Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image-carrying component configured to carry a colorant image including an adjustment image, a transferring component having a recess in an outer peripheral surface and configured to transfer the colorant image from the image-carrying component to a recording medium in a transfer area while rotating in such a manner as to allow a retainer that is retaining the recording medium to pass through the recess, an image-forming component configured to form the adjustment image at such a position of the image-carrying component as to face the recess of the transferring component, and a transporting component configured to cause the recording medium retained by the retainer to pass through the transfer area.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image-carrying component configured to carry a colorant image including an adjustment image, a transferring component having a recess in an outer peripheral surface and configured to transfer the colorant image from the image-carrying component to a recording medium in a transfer area while rotating in such a manner as to allow a retainer that is retaining the recording medium to pass through the recess, a transporting component configured to cause the recording medium retained by the retainer to pass through the transfer area, and a shielding component configured to shield the recess of the transferring component from colorant particles composing the colorant image.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a colorant image former; an image holder configured to hold a colorant image formed by the colorant image former and to be rotationally driven; a transfer member configured to transfer the colorant image onto a recording medium, which is transported from an upstream side, by sandwiching the recording medium between the transfer member and the image holder, and rotationally driving the transfer member to transport the recording medium to a downstream side; and a contact-and-separation mechanism configured to relatively contact or separate the image holder and the transfer member, in which, in response to an abnormality being detected, the image forming apparatus operates in a mode in which the contact-and-separation mechanism relatively separates the image holder and the transfer member, and then rotational driving of the transfer member is stopped after rotational driving of the image holder is stopped.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier that is capable of holding an image on a surface thereof while rotating, an image forming unit that forms the image on the image carrier, a transfer unit that transfers the image from the image carrier to a medium while rotating, a transport unit that circulates as the transfer unit rotates and that transports the medium to a transfer region while holding the medium, and a control unit that changes a timing at which the image forming unit forms the image in accordance with variation in a ratio of a rotation velocity of the transfer unit to a rotation velocity of the image carrier.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image-carrying component configured to carry a colorant image including an adjustment image, a transferring component having a recess in an outer peripheral surface and configured to transfer the colorant image from the image-carrying component to a recording medium in a transfer area while rotating in such a manner as to allow a retainer that is retaining the recording medium to pass through the recess, an image-forming component configured to form the adjustment image at such a position of the image-carrying component as to face the recess of the transferring component, and a transporting component configured to cause the recording medium retained by the retainer to pass through the transfer area.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image-carrying component configured to carry a colorant image including an adjustment image, a transferring component having a recess in an outer peripheral surface and configured to transfer the colorant image from the image-carrying component to a recording medium in a transfer area while rotating in such a manner as to allow a retainer that is retaining the recording medium to pass through the recess, a transporting component configured to cause the recording medium retained by the retainer to pass through the transfer area, and a shielding component configured to shield the recess of the transferring component from colorant particles composing the colorant image.

Abstract: A transfer device includes: a transfer member to which a voltage is applied by a power supply device to generate a transfer electric field for transferring a developer image to a recording medium; a transfer cylinder having a recess in which a retaining member that retains a leading end portion of the recording medium is disposed, the transfer electric field being generated between the transfer cylinder and the transfer member at a transfer position; a shunt circuit by which the voltage applied to the transfer member is shunted to a reference potential point; and an operation stopping mechanism that starts and stops an operation of the shunt circuit in response to rotation of the transfer cylinder, the operation being started when the recess reaches the transfer position and stopped when the recess leaves the transfer position.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a colorant image former; an image holder configured to hold a colorant image formed by the colorant image forming unit and to be rotationally driven; a transfer member configured to transfer the colorant image onto a recording medium, which is transported from an upstream side, by sandwiching the recording medium between the transfer member and the image holder, and rotationally driving the transfer member to transport the recording medium to a downstream side; and a contact-and-separation mechanism configured to relatively contact or separate the image holder and the transfer member, in which, in response to an abnormality being detected, the image forming apparatus operates in a mode in which the contact-and-separation mechanism relatively separates the image holder and the transfer member, and then rotational driving of the transfer member is stopped after rotational driving of the image holder is stopped.

