Abstract: A fixing unit includes a rotary member, a contact portion arranged in an internal space of the rotary member, a pressing member configured to be in contact with an outer surface of the rotary member, and a heating portion configured to heat the rotary member such that the rotary member heats an image on a recording material being nipped in and conveyed through a nip portion between the rotary member and the pressing member. A lubricant is applied between the inner surface of the rotary member and the contact portion. The lubricant contains abase oil at a ratio of 80% or more with respect to a total mass of the lubricant. A developed interfacial area ratio of the inner surface of the rotary member is 0.10 or more and 0.50 or less.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit including an image bearing member, an intermediate transfer member, and a transfer roller, a conveyance rotary member pair, a fixing unit, a first conveyance path, a second conveyance path, a reverse conveyance unit, and a control unit. The control unit is configured to perform a conveyance operation of conveying the sheet, the conveyance operation including (i) a first conveyance processing of conveying the sheet toward the reverse conveyance, (ii) a second conveyance processing of conveying the sheet toward the second conveyance path by the reverse conveyance unit, and (iii) a third conveyance processing of transferring the toner image to the sheet at the transfer nip portion. A surface, of the sheet, that faces the pressure roller in the first conveyance processing is configured to face the intermediate transfer member in the third conveyance processing.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes first and second rotating members, a heater having a heating element and a substrate, and first and second contact members. A direction of a longer side on a surface of the substrate where the heating element is disposed is a longitudinal direction. A direction intersecting the longitudinal direction is a widthwise direction. The first contact member is disposed in a region outside a region where a maximum size recording material conveyed to a nip portion passes through the nip portion on one end side in the longitudinal direction on an outer circumferential surface of the first rotating member, and the second contact member is disposed in the region outside the region where the maximum size recording material conveyed to the nip portion passes through the nip portion on an other end side in the longitudinal direction on an outer circumferential surface of the second rotating member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: an apparatus main body having an opening; a moving member holding a cartridge and movable through the opening between a housed position and an exposed position; an opening/closing portion configured to be rotatable between an open position and a closed position, and includes a first support portion and a second support portion that support the moving member located at the exposed position; and a metal member that is attached to the opening/closing portion and faces the moving member in a state in which the moving member is located at the exposed position and supported by the first support portion and the second support portion. The metal member is placed between the first support portion and the second support portion in a rotation axis direction of the opening/closing portion.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes first and second rotating members, a heater having a heating element and a substrate, and first and second contact members. A direction of a longer side on a surface of the substrate where the heating element is disposed is a longitudinal direction. A direction intersecting the longitudinal direction is a widthwise direction. The first contact member is disposed in a region outside a region where a maximum size recording material conveyed to a nip portion passes through the nip portion on one end side in the longitudinal direction on an outer circumferential surface of the first rotating member, and the second contact member is disposed in the region outside the region where the maximum size recording material conveyed to the nip portion passes through the nip portion on an other end side in the longitudinal direction on an outer circumferential surface of the second rotating member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of developing member to form toner images, respectively, a transfer member to sequentially transfer the toner images onto a recording material and to overlappingly form toner on the recording material. A fixing member presses and heats the recording material on which the toner images are transferred and fixes the toner images on the recording material. A storage medium stores a usage history of the developing member. A controller controls a fixing temperature of the fixing member. The controller determines the fixing temperature based on a difference between the usage history of one of the developing member stored in the storage medium and the usage history of another of the developing member.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus includes first and second photosensitive drums, first and second image-forming portion including first and second development rollers configured to bear developers composed of first and second toner particles and organosilicon protrusions formed on surfaces of the first and second toner particles, an intermediate transfer member to which a developer image is to be transferred in first and second contact portions in contact with the first and second photosensitive drums, and a transfer member configured to transfer the developer image to a recording material in a transfer portion. The first contact portion is formed downstream of the transfer portion and upstream of the second contact portion in a movement direction of the surface of the intermediate transfer member. A protrusion formed on the second developer has a lower height than a protrusion formed on the first developer.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit including an image bearing member, an intermediate transfer member, and a transfer roller, a conveyance rotary member pair, a fixing unit, a first conveyance path, a second conveyance path, a reverse conveyance unit, and a control unit. The control unit is configured to perform a conveyance operation of conveying the sheet, the conveyance operation including (i) a first conveyance processing of conveying the sheet toward the reverse conveyance, (ii) a second conveyance processing of conveying the sheet toward the second conveyance path by the reverse conveyance unit, and (iii) a third conveyance processing of transferring the toner image to the sheet at the transfer nip portion. A surface, of the sheet, that faces the pressure roller in the first conveyance processing is configured to face the intermediate transfer member in the third conveyance processing.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus includes first and second photosensitive drums, first and second image-forming portion including first and second development rollers configured to bear developers composed of first and second toner particles and organosilicon protrusions formed on surfaces of the first and second toner particles, an intermediate transfer member to which a developer image is to be transferred in first and second contact portions in contact with the first and second photosensitive drums, and a transfer member configured to transfer the developer image to a recording material in a transfer portion. The first contact portion is formed downstream of the transfer portion and upstream of the second contact portion in a movement direction of the surface of the intermediate transfer member. A protrusion formed on the second developer has a lower height than a protrusion formed on the first developer.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes first and second rotating members, a heater having a heating element and a substrate, and first and second contact members. A direction of a longer side on a surface of the substrate where the heating element is disposed is a longitudinal direction. A direction intersecting the longitudinal direction is a widthwise direction. The first contact member is disposed in a region outside a region where a maximum size recording material conveyed to a nip portion passes through the nip portion on one end side in the longitudinal direction on an outer circumferential surface of the first rotating member, and the second contact member is disposed in the region outside the region where the maximum size recording material conveyed to the nip portion passes through the nip portion on an other end side in the longitudinal direction on an outer circumferential surface of the second rotating member.