Abstract: An image forming apparatus which is capable of judging whether or not a sheet handling apparatus is connected or faulty without provision of a sheet handling apparatus mechanical connection-detecting section, and reducing the size and manufacturing costs of the apparatus. To an image forming apparatus, a sheet handling apparatus is disconnectably connected. A communicating portion communicates with the sheet handling apparatus. A control sections judges whether or not the image forming apparatus or the sheet handling apparatus is abnormal. The control section provides a display for confirming disconnection of the sheet handling apparatus, if it is judged that the image forming apparatus or the sheet handling apparatus is not abnormal, when the communication with the sheet handling apparatus by the communicating portion is impossible.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus changes over an electric potential on an image bearing member in response to an attenuation region in which a remaining potential on a developing member is attenuating after a developing bias applied to the developing member has been turned off after completion of an image forming operations. Accordingly, it is possible to mitigate adherence of developer due to a large potential difference between the developing member and the image bearing member.

Abstract: An image-heating device has a detector for detecting the state of a recording medium at a position between a first fixing unit and a second fixing unit along a conveying path of the recording medium and a controller for controlling a fixing condition of the second fixing unit on the basis of the information obtained by the detector.

Abstract: There is provided an image forming apparatus which effectively suppresses an increase in temperature of a heating means by an air blowing means when image formation is performed to a small-size recording material and can continuously perform the image formation even though the air blowing means. The image forming apparatus includes a heating means to heat a recording material to be conveyed, a cooling fan which blows air from an air blowing port facing a part of the heating means, a shutter which moves such that an opening width of the air blowing ports is regulated depending on a width of the recording material, and an error detecting means which detects an error of the cooling fan. When the error detecting means detects an error of the cooling fan, the shutter moves to such a position that the cooling fan in which an error is detected, so that image formation is continued.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus changes over an electric potential on an image bearing member in response to an attenuation region in which a remaining potential on a developing member is attenuating after a developing bias applied to the developing member has been turned off after completion of an image forming operations. Accordingly, it is possible to mitigate adherence of developer due to a large potential difference between the developing member and the image bearing member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, which realizes a buffering function which enables post-processing without decreasing the productivity and increasing the size. At least one image is formed on a sheet. A double-sided sheet conveying path is provided, which the sheet passes when being conveyed back to the image forming unit again to form an image on an opposite side surface of the sheet after an image is formed on one side surface of the sheet. A retaining member is provided on the double-sided sheet conveying path to retain the sheet on the double-sided sheet conveying path. A post-processing device carries out post-processing on sheets on which images have been formed by the image forming unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus capable of obtaining an image of a desired quality by a simple method is provided with an image forming device for forming a toner image on a recording material, a plurality of pairs of fixing rollers provided to fix the toner image, a glossiness detecting sensor for detecting the state of the image on the recording material on which the toner image has been fixed, and a controller for controlling the fixing conditions of the plurality of pairs of fixing rollers, and has a first image check mode for fixing the toner image by one pair of fixing rollers of the plurality of pairs of fixing rollers, and a second image check mode for fixing the toner image by the plurality of pairs of fixing rollers, and the controller selects whether the second image check mode should be executed, on the basis of the result of the glossiness detecting sensor having detected the state of the image on the recording material on which the formed image has been fixed by the first image check mode.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes image forming means for forming an image on a recording material; a plurality of image heating means for sequentially heating an image on the recording material ; and switching means for switching a number of the image heating means to be used for heating the image; setting means for manually setting an operating condition of at least one of the image heating means.

Abstract: There is provided an image forming apparatus which is capable of securing a time period for measuring the base reflected light quantity required for the base correction, and at the same time, reducing a time period required for the entire image density control. An image forming unit includes an image carrier disposed to be exposed to light to have a latent image formed thereon, an electrostatic charger that charges the image carrier to a predetermined polarity, a developing device that visualizes the latent image formed on the image carrier to form a visible image, and an endless belt onto which the visible image is transferred. A CPU controls the image forming unit to form predetermined detection patterns on the endless belt. The detection patterns and the quantity of reflection light from the endless belt are detected. The CPU corrects the detected detection patterns based on the detected quantity of reflection light.

Abstract: An adjustment time reduction mode of reducing adjustment operation time is provided such that a user can set the adjustment time reduction mode in which a user arbitrarily reduces the adjustment operation time, depending on the user's situation. An apparatus performing adjustment operation at a predetermined timing, monitors a timing at which the adjustment operation is to be performed and visually notifies a user of the timing at which the adjustment operation is to be performed before execution of a job requested by the user. When the adjustment time reduction mode is set, the apparatus reduces a time for the adjustment operation during execution of the job requested by the user, and the apparatus is caused to operate in the adjustment time reduction mode until the job is completed.

