Abstract: An elastic roll is used in a fixing device of an image forming apparatus. The elastic roll includes an elastic layer and a covering layer disposed on an outside of the elastic layer. The covering layer is made of a heat-resistant resin or a metal, which has higher rigidity than a material of the elastic layer.

Abstract: A sheet guide sheet guide for guiding a recording sheet includes an outermost surface layer brought into contact with a recording sheet, which is formed of a material having a water contact angle of approximately 50° or less and one of a pencil hardness of 9H or more and a Mohs hardness of 4 or more.

Abstract: An elastic roll is used in a fixing device of an image forming apparatus. The elastic roll includes an elastic layer and a covering layer disposed on an outside of the elastic layer. The covering layer is made of a heat-resistant resin or a metal, which has higher rigidity than a material of the elastic layer.

Abstract: A sheet guide sheet guide for guiding a recording sheet includes an outermost surface layer brought into contact with a recording sheet, which is formed of a material having a water contact angle of approximately 50° or less and one of a pencil hardness of 9H or more and a Mohs hardness of 4 or more.

Abstract: An intermediate transfer body to be used in an image forming apparatus for transferring and fixing a toner image from a photosensitive body onto a recording medium using an intermediate transfer body having the surface of a material such as silicone rubber which image forming apparatus reduces the friction coefficient between the photosensitive body and the intermediate transfer body to allow easy driving running control of the intermediate transfer body, and reduces the fog toner transfer rate to prevent deterioration of the image quality when the medium (40 to 70%) gloss is employed, and an image forming apparatus using the intermediate transfer body are provided. The intermediate transfer body, which receives a toner image held on a toner image carrier and transfers again the toner image onto a recording medium to form an image on the recording medium, has the surface for receiving the transfer of a toner image on which the peak area and roughed recess area are formed mixedly.

Abstract: An intermediate transfer medium and the like for image formation includes transferring and fixing a toner image from a photoreceptor onto a recording medium such as paper by using the intermediate transfer medium. The intermediate transfer medium can yield a high gloss desirable for color image and the control of the driving run of the intermediate transfer medium can be maintained readily by reducing the frictional coefficient with the photoreceptor and the intermediate transfer medium can reduce the fog toner transfer rate to prevent the deterioration of the resulting image quality. The surface of the intermediate transfer medium where the image is primarily transferred (primary image transfer medium) is of smooth surface with protrusions dispersed thereon in a manner such that the smooth surface and the protrusions might be discriminated from each other. The relation between the area ratio of the smooth surface on the primary image transfer surface [Cin %] and the height of the protrusions [h (.mu.

Abstract: A charging method in which the surface of an image bearing device is charged in two steps in contact with the surface of the image bearing device before a latent image is formed on the surface of the image bearing device, the contact charging method includes two steps. First, the surface of the image bearing device is charged with a contact charging device which applies a voltage consisting of an AC component and a DC component superposed on the AC component. Second, the surface of the image bearing device is charged by a contact charging device applied with such a DC voltage as to discharge at least part of a pattern of charge potential variation of which the pitch corresponds to the frequency pitch of the AC component, which is caused in the primary charging operation.

Abstract: A heated roller type of fixing device to prevent offsetting of toner onto a fixing or pressure roller and an imaging system including such a fixing device wherein a sheet with toner deposits thereon is passed between a fixing roller and a pressure roller to fix the toner in place, a releasant applicator applies a releasant on the surface of at least one of said fixing or pressure rollers, and a releasant remover removes from the sheet the releasant deposited thereon by the fixing or pressure roller, thereby the releasant remaining on the toner image is removed by the releasant remover. Thus, it is possible to eliminate image density variations which may otherwise be caused by an uneven distribution of the releasant, as is the case with the prior art, and to obtain an image density which does not change with time and so is stable.

Abstract: A thermal fixing roll used in electrographic processing in which a rough metallic cylindrical core (2) contains an internal heater (H) and has a heat-resistant layer (3) covering the outer surface thereof. The heat-resistant layer is silicone rubber mixed with silicon carbide.