Abstract: A toner cartridge for storing toner to be supplied to an image forming apparatus includes a container in which the toner is stored, extending in a longitudinal direction, and including two walls at ends thereof in the longitudinal direction, one of the walls having a first outlet, a paddle configured to rotate between the walls of the container to stir the toner and removable from the container through the first outlet, and a first lid covering the first outlet and having a first bearing hole through which an end of the paddle is rotatably held.

Abstract: A fixing device fixes a toner image to a medium conveyed in a conveying direction, the toner image formed on the medium, the fixing device including a heating rotating body, a heater, a pressing member, a pressing rotating body, and a lubricant holding member. The heater heats the heating rotating body, which is supported to be rotatable. The pressing member is disposed inside the heating rotating body. The pressing rotating body is pressed against the pressing member through the heating rotating body to form a nip through which the medium passes. The lubricant holding member has an abutting surface that abuts against an inner circumferential surface of the heating rotating body, and the abutting surface includes a first region filled with a first lubricant and a second region filled with a second lubricant.

Abstract: A fixing device fixes a toner image to a medium conveyed in a conveying direction, the toner image formed on the medium, the fixing device including a heating rotating body, a heater, a pressing member, a pressing rotating body, and a lubricant holding member. The heater heats the heating rotating body, which is supported to be rotatable. The pressing member is disposed inside the heating rotating body. The pressing rotating body is pressed against the pressing member through the heating rotating body to form a nip through which the medium passes. The lubricant holding member has an abutting surface that abuts against an inner circumferential surface of the heating rotating body, and the abutting surface includes a first region filled with a first lubricant and a second region filled with a second lubricant.

Abstract: A fixing device fixes a toner image to a medium conveyed in a conveying direction, the toner image formed on the medium, the fixing device including a heating rotating body, a heater, a pressing member, a pressing rotating body, and a lubricant holding member. The heater heats the heating rotating body, which is supported to be rotatable. The pressing member is disposed inside the heating rotating body. The pressing rotating body is pressed against the pressing member through the heating rotating body to form a nip through which the medium passes. The lubricant holding member has an abutting surface that abuts against an inner circumferential surface of the heating rotating body, and the abutting surface includes a first region filled with a first lubricant and a second region filled with a second lubricant.

Abstract: A fixing device fixes a toner image to a medium conveyed in a conveying direction, the toner image formed on the medium, the fixing device including a heating rotating body, a heater, a pressing member, a pressing rotating body, and a lubricant holding member. The heater heats the heating rotating body, which is supported to be rotatable. The pressing member is disposed inside the heating rotating body. The pressing rotating body is pressed against the pressing member through the heating rotating body to form a nip through which the medium passes. The lubricant holding member has an abutting surface that abuts against an inner circumferential surface of the heating rotating body, and the abutting surface includes a first region filled with a first lubricant and a second region filled with a second lubricant.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes a fixing member, a pressurizing member, a movable member, and a controller. The fixing member heats a sheet. The pressurizing member has first heat capacity and faces the fixing member. The movable member is provided to be movable between a contact position to contact with the pressurizing member and a separation position to be separated from the pressurizing member, and has second heat capacity smaller than the first heat capacity. The controller is configured to move the movable member to one of the contact position and the separation position based on a change of a control temperature of the fixing member or the pressurizing member.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes a fixing member, a pressurizing member, a movable member, and a controller. The fixing member heats a sheet. The pressurizing member has first heat capacity and faces the fixing member. The movable member is provided to be movable between a contact position to contact with the pressurizing member and a separation position to be separated from the pressurizing member, and has second heat capacity smaller than the first heat capacity. The controller is configured to move the movable member to one of the contact position and the separation position based on a change of a control temperature of the fixing member or the pressurizing member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises a transfer section, a fixing section, and a controller. The transfer section includes a transfer rotating body for conveying a sheet at a first linear velocity, and transfers a toner image onto the sheet. The fixing section forms a nip sandwiching the sheet with a first rotating body and a second rotating body, and a heating section for heating the sheet onto which the toner image is transferred. The controller executes a sheet acceleration and deceleration control for setting a linear velocity of the first rotating body to a second linear velocity from the first linear velocity before the tip of the sheet reaches the nip, and decelerating the linear velocity of the first rotating body from the second linear velocity to the first linear velocity at the time the tip of the sheet reaches a predetermined range in a sheet conveyance path.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus of an embodiment includes a sheet supply unit, a printer unit, a sheet transport unit, a fixing unit, a fixing roller driving unit, and a control unit. The control unit controls the fixing roller driving unit so as to decelerate a second linear velocity to a fourth transport velocity and to switch to a third transport velocity when a first control time elapses after the leading edge of a sheet starts to be transported from a registration position, if the sheet is transported at a first linear velocity before transfer. Alternatively, the control unit controls the fixing roller driving unit so as to decelerate the second linear velocity to the fourth transport velocity and to switch to the third transport velocity when a second control time that is shorter than the first control time elapses, if the sheet is accelerated before transfer.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises a fixing device configured to fix an image formed by an image forming section on an image receiving medium. The fixing device includes a heating roller, an auxiliary roller arranged at an entering side of the image receiving medium, and a fixing belt which is stretched by a plurality of rollers including the auxiliary roller and cyclically rotates in a state of being contacted with part of the outer periphery of the heating roller; wherein the auxiliary roller is arranged at a position which is closer to the entering side of the image receiving medium than a fixing nip section between the heating roller and the fixing belt and is at a preset distance away from the fixing nip section. The image forming apparatus further comprises an inlet guide configured closer to the entering side of the image receiving medium than the auxiliary roller.

Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment, an image forming apparatus comprises an image forming section configured to be capable of forming an image with erasable coloring agent; a storage section configured to include a first and a second cassettes capable of storing an image receiving medium; an erasing section configured to heat the image receiving medium on which an image is formed with the erasable coloring agent at a pre-set temperature to erase the image; and a conveyance section configured to convey the image receiving medium stacked in the first cassette through a first conveyance path which passes through the image forming section and the erasing section, and convey the image receiving medium the image on which is erased by the erasing section to the second cassette of the storage section through a second conveyance path.

Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment, an image forming apparatus comprises a transfer device configured to transfer an image onto a conveyed recording medium (sheet); a fixer configured to heat, press and convey the sheet to fix the transferred image on the sheet; a sensor configured to detect the bending amount of the sheet between the transfer device and the fixer; and a control section configured to control at least one of the transfer device and the fixer so that the recording medium between the transfer device and the fixer is conveyed in a bent state and the bending amount of the sheet is reduced if the bending amount of the sheet exceeds a preset one according to the detection result of the sensor.

Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment, an image forming apparatus comprises a transfer device configured to transfer an image onto a conveyed recording medium (sheet); a fixer configured to heat, press and convey the sheet to fix the transferred image on the sheet; a sensor configured to detect the bending amount of the sheet between the transfer device and the fixer; and a control section configured to control at least one of the transfer device and the fixer so that the recording medium between the transfer device and the fixer is conveyed in a bent state and the bending amount of the sheet is reduced if the bending amount of the sheet exceeds a preset one according to the detection result of the sensor.

Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment, an image forming apparatus comprising a printer section configured to include a first image forming section which forms a monochrome image with inerasable coloring agent and a plurality of color image forming sections at least one of which forms a color image with erasable coloring agent; and a control section configured to control the printer section so that the printer section operates in a first mode of forming a monochrome image through the first image forming section, a second mode of forming an erasable image with the erasable coloring agent, and a third mode of forming an image through the first image forming section and the plurality of color image forming sections.

Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment, an image forming apparatus comprises a fixing section, a pressing section, a plurality of nips, a plurality of conveyance paths, a switch section and a control section. The fixing section is heated through a heat source. The pressing section is pressed against the fixing section to form a nip. The plurality of nips are formed by at least one fixing section and at least one pressing section. The plurality of conveyance paths pass through at least one of the plurality of nips. The switch section switches the plurality of conveyance paths. The control section controls the switch section.

Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment, an image forming apparatus comprises an image forming section configured to form a toner image on a printing recording medium, a fixing section configured to heat the printing recording medium printed with the toner image at a fixing temperature, a temperature control section configured to control the fixing section to a temperature above a color erasing temperature, a conveyance section configured to convey the printing recording medium or a color erasing recording medium to the fixing section, and a speed control section configured to control, according to a setting temperature of the fixing section, a speed ratio of a traveling speed of the fixing section to a conveyance speed of the conveyance section.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus according to an embodiment includes: a first roller; a second roller that forms a nip between the second roller and the first roller and presses a sheet passing through the nip against the first roller; a heater that heats at least one of the first roller and the second roller, a heating range of the heater being greater than a maximum printing width of a predetermined maximum sheet width, and a heat-uniformizing member that distributes heat of the heater along a longitudinal direction thereof, an effective length of the heat-uniformizing member in the longitudinal direction being the same as, or greater than, the predetermined maximum sheet width.

Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment, an image forming apparatus comprises an image forming section configured to form a toner image on a printing recording medium, a fixing section configured to heat the printing recording medium printed with the toner image at a fixing temperature, a temperature control section configured to control the fixing section to a temperature above a color erasing temperature, a conveyance section configured to convey the printing recording medium or a color erasing recording medium to the fixing section, and a speed control section configured to control, according to a setting temperature of the fixing section, a speed ratio of a traveling speed of the fixing section to a conveyance speed of the conveyance section.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus according to an embodiment includes: a first roller; a second roller that forms a nip between the second roller and the first roller and presses a sheet passing through the nip against the first roller; a heater that heats at least one of the first roller and the second roller, a heating range of the heater being greater than a maximum printing width of a predetermined maximum sheet width, and a heat-uniformizing member that distributes heat of the heater along a longitudinal direction thereof, an effective length of the heat-uniformizing member in the longitudinal direction being the same as, or greater than, the predetermined maximum sheet width.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus according to an embodiment includes: a first roller; a second roller that forms a nip between the second roller and the first roller and presses a sheet passing through the nip against the first roller; a heater that heats at least one of the first roller and the second roller, a heating range of the heater being greater than a maximum printing width of a predetermined maximum sheet width, and a heat-uniformizing member that distributes heat of the heater along a longitudinal direction thereof, an effective length of the heat-uniformizing member in the longitudinal direction being the same as, or greater than, the predetermined maximum sheet width.