Abstract: A transfer device includes: a transfer member to which a voltage is applied by a power supply device to generate a transfer electric field for transferring a developer image to a recording medium; a transfer cylinder having a recess in which a retaining member that retains a leading end portion of the recording medium is disposed, the transfer electric field being generated between the transfer cylinder and the transfer member at a transfer position; a shunt circuit by which the voltage applied to the transfer member is shunted to a reference potential point; and an operation stopping mechanism that starts and stops an operation of the shunt circuit in response to rotation of the transfer cylinder, the operation being started when the recess reaches the transfer position and stopped when the recess leaves the transfer position.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image holding body that holds an image to be transferred to a recording material; a developing unit that causes a mixture, in which plural kinds of developers are mixed, to adhere to the image holding body and that forms an image on the image holding body; a transfer unit that transfers an image formed on the image holding body to a recording material; and a change portion that changes a transfer condition that is a condition under which the transfer unit performs transfer so that a ratio of the plural kinds of developers in the image to be transferred to a recording material becomes close to a predetermined ratio.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes image forming units, a transfer unit that transfers a superposed toner image including toner images formed by the image forming units onto a sheet, a fixing unit that fixes the superposed toner image onto the sheet, and a controller that performs control such that a toner image is formed while the amount of toner used per unit area by the second image forming unit when forming a line image is smaller than that when forming a solid image. The image forming units include a first image forming unit that forms a toner image that is transferred onto the transfer unit relatively earlier than the other toner images and a second image forming unit that forms a toner image that is transferred onto the transfer unit relatively later than the other toner images, the first and second image forming units using the same color toner.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a transfer unit that transfers a toner image to a recording medium; a non-white toner image forming unit that forms a non-white toner image on the transfer unit by using non-white toner having a non-white color that differs from white; a white toner image forming unit that forms a white toner image on the transfer unit by using white toner that is white in color after the non-white toner image is formed on the transfer unit; and a control unit that controls an amount of the white toner used by the white toner image forming unit to form the white toner image so that the amount of the white toner is smaller when the non-white toner image is formed under the white toner image than when no toner image is formed under the white toner image.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a transfer unit that transfers a toner image to a recording medium; a non-white toner image forming unit that forms a non-white toner image on the transfer unit by using non-white toner having a non-white color that differs from white; a white toner image forming unit that forms a white toner image on the transfer unit by using white toner that is white in color after the non-white toner image is formed on the transfer unit; and a control unit that controls an amount of the white toner used by the white toner image forming unit to form the white toner image so that the amount of the white toner is smaller when the non-white toner image is formed under the white toner image than when no toner image is formed under the white toner image.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes image forming units, a transfer unit that transfers a superposed toner image including toner images formed by the image forming units onto a sheet, a fixing unit that fixes the superposed toner image onto the sheet, and a controller that performs control such that a toner image is formed while the amount of toner used per unit area by the second image forming unit when forming a line image is smaller than that when forming a solid image. The image forming units include a first image forming unit that forms a toner image that is transferred onto the transfer unit relatively earlier than the other toner images and a second image forming unit that forms a toner image that is transferred onto the transfer unit relatively later than the other toner images, the first and second image forming units using the same color toner.

Abstract: Provided is a developing device, including a developer holding member that is rotatably disposed with opposing a latent image holding member which holds an electrostatic latent image, holds a developer including a toner and a carrier which include a conductive metallic pigment and are charged as normal polarity set in advance, is imparted with a potential of a same polarity as the normal polarity, and develops the electrostatic latent image with the toner, and an opposing member that is disposed with opposing the developer holding member at a position different from a position of the latent image holding member, and is imparted with a potential having a same polarity as the normal polarity, and has an absolute value greater than an absolute value of the potential of the developer holding member.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developing sleeve and a regulation portion. The developing sleeve includes a magnetism generating portion to which magnetic poles are attached. The developing sleeve holds a developer on an outer circumferential surface. The regulation portion includes a magnetic plate. A first segment connecting a peak position of the magnetic pole disposed at a position facing the magnetic plate and an axial center of the developing sleeve has an angle, with respect to a second segment connecting the magnetic plate and the axial center, equal to or less than 7 degrees on a downstream side in a rotation direction of the developing sleeve and equal to or less than 6 degrees on an upstream side in the rotation direction. An angle of a half value width of the magnetic pole is equal to or greater than 41 degrees to equal to or less than 52 degrees.

Abstract: A developing device includes a container in which developer is contained; and a developer carrier disposed in the container, the developer carrier including a magnet member having magnetic poles, and a rotation member that covers an outer circumference of the magnet member and is rotatably supported, the developer carrier developing a latent image formed on an image carrier into a visible image with the developer held on a surface of the rotation member as an effect of the magnet member. The rotation member has projections and recesses formed in the surface, which satisfy y?1.875×x+11.25, where y is an average depth of the projections and recesses when a lowest position of the recesses is assumed to be 0 and a highest position of the projections is assumed to be 100, and x is a ten-point average roughness of the projections and recesses.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming section and a controller. The image forming section transfers a toner image to a transfer target and includes plural developing units. The plural developing units include a first developing unit and at least one second developing unit. The plural developing units each include an image holding body and a developing roller. The image holding body has an outer circumferential surface and is rotated. The controller controls the image forming section so that, when a low-area-coverage portion and a high-area-coverage portion are disposed adjacent to each other and are formed by the first developing unit, a correction toner image is superposed on a boundary portion, where the low-area-coverage portion and the high-area-coverage portion are adjacent to each other, by the at least one second developing unit.

Abstract: A transport mechanism includes: a container that stores a specific developer; a transport body that transports the developer in an axial direction of a shaft about which the transport body rotates in the container while stirring the developer; a bearing that supports the transport body such that the transport body is rotatable about the shaft; and a restricting portion that has a substantially annular shape and a maximum magnetic force of about 20 mT or greater and about 50 mT or smaller and restricts the transportation of the developer past the restricting portion by surrounding the shaft, the restricting portion being provided nearer to a side on which the transport body transports the developer than the bearing in the axial direction of the shaft.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developer container; a developer carrier; a first transport member having a rotation shaft and a transport blade; a second transport member having a rotation shaft and a transport blade; a partition member; a guide member; a first inflow portion; a second inflow portion; and a movement portion. The rotation shaft of the first transport member is located within a projection area of the developer carrier projected from above. A second imaginary tangent line extending vertically and touching an outer end of the transport blade of the first transport member is farther from the image carrier than a first imaginary tangent line extending vertically and touching an outer surface of the developer carrier. A first distance between the first and second imaginary tangent lines is smaller than a second distance between a rotation center of the image carrier and an inner surface of the developer container.