Abstract: A developing device includes a developing case, a toner concentration sensor, and a positioner. The developing case stores a developer containing toner and carrier to develop a latent image on a surface of an image bearer. The developing case includes at least a part of a conveyance path of the developer. The toner concentration sensor detects a toner concentration of the developer in the developing case. The positioner engages with an engaging portion at a center of a sensor main section of the toner concentration sensor to determine a position of the sensor main section in the developing case.

Abstract: A developer container to store developer includes a rotator, a bearing, and a seal. The rotator includes a rotary shaft made of metal. The bearing supports the rotary shaft. The seal is made of fiber, disposed toward an inside of the developer container in the bearing, and contacts an outer circumferential surface of the rotary shaft.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developing roller, a developing case, and a support. The developing roller includes a sleeve and a magnetic field generator. The sleeve is rotatable and includes a hollow shaft at an axial end of the sleeve. The magnetic field generator is irrotationally disposed inside the sleeve and includes a non-rotating shaft at an axial end of the magnetic field generator. The non-rotating shaft penetrates through the hollow shaft and projects outward. The developing case is configured to store developer and rotatably supports the hollow shaft. The support includes a fitting portion into which the non-rotating shaft of the magnetic field generator is irrotationally fitted. The support is supported on the developing case using the fitting portion as a main-positioning portion.

Abstract: A developing device configured to develop a latent image formed on a surface of an image bearer includes a rotator, a bearing, a holder, a first regulator, and a second regulator. The rotator includes a rotation shaft. The bearing supports the rotation shaft. The holder holds the bearing. The first regulator, disposed on any one of the bearing and the holder, regulates movement of the bearing such that the bearing does not fall toward one end side in an axial direction of the rotation shaft relative to the holder. The second regulator regulates movement of the bearing such that the bearing does not fall toward another end side in the axial direction relative to the holder after the bearing is attached to the holder.

Abstract: A developer container to store developer includes a rotator, a bearing, and a seal. The rotator includes a rotary shaft made of metal. The bearing supports the rotary shaft. The seal is made of fiber, disposed toward an inside of the developer container in the bearing, and contacts an outer circumferential surface of the rotary shaft.

Abstract: A developer container to store developer includes a rotator, a bearing, and a seal. The rotator includes a rotary shaft made of metal. The bearing supports the rotary shaft. The seal is made of fiber, disposed toward an inside of the developer container in the bearing, and contacts an outer circumferential surface of the rotary shaft.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developing roller, a developing case, and a support. The developing roller includes a sleeve and a magnetic field generator. The sleeve is rotatable and includes a hollow shaft at an axial end of the sleeve. The magnetic field generator is irrotationally disposed inside the sleeve and includes a non-rotating shaft at an axial end of the magnetic field generator. The non-rotating shaft penetrates through the hollow shaft and projects outward. The developing case is configured to store developer and rotatably supports the hollow shaft. The support includes a fitting portion into which the non-rotating shaft of the magnetic field generator is irrotationally fitted. The support is supported on the developing case using the fitting portion as a main-positioning portion.

Abstract: A developing device configured to develop a latent image formed on a surface of an image bearer includes a rotator, a bearing, a holder, a first regulator, and a second regulator. The rotator includes a rotation shaft. The bearing supports the rotation shaft. The holder holds the bearing. The first regulator, disposed on any one of the bearing and the holder, regulates movement of the bearing such that the bearing does not fall toward one end side in an axial direction of the rotation shaft relative to the holder. The second regulator regulates movement of the bearing such that the bearing does not fall toward another end side in the axial direction relative to the holder after the bearing is attached to the holder.

