Abstract: An image forming apparatus and method compute a total amount of toner to be deposited per unit area of a target image. When the highest total amount of toner computed exceeds a given level, a heating determination unit, using a processor, determines whether a first heating amount range enabling fusing of the computed highest total amount of toner and a second heating amount range enabling fusing of the computed lowest total amount of toner have an overlapping portion that can effectively fuse a first toner image, a second toner image, and identifies a heating amount to fuse a toner image of the target image from an overlapping portion that can effectively fuse the first toner image, and the second toner image.

Abstract: An image glossing apparatus including a recording sheet feeder feeding a recording sheet bearing a toner image; a glossing device including a heater heating a glossing portion of the toner image to gloss the portion; a glossiness information obtaining device obtaining position information on the position of the glossing portion; and a position detector including a tip detector detecting tip of the fed recording sheet, and a distance measuring device measuring the moving distance of the recording sheet after the tip of the recording sheet is detected. The position detector detects the position of a portion of the recording sheet facing the heater based on the information on the tip of the recording sheet and the information on the moving distance of the recording sheet. When the portion of the recording sheet facing the heater is the glossing portion, the heater heats the portion to gloss the glossing portion.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a manufacturing method of a magnetic memory includes forming a magnetoresistive element in a cell array section on a semiconductor substrate, forming a dummy element in a peripheral circuit section on the semiconductor substrate, the dummy element having the same stacked structure as the magnetoresistive element and being arranged at the same level as the magnetoresistive element, collectively flattening the magnetoresistive element and the dummy element, applying a laser beam to the dummy element to form the dummy element into a non-magnetic body, and forming an upper electrode on the flattened magnetoresistive element.

Abstract: A printing control apparatus includes an acquiring unit, a storing unit, a replacing unit, and a generating unit. The acquiring unit is configured to acquire apparatus configuration information of a printing apparatus that forms an image based on image data. The storing unit is configured to store therein gloss control plane data in which a type of a surface effect imparted to a recording medium and a control value for specifying an area in the recording medium, to which the surface effect is imparted, are designated. The replacing unit is configured to replace, based on the apparatus configuration information, the type of the surface effect imparted to the recording medium in the gloss control plane data with a predetermined type of a surface effect. The generating unit is configured to generate the image data based on the gloss control plane data subjected to the replacement by the replacing unit.

Abstract: A capacitor charging apparatus includes a transformer and an output capacitor which is to be charged using the current that flows through the secondary coil of the transformer. A control circuit charges the output capacitor by controlling the switching operation of a switching transistor provided on a path of the primary coil of the transformer. A voltage monitoring terminal is connected to a tap provided to the secondary coil of the transformer. A switching control unit receives a monitoring voltage that occurs at the voltage monitoring terminal, and controls the switching operation of the switching transistor according to the monitoring voltage. A protection circuit monitors the monitoring voltage. In a case in which continues to be satisfied with respect to the monitoring voltage, the switching control operation of the switching control unit for the switching transistor is stopped.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus which transfers clear toner and at least one of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black color toner onto a recording medium to form an image based on image information and image classification information, the apparatus including a clear priority determiner configured to determine a clear priority based on the image classification information; a toner adherence amount determiner determining amounts of the color toners and the clear toner to be adhered to the recording medium based on the image information and the clear priority; and a toner transferer transferring the color toners and the clear toner onto the recording medium in amounts determined by the toner adherence amount determiner.

Abstract: An image forming system including an image forming device forming on a recording sheet a first chromatic toner image, and a second chromatic toner image having an outermost layer of transparent toner, wherein the transparent toner has lower glass transition temperature than the chromatic toners; a fixing device having a fixing member contacting the recording sheet to heat the toner images to temperature not lower than the glass transition temperature of the chromatic toners so that the toner images are fixed; and a glossing device having a glossing member contacting the recording sheet to heat the toner images to temperature not lower than the glass transition temperature of the transparent toner and lower than the glass transition temperatures of the chromatic toners so that only the transparent toner achieves a rubber state and to cool the heated first and second toner images so that the transparent toner is solidified.

