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 image forming apparatus includes a nip forming member and a transfer bias output device that outputs a transfer bias to form a transfer electric field in a transfer nip between the nip forming member and an intermediate transfer member. Upon transfer of a composite toner image including a particular toner image onto a recording medium in the transfer nip, the transfer bias output device outputs the transfer bias including a first superimposed bias in which a direct current (DC) component is superimposed on an alternating current (AC) component. Upon transfer of the composite toner image without the particular toner image onto the recording medium in the transfer nip, the transfer bias output device outputs one of the transfer bias including a second superimposed bias having a peak-to-peak value of the AC component smaller than that of the first superimposed bias and the transfer bias including only the DC component.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, multiple toners are superimposed, formed and layered, on a recording medium and a toner image is made. The toner that superimposed lastly on the recording medium, that is, a top layer of toner, has a toner fixing characteristic value that causes the top layer of toner to be fixed on the recording medium by lower temperature than one or all of the other multiple toners. This provides for a better fixing quality.

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 forming apparatus and method that compute a total amount of toner to be deposited per unit area of a target image in which a first unit area is computed to form a first toner image using a highest total amount of toner, and a second unit area is computed to form a second toner image using a lowest total amount of toner. When the highest total amount of toner computed by a computing unit exceeds a given level, a transfer bias determination unit identifies a transfer bias to transfer a toner image of the target image from an overlapping portion that can effectively transfer 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: 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: An image forming apparatus that can provide notification, so that maintenance personnel of a manufacturer or the like can be made aware of a usage condition in a case where an unsuitable toner cartridge is intermittently used. The image forming apparatus is equipped with a primary storage section storing specific information concerning a replaceable part, such as a toner cartridge that can be attached or removed from a main body, and a secondary storage section storing information concerning usage of the replaceable part. The specific information is read from the primary storage section in a condition where the replaceable part is attached, and a judgment is made by a judgment section concerning whether the replaceable part is suitable. If the replaceable part cannot be judged as suitable, information concerning the use of the replaceable part is stored in the secondary storage section and notification is provided by a notification section.

Abstract: A development device includes a development roller, a developer storage, a first rotating member, a second rotating member, and a rotation speed adjuster. The development roller carries a developer containing non-magnetic toner and magnetic carrier. The developer storage stores the developer. The first rotating member is provided in the developer storage at a position near the development roller. The second rotating member is provided in the developer storage at a position farther from the development roller than the first rotating member is. The first rotating member and the second rotating member agitate and convey the developer stored in the developer storage to supply the agitated developer to the development roller. The rotation speed adjuster adjusts a rotation speed of the second rotating member depending on an amount of new toner supplied to the developer storage.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including a surface-traveling latent image bearer bearing a latent image on the surface thereof; an image developer feeding a toner in a two-component developer including the toner and a carrier to the latent image in a developing area facing the latent image bearer to develop the latent image to form a toner image, including a developer stirrer and feeder circulating the two-component developer in circulation paths while stirring the two-component developer, including a driver independently driving the first and the second stirring and feeding members; a transferer transferring the toner image onto a recording material; and a controller controlling the driver such that an amount of the two-component developer fed by the second stirring and feeding member per unit time is relatively larger than that of the two-component developer fed by the first stirring and feeding member when a predetermined increase condition of stirring is satisfied.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developing roller that carries a two-component developer from a developer container to an image carrier, a first screw carrying a developer, and a second screw carrying the developer in a direction opposite to a direction in which the first screw carries the developer. The first screw and the second screw circularly convey the two-component developer while stirring the two-component developer to supply the two-component developer to the developing roller. A rotation speed of the second screw and a rotation speed of the developing roller can be drive-controlled independently, and a ratio of a rotation speed between the second screw and the developing roller is variable.

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: A control unit controls a device that executes an image forming process, compares changes of each toner adhesion amount in an image-density-detection pattern image when a developing-bias control condition is changed, with respect to a toner adhesion amount in an image-density-detection pattern image in a normal status, performs a malfunction-occurrence prediction process according to the degree of each change of the densities, and displays the result.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus according to this invention prevents adverse effects on peripheral circuits and speeds up data transfer by preventing a mutual interference among signals. In the image forming apparatus, a transfer controller which converts into a differential serial data pair (data+/?) multiplex data td [6:0] multiplexed from head data vd [7:0], a head control signal vctl [3:0], a data enable signal dten, and a control enable signal cten, converts as well a clock signal clk into a differential clock signal pair (clk+/?), and transfers those differential serial data pair and differential clock signal pair to an LED head via a cable. The LED head receives both of the differential serial data pair and the differential clock signal pair to separate those pairs into head data hd [7:0], head control signal hctl [3:0], and data transfer clock hclk.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developer container that contains a two-component developer including a carrier and a toner attached to the carrier through a frictional electrification. The developing device also includes a developing roller that supplies the two-component developer from the developer container to an image carrier. Further, the developing device includes a first developer supplying unit, and a second developer supplying unit that is aligned with the first developer supplying unit and located more distant from the developing roller than the first developer supplying unit is from the developing roller. The first developer supplying unit and the second developer supplying unit circularly convey the two-component developer while stirring the two-component developer to supply the two-component developer to the developing roller. An absolute rotation speed of the second developer supplying unit is changeable without a change in a rotation speed of the developing roller.