Abstract: A liquid developer contains a liquid insulator formed of a liquid hydrocarbon, toner particles formed by chemically modifying surfaces of mother toner particles formed of a material containing a rosin-based resin and a polyester resin with a polyalkyleneimine, and a metal soap dissolved in the liquid insulator.

Abstract: The apparatus is adapted to deflect a light beam from a laser light source for each of the color components by means of a deflection mirror surface which oscillates, thereby making the light beam reciprocally scan in a main scanning direction. In this apparatus, however, only a light beam SL which scans in a first direction (+X) of the main scanning direction is irradiated in an effective image region on a photosensitive member, so as to form a latent image thereon. The resultant latent image is developed to form a toner image. Since image formation is performed using only the light beam SL which scans in the first direction (+X), the images may be formed at the consistent density irrespective of the image types. Furthermore, the scanning directions of the light beams SL for all the color components are uniformly defined to be the first direction (+X), so that the toner images of the respective colors may maintain the consistent density.

Abstract: A lens array includes: a light transmissive lens array substrate; a plurality of lenses disposed on the lens array substrate in a first direction; and a line-like mark formed on the lens array substrate in a second direction one of perpendicular and substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

Abstract: The surface of a photoconductor is coated with a surface protection layer comprising a cured material of a fluorine-containing photo-curing composition containing fluorinated alkyl group-containing (meth)acrylate and a photopolymerization initiator, and the surface protection layer has a fluorine atom content of 8.5 to 20% by mass.

Abstract: Disclosed is an exposure head including a light emitting element array including light emitting elements disposed in a first direction, a light blocking member including an aperture stop through which lights emitted from the light emitting elements pass, and an image forming optical system that makes an image by using the lights having passed through the light blocking member. An absolute value of a magnification in the first direction of the image forming optical system is equal to or more than 0.7 times and is equal to or less than 0.8 times.

Abstract: A exposure head includes: a light-emitting element substrate including a first light-emitting element configured to emit light, a second light-emitting element disposed in a first direction of the first light-emitting element, a third light-emitting element, and a fourth light-emitting element disposed so as to satisfy the following relationship; Dr12:Dr23=1:m (l?m) where, l: positive integer number, m: positive integer number, Dr12: distance between the first light-emitting element and the third light-emitting element in the direction orthogonal to the first direction, Dr23: distance between the third light-emitting element and the fourth light-emitting element in the direction orthogonal to the first direction, and an imaging optical system configured to image lights emitted from the first light-emitting element, the second light-emitting element, the third light-emitting element, and the fourth light-emitting element.

Abstract: The invention provides an image forming apparatus and an image forming method capable of smoothly and reasonably conducting image formation in case of using a lens (lenses) of which optical magnification is minus. An image forming apparatus of the invention comprises: a line head having lenses of which optical magnification is minus and a light emitter array in which a plurality of light emitting elements are aligned. The lenses are plural in an axial direction (main scanning direction) of an image carrier and a direction (sub scanning direction) perpendicular to the axial direction. A light emitter block composed of “m×n” (in number) light emitting elements is disposed relative to each lens. The “m×n” light emitting elements comprises “n” (in number) light emitting element lines arranged in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction and each light emitting element line includes “m” (in number) light emitting elements aligned in the axial direction.

Abstract: An exposure head includes: a lens array in which lenses are disposed in a first direction; and a light-emitting element substrate on which light-emitting elements that emit light to be focused by the lenses are disposed. Length L1 of the lenses in the first direction and length L2 of the lenses in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction have a relation represented by an expression 1<L2/L1.

Abstract: An exposure head including: light-emitting elements disposed at a first pitch in a first direction; and drive circuits disposed at a second pitch wider than the first pitch in the first direction on one side of the light-emitting elements in a second direction orthogonal to or substantially orthogonal to the first direction and configured to cause the light-emitting elements to emit light.

Abstract: An image forming method includes rotating a transfer roller which forms a transfer nip by coming in contact with a transfer belt and has a concaved portion wider than the transfer nip in a rotation direction, such that the concaved portion comes to a position of facing the transfer belt, stopping rotation of the transfer roller at a position where the transfer belt faces the concaved portion of the transfer roller and the transfer belt and the transfer roller are spaced apart from each other, moving the transfer belt while the transfer roller is stopped and transferring an image formed on an image carrier to the transfer belt, and detecting the transferred image by a detection portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, includes: a latent image carrier whose surface includes an effective image region spanning across a predetermined width in a main scanning direction and is driven in a sub scanning direction approximately orthogonal to the main scanning direction; a latent image former which has a light source and a deflection mirror oscillating, and deflects a light beam from the light source using the deflection mirror so as to scan the effective image region with the deflected light beam; and a scanning mode controller which switches selectively between a single-side scanning mode and a double-side scanning mode, the single-side scanning mode being a mode in which the light beam is scanned only in a first direction included in the main scanning direction, the double-side scanning mode being a mode in which the light beam is scanned in both the first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction, wherein a condition to form latent images on the latent image carrier in the singl

