of light emitting elements grouped into a plurality of light emitting element groups and disposed by the light emitting group, a lens array having optical systems corresponding respectively to the light emitting element groups, each of the optical systems imaging a light beam emitted from the light emitting element group on a scan target surface, and a light shielding member provided with light guide holes corresponding respectively to the light emitting element groups, each of the light guide holes guiding the light beam emitted from the light emitting element group, wherein each of the light emitting element groups is provided with an aperture section disposed at a front focal position of the optical system and a center axis one of substantially identical and identical to an optical axis of the optical system.

Abstract: A line head, includes: a plurality of luminous elements grouped into a plurality of luminous element groups; and a lens array which includes a plurality of lenses each of which faces the luminous element group, focuses light beams emitted from the luminous element group on an image plane, and accordingly forms a spot group, wherein the plurality of luminous element groups are arrayed in M×N in a first direction and in a second direction which are different from each other, where M and N are integers equal to or greater than two, and spot groups adjacent to each other in a direction corresponding to the first direction are so formed on the image plane as to partly overlap in a direction corresponding to the second direction.

Abstract: A line head, includes: a lens array in which a plurality of imaging lenses whose absolute value of magnification is m are arranged in a longitudinal direction which corresponds to a main scanning direction for a surface-to-be-scanned; and a plurality of luminous element groups which are disposed in one-to-one correspondence to the plurality of imaging lenses, wherein in each one of the plurality of luminous element groups, the plurality of luminous elements are arranged at mutually different positions in the longitudinal direction spaced apart by an element pitch dp, the plurality of luminous elements of this luminous element group are respectively turned on to emit light beams at timings in conformity with a movement of the surface-to-be-scanned in a sub scanning direction, the light beams emitted from the plurality of luminous elements of this luminous element group are imaged on the surface-to-be-scanned at mutually different positions in the main scanning direction, and accordingly a plurality of spots ar

Abstract: An image forming method using an image forming apparatus including: a latent image carrier whose surface is driven in a sub scanning direction; a deflector which scans a beam spot reciprocally in a main scanning direction substantially perpendicular to the sub scanning direction on the surface of the latent image carrier in the use of an oscillating deflect mirror so as to form spot latent images each of which formed on a pixel; developer which develops each of the spot latent images as a pixel-dot, the method includes of: halftoning for a tone reproduction in which a halftone-dot constituted by the pixel-dot(s) is formed on a cell consisting plural pixels according to a fattening type threshold matrix, wherein a plurality of cells are contiguously arranged in the main scanning direction so as to form a plurality of contiguous locations at each of which the cells adjoin mutually in the main scanning direction, each cell includes a larger-than-four even number of pixels in the sub scanning direction, and the c

Abstract: An image-forming method performed in an image forming apparatus which includes: a first memory, storing first information indicative of a first factor causing color shift; and a detachable process cartridge, provided with an image carrier and a second memory storing second information indicative of a second factor causing the color shift, the method including: reading out the first information and the second information when the image forming apparatus recognizes an attachment of the process cartridge, obtaining an estimated color shift caused by the first factor and the second factor, based on the first information and the second information; judging whether the estimated color shift is within a predetermined range; and performing an initialization of the process cartridge when it is judged that the estimated color shift is within the predetermined range.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a turnable image bearing body for bearing a latent image; a turnable developer bearing body for bearing liquid developer, the developer bearing body and the image bearing body being pressed in contact with each other at a predetermined press-contact position, the developer bearing body being capable of carrying the liquid developer toward the press-contact position by turning, the image forming apparatus performing development of the latent image, which is bore by the image bearing body, with the liquid developer that has been carried toward the press-contact position; and a controller for causing the development of the latent image to start after a predetermined period of time has passed from when the turning speed of the developer bearing body and the image bearing body reached a predetermined turning speed for development at which the development is performed.