Abstract: A processing device including a hardware processor that: determines a dot position at which a dot is to be generated by multiple recording elements arranged in a first direction on a medium which moves relative to the recording elements in a second direction crossing the first direction, based on tone data for each pixel of an image to be formed; determines a corrected dot number that is a number of a dot position by a malfunctioning recording element to which an offset number is added, wherein the malfunctioning recording element is set as a recording element by which a dot is not generated normally among the recording elements; and determines the corrected dot number of a dot position within a dot generation possible range by a recording element other than the malfunctioning recording element.

Abstract: A processing device including a hardware processor that: determines a dot position at which a dot is to be generated by multiple recording elements arranged in a first direction on a medium which moves relative to the recording elements in a second direction crossing the first direction, based on tone data for each pixel of an image to be formed; determines a corrected dot number that is a number of a dot position by a malfunctioning recording element to which an offset number is added, wherein the malfunctioning recording element is set as a recording element by which a dot is not generated normally among the recording elements; and determines the corrected dot number of a dot position within a dot generation possible range by a recording element other than the malfunctioning recording element.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus includes: head modules each including nozzles disposed in a row; a transporter that moves a recording medium with respect to the head modules in a direction intersecting with an arrangement direction of the nozzles; a recording controller that causes the nozzles to eject ink onto the recording medium and to form a dot based on image data; and a memory that stores arrangement position information indicating individual positional deviations of the nozzles in a relative movement direction of the head modules with respect to the recording medium. The head modules are disposed in the arrangement direction of the nozzles. The transporter causes a same point of the recording medium to pass through a position where upstream and downstream nozzles that correspond to two adjacent head modules eject ink.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus includes: head modules each including nozzles disposed in a row; a transporter that moves a recording medium with respect to the head modules in a direction intersecting with an arrangement direction of the nozzles; a recording controller that causes the nozzles to eject ink onto the recording medium and to form a dot based on image data; and a memory that stores arrangement position information indicating individual positional deviations of the nozzles in a relative movement direction of the head modules with respect to the recording medium. The head modules are disposed in the arrangement direction of the nozzles. The transporter causes a same point of the recording medium to pass through a position where upstream and downstream nozzles that correspond to two adjacent head modules eject ink.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus for electrifying a surface of a photoreceptor with the use of an electrification member includes: a first output unit configured to output a first AC voltage; a second output unit configured to output a second AC voltage having the same frequency as a frequency of the first AC voltage and having a phase different from a phase of the first AC voltage; a superimposition unit configured to superimpose, on a DC component, an AC component containing at least one of the first AC voltage and the second AC voltage; and an application unit configured to apply a voltage that has been subjected to superimposition by the superimposition unit to the electrification member, wherein the superimposition unit changes the AC component to be superimposed on the DC component at a predetermined timing.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus which forms an image on a medium on the basis of an input image signal includes: an image carrier configured to carry a developed toner image transferred to the medium on a photoreceptor layer; a contact member arranged so as to be in contact with the surface of the photoreceptor layer; a trace pattern generating unit configured to generate a trace pattern indicating specific information on the image forming apparatus; a composition unit configured to add the trace pattern to the image signal; and an acquiring unit configured to acquire information on the thickness of the photoreceptor layer of the image carrier, wherein the trace pattern is used for arranging a plurality of image areas at respective positions, and the trace pattern generating unit is configured to generate the trace pattern with the image area whose size is reduced in accordance with reduction of the thickness of the photoreceptor layer.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus which forms an image on a medium on the basis of an input image signal includes: an image carrier configured to carry a developed toner image transferred to the medium on a photoreceptor layer; a contact member arranged so as to be in contact with the surface of the photoreceptor layer; a trace pattern generating unit configured to generate a trace pattern indicating specific information on the image forming apparatus; a composition unit configured to add the trace pattern to the image signal; and an acquiring unit configured to acquire information on the thickness of the photoreceptor layer of the image carrier, wherein the trace pattern is used for arranging a plurality of image areas at respective positions, and the trace pattern generating unit is configured to generate the trace pattern with the image area whose size is reduced in accordance with reduction of the thickness of the photoreceptor layer.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus for electrifying a surface of a photoreceptor with the use of an electrification member includes: a first output unit configured to output a first AC voltage; a second output unit configured to output a second AC voltage having the same frequency as a frequency of the first AC voltage and having a phase different from a phase of the first AC voltage; a superimposition unit configured to superimpose, on a DC component, an AC component containing at least one of the first AC voltage and the second AC voltage; and an application unit configured to apply a voltage that has been subjected to superimposition by the superimposition unit to the electrification member, wherein the superimposition unit changes the AC component to be superimposed on the DC component at a predetermined timing.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided which can execute an image stabilization operation and which includes: a determination portion that determines whether or not the image stabilization operation can be executed when a constituent member of the apparatus is replaced or when a consumable item is supplied; and an image stabilization control portion that executes the image stabilization operation when the determination portion determines that the image stabilization operation can he executed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus for forming a toner image on an image carrier, including: a patch former that forms a solid and a non-solid patch on the image carrier under different image formation conditions; a measurer that measures amounts of toner adhering to the solid and the non-solid patch; a determiner that determines image density properties indicating a relationship between an image formation condition and an amount of adhering toner, based on both (i) a relationship between an image formation condition applied to the solid patch and the amount of toner adhering to the solid patch, and (ii) a relationship between an image formation condition applied to the non-solid patch and the amount of toner adhering to the non-solid patch; and a setter that sets an appropriate image formation condition for forming a toner image having a desired density on the image carrier according to the image density properties.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus having an image carrier; an electrostatic latent image forming device that forms an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier; a development device having a housing section that stores toner therein, a stirring device for stirring the toner inside the housing section, and a toner, carrier that develops the electrostatic latent image into a toner image by imparting the toner to the image carrier; a voltage applying device that applies a development bias voltage between the image carrier and the toner carrier; a control device that makes the electrostatic latent image forming device and the development device form a test toner image on the image carrier; and a sensing device that senses a toner adhering amount of the test toner image.

