Abstract: A transparent toner to be used for a transparent toner image formed with a color toner image, wherein a thermoplastic resin constituting the transparent toner is made of a resin obtained by melt-mixing a crystalline polyester resin and an amorphous resin under the conditions such that supposing that T0 (° C.) is the temperature at which the visual reflectance Y of 20 ?m thick film formed by the resin obtained by melt-mixing the crystalline polyester resin and the amorphous resin for a period of time t0 (minute) is 1.5%, the melt-mixing temperature is T (° C.) and the melt-mixing time is t (minute), T (° C.) is predetermined to be from T0 to (T0+30), t (minute) is predetermined to be from t0 to (10×t0) and the temperature T? at which the viscosity of the thermoplastic resin is 103 Pa·s is from 70° C. to 110° C.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image supporting material for fixably supporting a color toner image, the material including a base material, a light scattering layer provided on the base material and containing a white pigment and a thermoplastic resin, and a color toner receptive layer provided on the light scattering layer and containing at least a thermoplastic resin, wherein the thermoplastic resin in the light scattering layer is constituted of a polyolefin or a polyolefinic copolymer having a temperature, at which viscosity becomes 5×103 Pa·s, of 100° C. or higher, and the thermoplastic resin in the color toner receptive layer is constituted of a resin obtained by melt mixing of a crystalline polyester resin and an amorphous resin and having a temperature, at which viscosity becomes 103 Pa·s, equal to or higher than 65° C. but lower than 80° C.

Abstract: A system includes an image formation apparatus, an image retrieval server, and image storage servers, and a network for connecting them. The image formation apparatus forms an image based on image data, records the image data in a predetermined storing location on the image storage servers, converts the image data under a predetermined rule to generate an image identification information as a key in order to read the image data from the storing location, and outputs the image identification information. Upon reception of an image data retrieval request together with an image identification information, the image retrieval server determines that the image data whose result of conversion under the predetermined rule is equal to the image identification information, among at least one image data stored in a predetermined storing location on the image storage servers, is the image data to be retrieved, and outputs its information.

Abstract: An image-forming system such as a copying machine or a printer with electrophotography. The image-forming system includes an image-creating unit, a fixing unit, a medium conveyance path, and a surface modification unit. The image-creating unit has an image-forming region and forms an image on a medium. The fixing unit fixes the image formed by the image-creating unit on the medium. The medium conveyance path extends to the image-forming region. The surface modification unit is placed along the medium conveyance path. The surface modification unit activates a surface of the medium.

Abstract: An image structure formed on a medium. The image structure is so formed that an angular distribution of surface reflection light beams under the condition that a surface of an image G formed on a medium is irradiated with a slit-transmitted light beam satisfies the following three characteristics: (1) an angle A corresponding to a half value of a reflected light peak is not smaller than unity but not larger than twice as large as a reference angle A0; (2) the ratio ?XGWS/?XGWS0 of the value of WS of center-of-gravity fluctuation to the value of reference WS0 of center-of-gravity fluctuation is not larger than 10; and (3) an angle B at which the quantity of reflected light becomes {fraction (1/10)} as large as the peak value is in a range of from 3×A0 to 6×A0, both inclusively.

Abstract: An image supporting member that fixable supports a color toner image has abase material, a light scattering layer formed on the base material and containing a white pigment and a thermoplastic resin, and a color toner receiving layer formed on the light scattering layer and containing at least a thermoplastic resin, wherein the thermoplastic resin of the light scattering layer is made of a polyolefin or a polyolefin copolymer, a temperature T at which the viscosity becomes 5×103 Pa·s being 120° C. or higher, and the thermoplastic resin of the color toner receiving layer is a polyolefin copolymer, a temperature t at which the viscosity becomes 103 Pa·s being from 90 to 120° C. Further, an image forming apparatus using this image supporting member is also provided.

Abstract: An image structure formed on a medium. The image structure is so formed that an angular distribution of surface reflection light beams under the condition that a surface of an image G formed on a medium is irradiated with a slit-transmitted light beam satisfies the following three characteristics: (1) an angle A corresponding to a half value of a reflected light peak is not smaller than unity but not larger than twice as large as a reference angle A0; (2) the ratio &Dgr;XGWS/&Dgr;XGWS0 of the value of WS of center-of-gravity fluctuation to the value of reference WS0 of center-of-gravity fluctuation is not larger than 10; and (3) an angle B at which the quantity of reflected light becomes {fraction (1/10)} as large as the peak value is in a range of from 3×A0 to 6×A0, both inclusively.