Abstract: A developer container to store developer includes a rotator, a bearing, and a seal. The rotator includes a rotary shaft made of metal. The bearing supports the rotary shaft. The seal is made of fiber, disposed toward an inside of the developer container in the bearing, and contacts an outer circumferential surface of the rotary shaft.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developer container, a developing roller, and a doctor member. The developer container contains a developer including a toner and a developer. The developing roller includes a developing sleeve bearing the developer, a magnet roller in the developing sleeve. The doctor member includes a regulating portion regulating an amount of the developer home on the developing sleeve to be a predetermined amount. The regulating portion is disposed with a first distance from the developing sleeve. The developing sleeve is disposed with a second distance from an image hearer, and when the developing sleeve bearing the predetermined amount of developer passes a vicinity of the image bearer, a value obtained by dividing the predetermined amount by the second distance is less than a threshold of occurrence of adherence of the developer to the developing sleeve.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developer container, a developing roller, and a doctor member. The developer container contains a developer including a toner and a developer. The developing roller includes a developing sleeve bearing the developer, a magnet roller in the developing sleeve. The doctor member includes a regulating portion regulating an amount of the developer home on the developing sleeve to be a predetermined amount. The regulating portion is disposed with a first distance from the developing sleeve. The developing sleeve is disposed with a second distance from an image hearer, and when the developing sleeve bearing the predetermined amount of developer passes a vicinity of the image bearer, a value obtained by dividing the predetermined amount by the second distance is less than a threshold of occurrence of adherence of the developer to the developing sleeve.

Abstract: A toner including a petroleum wax, wherein the petroleum wax comprises a paraffin wax having a polarity.

Abstract: An image forming method including forming a toner image on a transfer medium with a toner comprising a wax having a polar group, and applying a varnish to the toner image. The wax may be a plant wax having an ester group, a wax having a polar group derived from a fatty acid, an oxidized wax, or a mixture thereof. The varnish may include a surfactant, such as a polyoxyethylene glycol, and may be photocurable.

Abstract: An image glossiness controller has a main component color specifying unit that identifies a prescribed component color and output identification information thereof. A change in amplitude of a convexoconcavity of a toner layer of the prescribed component color is greatest among those of the other component colors when each of the component color toner is formed and fixed alone. Three or more halftone dot signal generators convert clear toner image information into three or more binary clear toner image signals corresponding to three or more component colors per component color pixel using multiple halftone dot characteristics, respectively. Each of the multiple halftone dot characteristics generating three or more binary clear toner image signals has a reversed phase from that generating three or more binary component color image signals.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a color toner image forming unit that forms a color toner image on a recording medium; a first colorless transparent toner image forming unit that forms a first colorless transparent toner image on the color toner image; a first fixing unit that fixes the image on the recording medium; a gloss level increasing device that increases a gloss level of the entire image on the recording medium that has been fixed; a second colorless transparent toner image forming unit that forms a second colorless transparent toner image on the image whose gloss level has been increased; and a second fixing unit that fixes the second colorless transparent toner image on the recording medium.

Abstract: An image glossiness controller has a main component color specifying unit that identifies a prescribed component color and output identification information thereof. A change in amplitude of a convexoconcavity of a toner layer of the prescribed component color is greatest among those of the other component colors when each of the component color toner is formed and fixed alone. Three or more halftone dot signal generators convert clear toner image information into three or more binary clear toner image signals corresponding to three or more component colors per component color pixel using multiple halftone dot characteristics, respectively. Each of the multiple halftone dot characteristics generating three or more binary clear toner image signals has a reversed phase from that generating three or more binary component color image signals.

Abstract: A toner including a petroleum wax, wherein the petroleum wax comprises a paraffin wax having a polarity.

Abstract: An image forming method including forming a toner image on a transfer medium with a toner comprising a wax having a polar group, and applying a varnish to the toner image. The wax may be a plant wax having an ester group, a wax having a polar group derived from a fatty acid, an oxidized wax, or a mixture thereof. The varnish may include a surfactant, such as a polyoxyethylene glycol, and may be photocurable.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a color toner image forming unit that forms a color toner image on a recording medium; a first colorless transparent toner image forming unit that forms a first colorless transparent toner image on the color toner image; a first fixing unit that fixes the image on the recording medium; a gloss level increasing device that increases a gloss level of the entire image on the recording medium that has been fixed; a second colorless transparent toner image forming unit that forms a second colorless transparent toner image on the image whose gloss level has been increased; and a second fixing unit that fixes the second colorless transparent toner image on the recording medium.