Abstract: There are provided an image reader with high resolution capability for images in a high density range and an image forming apparatus. An image reader 2 comprises a reflected light reading unit (11, 12, 13, 14, 10) for irradiating a surface to be read of an original sheet with a light and reading the amount of the reflected light and a transmitted light reading unit (15, 12, 13, 14, 10) for irradiating the original sheet with a light and reading the amount of the transmitted light, and calculates the density of an image of the original sheet based on the amount of the reflected light read by the reflected light reading unit and the amount of the transmitted light read by the transmitted light reading unit.

Abstract: The present invention aims to provide an image forming apparatus and the like that perform a highly-accurate tone correction in a relatively short time and includes the following: a pattern former, with use of each image forming unit, on a sheet, forming tone patches in the main or sub scanning direction (41k,c,y,m) and aligning markers, which indicate positions of the tone patches, in the same direction as the tone patches (42k,c,y,m); a pattern reader reading the sheet with the tone patches and markers formed thereon; a coordinate determiner determining coordinates of the tone patches in the direction of the aligned tone patches based on the read markers (42k,c,y,m); a density determiner determining densities of the tone patches (41k,c,y,m) read based on the determined coordinates; and an updating part updating the tone correction table based on relationships between the determined densities and tone levels.

Abstract: A tandem-type color image forming apparatus forms a toner pattern and toner markers on an intermediate transfer member. Tone levels in the toner pattern vary in a sub scanning direction, and the toner markers which are a same color with the tone pattern each oppose, in a main scanning direction, a different one of the tone level portions in the toner pattern, each tone level portion representing a different one of the tone levels. Positions of the toner markers in the sub scanning direction are determined to detect densities in the toner pattern corresponding to the determined positions. Tone of image data is corrected in an image formation based on a relationship between the densities and the tone levels corresponding to the determined positions.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus having an image carrier; an electrostatic latent image forming device that forms an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier; a development device having a housing section that stores toner therein, a stirring device for stirring the toner inside the housing section, and a toner, carrier that develops the electrostatic latent image into a toner image by imparting the toner to the image carrier; a voltage applying device that applies a development bias voltage between the image carrier and the toner carrier; a control device that makes the electrostatic latent image forming device and the development device form a test toner image on the image carrier; and a sensing device that senses a toner adhering amount of the test toner image.

Abstract: An image forming device for forming an image on an image carrier using a different grayscale reproduction method for each of two or more different attributes contained in portions of the image. The image forming device forms a different standard pattern in one-to-one correspondence with each different attribute contained in the image portions, using a grayscale reproduction method used for reproducing image portions containing the attribute, detects density of each standard pattern formed by the standard pattern forming unit, sets, for each different attribute, a condition for correcting grayscale of the image portions containing the attribute, in accordance with the detected density, and corrects grayscale of the image portions in accordance with each condition set by the correction condition setting unit.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus of the present invention, a developing unit for magenta contains magenta-type toner for pseudo full-color image forming whose chromaticity point is shifted closer to yellow hue on a chromaticity diagram, in comparison with genuine-magenta toner for full-color image forming, and likewise, a developing unit for cyan contains cyan-type toner for the pseudo full-color image forming whose chromaticity point is shifted closer to yellow hue on the chromaticity diagram, in comparison with genuine-cyan toner for the full-color image forming.

Abstract: There are provided an image reader with high resolution capability for images in a high density range and an image forming apparatus. An image reader 2 comprises a reflected light reading unit (11, 12, 13, 14, 10) for irradiating a surface to be read of an original sheet with a light and reading the amount of the reflected light and a transmitted light reading unit (15, 12, 13, 14, 10) for irradiating the original sheet with a light and reading the amount of the transmitted light, and calculates the density of an image of the original sheet based on the amount of the reflected light read by the reflected light reading unit and the amount of the transmitted light read by the transmitted light reading unit.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus of the present invention, a developing unit for magenta contains magenta-type toner for pseudo full-color image forming whose chromaticity point is shifted closer to yellow hue on a chromaticity diagram, in comparison with genuine-magenta toner for full-color image forming, and likewise, a developing unit for cyan contains cyan-type toner for the pseudo full-color image forming whose chromaticity point is shifted closer to yellow hue on the chromaticity diagram, in comparison with genuine-cyan toner for the full-color image forming.

Abstract: The present invention aims to provide an image forming apparatus and the like that perform a highly-accurate tone correction in a relatively short time and includes the following: a pattern former, with use of each image forming unit, on a sheet, forming tone patches in the main or sub scanning direction (41k,c,y,m) and aligning markers, which indicate positions of the tone patches, in the same direction as the tone patches (42k,c,y,m); a pattern reader reading the sheet with the tone patches and markers formed thereon; a coordinate determiner determining coordinates of the tone patches in the direction of the aligned tone patches based on the read markers (42k,c,y,m); a density determiner determining densities of the tone patches (41k,c,y,m) read based on the determined coordinates; and an updating part updating the tone correction table based on relationships between the determined densities and tone levels.