Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a color toner image forming device, a fixing device, a cooling device, a colorless toner image forming device, and a control device. The color toner image forming device forms a toner image on a recording medium with a color toner. The fixing device heats the toner image on the recording medium to fix the toner image on the recording medium. The cooling device cools the fixed toner image. The colorless toner image forming device forms a toner image on the recording medium with a colorless toner having a storage elastic modulus of 100 or less and a loss tangent of 10 or greater at a heating temperature of the fixing device. The control device controls cooling power of the cooling device based on whether or not the colorless toner image forming device forms the toner image.

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

Abstract: A color image forming method, including: forming electrostatic latent image on electrostatic latent image bearing member; developing the image to form visible image with at least two toners containing releasing agent and selected from black, magenta, cyan and yellow toners; transferring the visible image to recording medium; fixing the transferred image thereon with fixing member having no releasing agent on surface thereof; and forming overcoat layer on the fixed image by polymerizing overcoat composition, wherein when lightness—L1, chromaticity—a1 and chromaticity—b1 according to L*a*b* color system of the fixed image formed with the at least two toners and lightness—L2, chromaticity—a2 and chromaticity-b2 of the fixed image after the overcoat composition is dropped at 0.4 mg/cm2 from height of 10 mm above the fixed image and the overcoat composition is removed after 10 seconds have passed are applied to the following formula (1), color difference ?E* is 3.0 to 30.

Abstract: An apparatus for producing a detachable information sheet includes an image forming device, an applying and curing unit, and a heating and pressing unit. The image forming device includes an image bearing body, an electrostatic latent image forming unit to form an electrostatic latent image on the image bearing body, a development unit to develop the latent image with a toner to form a visible toner image, a transfer unit to transfer the toner image from the image bearing body onto a recording medium, and a fixing unit to fix the toner image on the recording medium. The applying and curing unit applies an energy-ray curable composition precursor onto the recording medium having the toner image fixed thereon, and cures the precursor to form an energy-ray curable composition to coat the recording medium. The heating and pressing unit heats and presses the recording medium coated with the energy-ray curable composition.

Abstract: An overcoat composition for electrophotography includes at least one of compounds having the following formulae (1) to (3): wherein R1 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group; wherein R1 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group; and n represents an integer of from 4 to 6; and wherein R1 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group; and a and b independently represent an integer of from 1 to 5 on the condition that a+b is from 4 to 6.

Abstract: An inverse image data generating unit that generates inverse image data that indicates a transparent developer amount that indicates an amount of a transparent developer, and a region where the transparent developer amount is used, based on a color plane image data that indicates a color developer amount that indicates an amount of a color developer, and a region where the color developer amount is used; a conversion unit that converts the transparent developer amount of the inverse image data into a transparent developer amount larger than the transparent developer amount by referring to a conversion table; and a transparent developer plane image data generating unit that generates transparent developer plane image data used in image formation of a transparent developer in an image forming apparatus based on the inverse image data indicating a transparent developer amount after the conversion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a color toner image forming device, a fixing device, a cooling device, a colorless toner image forming device, and a control device. The color toner image forming device forms a toner image on a recording medium with a color toner. The fixing device heats the toner image on the recording medium to fix the toner image on the recording medium. The cooling device cools the fixed toner image. The colorless toner image forming device forms a toner image on the recording medium with a colorless toner having a storage elastic modulus of 100 or less and a loss tangent of 10 or greater at a heating temperature of the fixing device. The control device controls cooling power of the cooling device based on whether or not the colorless toner image forming device forms the toner image.

Abstract: An image forming method including forming an image of a toner including a wax on a recording medium; fixing the toner image using by an oil-less fixing device; and then forming an overcoat layer on the fixed toner image. When a portion of the fixed toner image having the heaviest toner weight is subjected to an ATR FT-IR analysis, a peak area ratio Ab/Aa falls in a range of 3.0 to 7.0 or a peak area ratio Ab?/Aa? falls in a range of 0.004 to 0.014, wherein Aa represents the area of a peak present in a range of 2896 cm?1 to 2943 cm?1, Ab represents the area of a peak present in a range of 2946 cm?1 to 2979 cm?1, Aa? represents the area of a peak present in a range of 791 cm?1 to 860 cm?1, and Ab? represents the area of a peak present in a range of 2834 cm?1 to 2862 cm?1.

Abstract: An apparatus for producing a detachable information sheet includes an image forming device, an applying and curing unit, and a heating and pressing unit. The image forming device includes an image bearing body, an electrostatic latent image forming unit to form an electrostatic latent image on the image bearing body, a development unit to develop the latent image with a toner to form a visible toner image, a transfer unit to transfer the toner image from the image bearing body onto a recording medium, and a fixing unit to fix the toner image on the recording medium. The applying and curing unit applies an energy-ray curable composition precursor onto the recording medium having the toner image fixed thereon, and cures the precursor to form an energy-ray curable composition to coat the recording medium. The heating and pressing unit heats and presses the recording medium coated with the energy-ray curable composition.