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: The image forming apparatus includes a first latent image carrier; a first developing member develops the latent image by a first liquid developer; a second latent image carrier; a second developing member develops the latent image by a second liquid developer; a transfer medium that forms first and second nip portion; a detecting unit; and a control unit, that, when the first image is a first image density, detect the first image passed through the second nip portion formed by the transfer medium and the second latent image carrier while the second developing member contacts with the second latent image carrier, and when the first image is a second image density higher than the first image density, detect the first image passed through the second nip portion formed by the transfer medium and the second latent image carrier while the second developing member separates form the second latent image carrier.

Abstract: A transfer device includes: an image carrier belt; a first roller around which the image carrier belt is wound; a second roller around which the image carrier belt wound around the first roller and shifted; a first transfer roller contacting the first roller via the image carrier belt; a second transfer roller contacting the second roller via the image carrier belt; and a transfer belt wound around the first transfer roller and the second transfer roller. A width L3 of the image carrier belt and a width L4 of the transfer belt have the relationship of L3>L4.

Abstract: A liquid developer includes toner particles formed of a resin material and a coloring agent, and an insulation liquid in which the toner particles are dispersed, the insulation liquid containing ester-exchange oil obtained by an ester-exchange reaction of linseed oil and at least one of semidrying oil and nondrying oil. It is preferred that the insulation liquid further contains fatty acid monoester. Further, it is preferred that the amount of the fatty acid monoester contained in the insulation liquid is in the range of 5 to 50 wt %.

Abstract: An image development apparatus, including: a developer carrier that carries thereon a liquid developer being a carrier solution including dispersed toner particles each made of a coloring agent and a resin; a developer supply member that supplies the developer to the developer carrier; a developer compression member that is opposing the developer carrier, and compresses any solid content of the developer to a side of the developer carrier through application of an electric field to the developer on the developer carrier supplied by the developer supply member; a developer compression member voltage application unit that applies a voltage to the developer compression member; and a current detection unit that detects a current flowing from the developer compression member to the developer carrier.

Abstract: There is provided a method for controlling a line head including a focusing optical system, first light emitters, light from which being focused by the focusing optical system, second light emitters disposed next to the first light emitters in a first direction, light from the second light emitters being focused by the focusing optical system, and third light emitters disposed next to the second light emitters in the first direction, light from the third light emitters being focused by the focusing optical system. The method includes turning on the first light emitters at time t0, turning on the second light emitters after a period t1 has passed since the time t0, and turning on the third light emitters after a period t2 has passed since the time t0. The periods t1 and t2 are controlled under the following condition: t2?n×t1 (n is an integer two or greater).

Abstract: The apparatus is adapted to deflect a light beam from a laser light source for each of the color components by means of a deflection mirror surface which oscillates, thereby making the light beam reciprocally scan in a main scanning direction. In this apparatus, however, only a light beam SL which scans in a first direction (+X) of the main scanning direction is irradiated in an effective image region on a photosensitive member, so as to form a latent image thereon. The resultant latent image is developed to form a toner image. Since image formation is performed using only the light beam SL which scans in the first direction (+X), the images may be formed at the consistent density irrespective of the image types. Furthermore, the scanning directions of the light beams SL for all the color components are uniformly defined to be the first direction (+X), so that the toner images of the respective colors may maintain the consistent density.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a latent image bearing member on which a latent image is formed; a developing unit that develops the latent image using a liquid developer; a transfer member onto which the image is transferred; a cleaning unit that cleans the latent image bearing member; a cleaning roller, to which a bias is applied, that cleans the transfer member by making contact with the transfer member; a blade that cleans the cleaning roller by making contact with the cleaning roller; a cleaning blade that cleans the transfer member cleaned by the cleaning roller by making contact with the transfer member; a holding unit that holds collected material scratched by the blade and the cleaning blade; an application unit that applies the collected material to the cleaning roller; and a transport channel that transports the collected material collected by the cleaning unit to the holding unit.

Abstract: A developing system comprises: a plurality of image carriers; a plurality of developing devices for developing electrostatic latent images, formed on the plurality of image carriers, with respective liquid developers of different colors of which carrier is nonvolatile solvent; and developer collecting means which are disposed at a plurality of locations for collecting excess developers, wherein the developing devices have developer containers, respectively. The developing system further comprises a carrier storing tank for distributing the carrier to the respective developer containers.