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus includes first and second photosensitive drums, first and second image-forming portion including first and second development rollers configured to bear developers composed of first and second toner particles and organosilicon protrusions formed on surfaces of the first and second toner particles, an intermediate transfer member to which a developer image is to be transferred in first and second contact portions in contact with the first and second photosensitive drums, and a transfer member configured to transfer the developer image to a recording material in a transfer portion. The first contact portion is formed downstream of the transfer portion and upstream of the second contact portion in a movement direction of the surface of the intermediate transfer member. A protrusion formed on the second developer has a lower height than a protrusion formed on the first developer.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a first and second rotation bodies; a heater disposed in the first rotation body; and a frame body supporting the first and second rotation bodies. A second length is smaller than a first length in a rotational axis direction of the second rotation body, the first length and the second length being a length of a rotation shaft of the second rotation body exposed on a one-end side and an other-end side of the second rotation body, and a second value is larger than a first value, the first value and the second value being a total area of openings disposed in a first region and a second region of the frame body respectively corresponding to the one-end side and the other-end side of the frame body with respect to a center of the frame body.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus includes first and second photosensitive drums, first and second image-forming portion including first and second development rollers configured to bear developers composed of first and second toner particles and organosilicon protrusions formed on surfaces of the first and second toner particles, an intermediate transfer member to which a developer image is to be transferred in first and second contact portions in contact with the first and second photosensitive drums, and a transfer member configured to transfer the developer image to a recording material in a transfer portion. The first contact portion is formed downstream of the transfer portion and upstream of the second contact portion in a movement direction of the surface of the intermediate transfer member. A protrusion formed on the second developer has a lower height than a protrusion formed on the first developer.

Abstract: A region of an image bearing member that comes into contact with a recording material at a nip in a state in which the recording material is held by the nip is a first region, and a region of the image bearing member that does not come into contact with the recording material at the nip in a state in which the recording material is not held by the nip is a second region. A controller controls to apply a first developing voltage to a developer bearing member when the first region in which a first surface potential has been formed faces a developer bearing member and apply a second developing voltage lower than an absolute value of the first developing voltage to the developer bearing member when the second region in which a second surface potential has been formed faces the developer bearing member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: an obtaining portion that divides image data into a plurality of regions in a sub scanning direction, and obtains, for each of the plurality of regions in the sub scanning direction, a first value relating to pixels having density at at least a prescribed value in a first width and a second value relating to pixels having density at at least the prescribed value in a second width, which is greater than the first width; a determining portion that determines, for each of the plurality of regions, a target temperature for maintaining a temperature of a heating member on the basis of the first and second values; and a control portion that controls power supplied to the heating member so that the temperature of the heating member is maintained at the target temperature.

Abstract: A region of an image bearing member that comes into contact with a recording material at a nip in a state in which the recording material is held by the nip is a first region, and a region of the image bearing member that does not come into contact with the recording material at the nip in a state in which the recording material is not held by the nip is a second region. A controller controls to apply a first developing voltage to a developer bearing member when the first region in which a first surface potential has been formed faces a developer bearing member and apply a second developing voltage smaller than an absolute value of the first developing voltage to the developer bearing member when the second region in which a second surface potential has been formed faces the developer bearing member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photoconductor including a charge generation layer; a charging member to charge a surface of the photoconductor; and an exposure unit to expose the surface of the photoconductor to form a toner image on the surface of the photoconductor charged. The exposure unit exposes the surface of the photoconductor by scanning a laser beam in a main scanning direction at a non-constant scan rate, and exposure amount per unit length of the surface of the photoconductor in the main scanning direction is larger in a first region than in a second region. The first region is in the surface of the photoconductor exposed at a first scan rate. The second region is in the surface of the photoconductor exposed at a second scan rate higher than the first scan rate. The charge generation layer is thinner in the first region than in the second region.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit configured to form an image based on image data, a fixing unit configured to fix the image formed by the image forming unit on a recording material, a conversion unit configured to convert image data into conversion data including a plurality of areas having a first resolution in a main scanning direction perpendicular to a conveyance direction of the recording material, and a second resolution higher than the first resolution in a sub-scanning direction, which is the conveyance direction of the recording material, an analysis unit configured to analyze values related to the areas of the plurality of areas of the conversion data obtained by the conversion unit, and a temperature control unit configured to control a fixing temperature of the fixing unit according to a result of the analysis performed by the analysis unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: an obtaining portion that divides image data into a plurality of regions in a sub scanning direction, and obtains, for each of the plurality of regions in the sub scanning direction, a first value relating to pixels having density at at least a prescribed value in a first width and a second value relating to pixels having density at at least the prescribed value in a second width, which is greater than the first width; a determining portion that determines, for each of the plurality of regions, a target temperature for maintaining a temperature of a heating member on the basis of the first and second values; and a control portion that controls power supplied to the heating member so that the temperature of the heating member is maintained at the target temperature.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit configured to form an image based on image data, a fixing unit configured to fix the image formed by the image forming unit on a recording material, a conversion unit configured to convert image data into conversion data including a plurality of areas having a first resolution in a main scanning direction perpendicular to a conveyance direction of the recording material, and a second resolution higher than the first resolution in a sub-scanning direction, which is the conveyance direction of the recording material, an analysis unit configured to analyze values related to the areas of the plurality of areas of the conversion data obtained by the conversion unit, and a temperature control unit configured to control a fixing temperature of the fixing unit according to a result of the analysis performed by the analysis unit.