Abstract: An image-heating device has a detector for detecting the state of a recording medium at a position between a first fixing unit and a second fixing unit along a conveying path of the recording medium and a controller for controlling a fixing condition of the second fixing unit on the basis of the information obtained by the detector.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus which can facilitate acquisition of an image output bundle that has a uniform and optimal gloss level as a whole. An image forming apparatus 10 fixes a toner image on a plurality of sheets. An image ratio calculation unit 233 calculates a composition ratio of image types in a plurality of pages of image data. A gloss level control unit 250 provides a control for uniformly fixing toner images formed on the plurality of pages to the plurality of sheet based on the calculation result by the image ratio calculation unit 233.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus includes n image forming apparatus including image forming device for forming an image on a recording material, an image heating member which heats the image on the recording material at a nip portion, temperature detecting device for detecting a temperature of the image heating member, control device for controlling the temperature of the output of the image heating device in accordance with the temperature detecting device, cooling means for cooling a region of the image heating member in the width direction of the image heating member in accordance with output of the said first detecting means, another detecting device for detecting a temperature of a region at an end side in the width direction within the region, and notification device for notifying that the set width of the recording material is wrong in accordance with the outputs of the temperature detecting devices. Abnormality of the apparatus is appropriately detected, and reliability of the apparatus is enhanced.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus including an image heater for heating an image on a recording material in a nip portion, an air blower for blowing air toward an air blowing port to cool a predetermined area of the image heater, and a shutter for opening an closing the air blowing port, wherein when recording materials change in width in the course of continuously executing an image heating process accompanied by a cooling operation, the shutter is kept opened until the number of recording materials after the change reaches a predetermined number, whereby the frequency of the driving of the shutter for the air blowing port when small size recording materials and large size recording materials are mixed-loaded and passed is reduced to thereby achieve the longer life of a shutter driving portion, the electric power saving of the apparatus and a reduction in opening-closing noise.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus that is capable of normally performing second side printing on a transfer material, even if the transfer material put on standby after completion of first side printing is pulled out by a user. A transfer material having image formed on its first side is fed until it is partly exposed to the outside of a printer, and is then fed to a refeeding path in the printer and further fed to a standby position prior to image formation on the second side of the transfer material. When it is detected that the transfer material caused to stop at the standby position is pulled out by a user, a warning to stop pulling out the transfer material is given to the user.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus capable of reducing a part of a sheet exposed outside the apparatus on standby after finishing printing a first side in both-sided printing. A transfer material P having an image formed on its first side is fed until a part thereof gets exposed outside a full-color printer 1 and is fed to a refeeding path in the full-color printer 1. The transfer material P inverted by a flapper 44 is fed to a standby position to form an image on a second side thereof and is stopped there. In the case where a preparation for forming the image on the second side is not completed, the standby position for having the transfer material P stopped is changed corresponding to length of the inverted transfer material P in a feeding direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus capable of connecting to a sheet post-processing equipment, includes an image data inputting unit which inputs a plurality of pages of image data to be formed as images on sheets; an image forming unit configured to form the image on the sheet based on the image data inputted with the inputting unit; a retaining unit including a first conveying path branching from a second conveying path of the sheet post-processing equipment, the retaining unit temporarily retaining the sheet, and then while the sheet post-processing equipment is performing post-processing of a sheet bundle, conveying the sheet to the sheet post-processing equipment; and a control unit which differentiates an order of pages on which the image is formed from an order of pages at a time of normally forming the image in the sheet bundle, to which the sheet post-processing equipment performs the post-processing.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a control unit for controlling a plurality of fixing units independently of one another regardless of a state of an image forming unit, and a receiving unit for receiving image forming requests, and has a control sequence, in which when not all of a recording medium material, a recording medium state, environment, and image data satisfy predetermined conditions, at least one of the plurality of fixing units are caused to operate, and a control sequence, in which when it is detected that an image forming request, for which all of the plurality of fixing units are required, is received by the receiving unit, each currently unused fixing unit is caused to operate. Accordingly, it is possible to realize high productivity even when there exist fixing units not driven due to the recording medium physical properties, recording medium state, environment, image data, or the like.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, which realizes a buffering function which enables post-processing without decreasing the productivity and increasing the size. At least one image is formed on a sheet. A double-sided sheet conveying path is provided, which the sheet passes when being conveyed back to the image forming unit again to form an image on an opposite side surface of the sheet after an image is formed on one side surface of the sheet. A retaining member is provided on the double-sided sheet conveying path to retain the sheet on the double-sided sheet conveying path. A post-processing device carries out post-processing on sheets on which images have been formed by the image forming unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, which realizes a buffering function which enables post-processing without decreasing the productivity and increasing the size. At least one image is formed on a sheet. A double-sided sheet conveying path is provided, which the sheet passes when being conveyed back to the image forming unit again to form an image on an opposite side surface of the sheet after an image is formed on one side surface of the sheet. A retaining member is provided on the double-sided sheet conveying path to retain the sheet on the double-sided sheet conveying path. A post-processing device carries out post-processing on sheets on which images have been formed by the image forming unit.