Abstract: A method of evaluating electrophotographic overcoatability of a composition is provided. The method includes measuring a color (C1) of a toner image fixed on a sheet, dropping the composition on the toner image, and removing the composition from the toner image. The method further includes measuring a color (C2) of the toner image from which the composition has been removed, and calculating a color difference between the color (C1) of the toner image and the color (C2) of the toner image on which the composition is dropped and from which the composition is removed thereafter.

Abstract: A color image forming method, including: forming electrostatic latent image on electrostatic latent image bearing member; developing the image to form visible image with at least two toners containing releasing agent and selected from black, magenta, cyan and yellow toners; transferring the visible image to recording medium; fixing the transferred image thereon with fixing member having no releasing agent on surface thereof; and forming overcoat layer on the fixed image by polymerizing overcoat composition, wherein when lightness-L1, chromaticity-a1 and so chromaticity-b1 according to L*a*b* color system of the fixed image formed with the at least two toners and lightness-L2, chromaticity-a2 and chromaticity-b2 of the fixed image after the overcoat composition is dropped at 0.4 mg/cm2 from height of 10 mm above the fixed image and the overcoat composition is removed after 10 seconds have passed are applied to the following formula (1), color difference ?E* is 3.0 to 30.

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 overcoat composition for electrophotography includes at least one of compounds having the following formulae (1) to (3): wherein R1 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group; wherein R1 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group; and n represents an integer of from 4 to 6; and wherein R1 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group; and a and b independently represent an integer of from 1 to 5 on the condition that a+b is from 4 to 6.

Abstract: After at least one toner image is transferred to a medium to which an image is transferred from at least one of a plurality of image forming stations used, at least one toner image is transferred from at least one of the rest of the image forming stations, and this transfer operation is repeated a plurality of times to transfer toner images to the medium to which an image is transferred. In this manner, the toner images on the medium to which an image is transferred are formed using a desired number of color toner including a transparent toner. In addition, the order in which the transparent toner is transferred from the image forming station that is used for the transparent toner and toner other than the transparent toner is transferred from image forming stations in which the transparent toner is not used can be freely or automatically selected.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device to form an image on a sheet of recording media according to a toner adhering amount of each pixel and position data indicating a position of the pixel on the sheet, a storage device to store post-processing position data that indicates a position of post processing on the sheet, a retriever to retrieve the post-processing position data from the storage device, and a converter to convert the toner adhering amount of the pixel designated by the post-processing position data.

Abstract: An inverse image data generating unit that generates inverse image data that indicates a transparent developer amount that indicates an amount of a transparent developer, and a region where the transparent developer amount is used, based on a color plane image data that indicates a color developer amount that indicates an amount of a color developer, and a region where the color developer amount is used; a conversion unit that converts the transparent developer amount of the inverse image data into a transparent developer amount larger than the transparent developer amount by referring to a conversion table; and a transparent developer plane image data generating unit that generates transparent developer plane image data used in image formation of a transparent developer in an image forming apparatus based on the inverse image data indicating a transparent developer amount after the conversion.

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 method including forming an image of a toner including a wax on a recording medium; fixing the toner image using by an oil-less fixing device; and then forming an overcoat layer on the fixed toner image. When a portion of the fixed toner image having the heaviest toner weight is subjected to an ATR FT-IR analysis, a peak area ratio Ab/Aa falls in a range of 3.0 to 7.0 or a peak area ratio Ab?/Aa? falls in a range of 0.004 to 0.014, wherein Aa represents the area of a peak present in a range of 2896 cm?1 to 2943 cm?1, Ab represents the area of a peak present in a range of 2946 cm?1 to 2979 cm?1, Aa? represents the area of a peak present in a range of 791 cm?1 to 860 cm?1, and Ab? represents the area of a peak present in a range of 2834 cm?1 to 2862 cm?1.

Abstract: A protective agent for an image bearing member of an image forming apparatus. The protective agent is applied onto a surface of the image bearing member and includes a hydrophobic organic compound (A), an inorganic fine particle (B), and an inorganic lubricant (C).

Abstract: A method of evaluating electrophotographic overcoatability of a composition is provided. The method includes measuring a color (C1) of a toner image fixed on a sheet, dropping the composition on the toner image, and removing the composition from the toner image. The method further includes measuring a color (C2) of the toner image from which the composition has been removed, and calculating a color difference between the color (C1) of the toner image and the color (C2) of the toner image on which the composition is dropped and from which the composition is removed thereafter.