Abstract: An image-forming system such as a copying machine or a printer with electrophotography. The image-forming system includes an image-creating unit, a fixing unit, a medium conveyance path, and a surface modification unit. The image-creating unit has an image-forming region and forms an image on a medium. The fixing unit fixes the image formed by the image-creating unit on the medium. The medium conveyance path extends to the image-forming region. The surface modification unit is placed along the medium conveyance path. The surface modification unit activates a surface of the medium.

Abstract: A gloss-imparting device for imparting a gloss on a color image, the gloss-imparting device has a transparent toner image-carrying body, a transparent toner image-forming unit, a heating/pressurizing unit, and a cooling/releasing unit. The transparent toner image-carrying body carries a transparent toner image formed of a transparent toner thereon. The transparent toner image-forming unit forms the transparent toner image on the transparent toner image-carrying body. The heating/pressurizing unit heats and pressurizes the transparent toner image and the base material to bring them into contact. The cooling/releasing unit cools the transparent toner image and releases the base material from the transparent toner image-carrying body. The transparent toner image is transferred and fixed onto the base material by the heating/pressurizing unit.

Abstract: A color image forming device and method prevent occurrence of pile height moires specific to electrophotographic images in low-frequency areas and conventional moires in a digital screen set of four colors. In the color image forming device, by at least one of a halftone generating part and scanning signal forming unit in an image processing unit, differences among screen angles of three dot patterns corresponding to cyan, magenta and black toner images are in the range about 25 to 40 degrees, preferably 30 degrees; the screen angle of a first dot pattern corresponding to a yellow toner image is made equal to that of a second dot pattern corresponding to the toner image of one of cyan, magenta and black; and the screen of the first dot pattern is brought about 150 to 210 degrees, preferably about 180 degrees out of phase with the screen of the second dot pattern.

Abstract: A color image forming method of the present invention includes at least an image forming step in which a color image formed by a transparent toner with at least one kind of fine particles of 5 to 30% by volume being contained in a binding resin and a color toner is formed on a transfer material and a heat-fixing step for heating and fixing the color image onto the transfer material. As a result, graininess, color reproducibility, smoothness, and fixing strength are synchronously fulfilled sufficiently without being deteriorated and an arbitrary glossiness can be uniformly reproduced on the transfer material without depending on image density.

Abstract: An image forming method for forming a color image having a high glossiness without deteriorating graininess, color reproducibility, and offset resistance utilizes a transparent toner in addition to color toners and varies an amount of developed transparent toner based on the surface roughness of a transfer material such as an average surface roughness obtained from ten values. It is preferable to control the amount of developed transparent toner so that the amount of developed transparent toner M, the surface roughness Rz and specific gravity W of the transparent toner satisfy the following equation:0.15.multidot.Rz.multidot.W.gtoreq.M.gtoreq.0.06.multidot.Rz.multidot.Win which M is an amount of developed transparent toner (mg/cm.sup.2) and corresponds to a weight of the developed transparent toner per unit area on a photosensitive member of a solid image, Rz is an average surface roughness (mm) obtained from ten values and W is a specific gravity of toner (g/cm).

Abstract: A method of forming a multi-color image is provided with which a high quality image having appropriate glossiness, satisfactory graininess, excellent color tone quality and smooth characteristic, similarly to that obtainable by printing or silver salt photography, can be formed uniformly on a transfer member by an electrophotographic method regardless of the type of the image. A method of forming a multi-color image in which a plurality of color toner layers are fixed onto a transfer member as images, having the step of: fixing a transparent toner layer to at least non-image portions, wherein mean surface roughness (Ra) of a fixed layer is 0.0<Ra<1.5 .mu.m and/or maximum surface roughness (Rmax) is 0.0<RMax<10 .mu.m.

Abstract: A waterproof construction around a miniature buzzer incorporated in an electronic alarm watch depends on a gasket alone. The construction is such that the gasket can secure a resonant plate without any storage of distortion in the resonant plate. This feature makes it possible to provide the electronic alarm watch having a stable performance for acoustic emission.