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

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: The present invention has been aimed to propose a process and a device of fabricating a prepreg for a printed circuit board which are capable of controlling respective thicknesses of resin layers on the opposite surfaces of a resultant prepreg, removing air bubbles from the resultant prepreg, and improving productivity. The present invention is a process of resin-coating the opposite surfaces of an elongated substrate sheet 3. The process includes the steps of: feeding the substrate sheet 3 while tensioning the same in a feeding direction along the length of the substrate sheet 3; coating, by the coating head 2 of the first dispenser 1a, one surface of the substrate sheet 3 with the fluid resin 4 while pressing against the one surface to bend the substrate sheet 3; and subsequently coating, by the coating head 2 of the second dispenser 1b, the other surface of the substrate sheet 3 with the fluid resin 4 while pressing against the other surface to bend the substrate sheet 3.

Abstract: A capacitor charging apparatus includes a transformer and an output capacitor charged with current flowing through a secondary coil of the transformer, and charges the output capacitor by performing a switching control of a switching transistor provided on a path leading to a primary coil of the transformer. A switching control unit controls on and off of the switching transistor. A voltage detector monitors a voltage at a tap provided in the secondary coil of the transformer. The switching control unit regards the voltage detected by the voltage detector as an output voltage of the capacitor charging apparatus, and controls the on and off of the switching transistor.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus for performing an image forming operation is disclosed that includes an image carrier on which a toner image is formed, an intermediate transfer member configured to transfer the toner image to a recording medium, the intermediate transfer member having a toner image forming area including an output image forming area and a non-output image forming area located outside of the output image forming area, the toner image forming area being wider than the output image forming area, and a detecting part configured to measure a physical quantity regarding an image quality of a first reference image formed in the output image forming area and a second reference image formed in the non-output image forming area.

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 image forming apparatus including a color toner image forming unit that forms a color toner image on a recording medium; a first colorless transparent toner image forming unit that forms a first colorless transparent toner image on the color toner image; a first fixing unit that fixes the image on the recording medium; a gloss level increasing device that increases a gloss level of the entire image on the recording medium that has been fixed; a second colorless transparent toner image forming unit that forms a second colorless transparent toner image on the image whose gloss level has been increased; and a second fixing unit that fixes the second colorless transparent toner image on the recording medium.

Abstract: An electrophotography apparatus prevents the edge effect without causing the blurring or loss of a single-dot image or a single-dot-width line. Based on a measurement of a testing patch, two templates with different sizes are generated. Image data to be printed is subjected to template matching using the templates to obtain a difference region as an image edge region of the image data where, when the image data is developed, the amount of attached toner is increased. The exposure amount for the image edge region is controlled based on a measurement of the amounts of attached toner in edge portions of the testing patch so that the difference in the attached toner amounts are minimized.

Abstract: A capacitor charging apparatus includes a transformer and an output capacitor charged with current flowing through a secondary coil of the transformer, and charges the output capacitor by performing a switching control of a switching transistor provided on a path leading to a primary coil of the transformer. A switching control unit controls on and off of the switching transistor. A voltage detector monitors a voltage at a tap provided in the secondary coil of the transformer. The switching control unit regards the voltage detected by the voltage detector as an output voltage of the capacitor charging apparatus, and controls the on and off of the switching transistor.

Abstract: A capacitor charging apparatus includes a transformer and an output capacitor charged with current flowing through a secondary coil of the transformer, and charges the output capacitor by performing a switching control of a switching transistor provided on a path leading to a primary coil of the transformer. A switching control unit controls on and off of the switching transistor. A voltage detector monitors a voltage at a tap provided in the secondary coil of the transformer. The switching control unit regards the voltage detected by the voltage detector as an output voltage of the capacitor charging apparatus, and controls the on and off of the switching transistor.

Abstract: A capacitor charging apparatus includes a transformer and an output capacitor charged with current flowing through a secondary coil of the transformer, and charges the output capacitor by performing a switching control of a switching transistor provided on a path leading to a primary coil of the transformer. A switching control unit controls on and off of the switching transistor. A voltage detector monitors a voltage at a tap provided in the secondary coil of the transformer. The switching control unit regards the voltage detected by the voltage detector as an output voltage of the capacitor charging apparatus, and controls the on and off of the switching transistor.

Abstract: The present invention provides a highly convenient removable device and a startup method. A hub division unit 31 in a single composite device 2 allocates data exchange with the computer 1 side a plurality of devices, thereby easily realizing a plurality of functions. When connected to a USB, a recognition control unit 32 returns a signal representing a CD-ROM in a simulated manner in response to inquiry about the type of the device from the host side. When a device is mounted, a desired processing such as a program execution described in the script is automatically performed without installing a resident program for detecting a device mounting in advance in the computer side.