Abstract: A fixing device includes an annular and rotatable fixing member, a contact member, at least one temperature sensing unit, and a processor. The fixing member has an outer peripheral surface that comes into contact with a recording medium. The fixing member fixes an image on the recording medium onto the recording medium. The contact member is in contact with an inner peripheral surface of the fixing member, and extends in an axial direction of the fixing member. The at least one temperature sensing unit senses a temperature of a lubricant adhering to the inner peripheral surface of the fixing member. The processor controls rotation of the fixing member on a basis of a temperature sensed by the at least one temperature sensing unit.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a rotatable fixing belt; a contact portion that comes into contact with an inner peripheral surface of the fixing belt in a width direction; a holding portion disposed opposite the inner peripheral surface to guide and hold the fixing belt; a pressing unit that presses the fixing belt against the contact portion; a protrusion disposed at a portion of the holding portion upstream of the contact portion in a rotation direction of the fixing belt to come into contact with the inner peripheral surface in the width direction; a gap forming portion that forms a gap at a portion of the holding portion between the protrusion and the contact portion, the gap extending in the width direction of the fixing belt without allowing the fixing belt to come into contact with the holding portion; and a lubricant applied to the inner peripheral surface.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a rotatable fixing belt; a contact portion that comes into contact with an inner peripheral surface of the fixing belt in a width direction; a holding portion disposed opposite the inner peripheral surface to guide and hold the fixing belt; a pressing unit that presses the fixing belt against the contact portion; a protrusion disposed at a portion of the holding portion upstream of the contact portion in a rotation direction of the fixing belt to come into contact with the inner peripheral surface in the width direction; a gap forming portion that forms a gap at a portion of the holding portion between the protrusion and the contact portion, the gap extending in the width direction of the fixing belt without allowing the fixing belt to come into contact with the holding portion; and a lubricant applied to the inner peripheral surface.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first image forming portion that uses toner containing flat pigment; a second image forming portion that uses toner not containing the flat pigment; and a toner image carrier that carries a first toner image that is formed in the first image forming portion and a second toner image that is formed in the second image forming portion. The image forming apparatus has a mode in which a relationship Am<Ac is satisfied, where Am denotes a number of toner layers of the first toner image that is carried by the toner image carrier, and Ac denotes the number of toner layers of the second toner image that is carried by the toner image carrier.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a first image forming section that uses a toner containing flat pigment particles; a second image forming section that uses a toner not containing the flat pigment particles; and a fixing section that fixes an image formed on a recording medium to the recording medium using heat. The quantity of heat that the fixing section applies to the image is increased in the case where the image formed on the recording medium using the toner containing the flat pigment particles is to be fixed compared to a case where the image formed on the recording medium using the toner not containing the flat pigment particles is to be fixed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a heating unit, and a fixing unit. The image forming unit uses a toner including a flat pigment. The heating unit heats a recording medium. The fixing unit allows the recording medium to pass therethrough so as to cause an image formed on the recording medium to be fixed onto the recording medium by heat. In the image forming apparatus, the heating unit heats the recording medium on which the image has not been formed, the image forming unit forms the image on the recording medium having been heated, and the fixing unit fixes the image having been formed onto the recording medium.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a forming unit that forms a toner image with a substantially flat toner containing a substantially flat metal pigment on a movable body; a transfer unit that forms a nip with the movable body and transfers the toner image on a medium transported to the nip; and a controller that, if at least one of first and second conditions, the first condition in which an image width from data for allowing the forming unit to form the toner image is larger than a predetermined width, the second condition in which an area coverage from the data is higher than a predetermined area coverage, is satisfied, causes the forming unit to form a toner image with a corrected area coverage lower than the area coverage from the data.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming section and a fixing section. The image forming section forms a toner image and transfers the toner image to a recording medium. The fixing section heats the recording medium, to which the toner image is transferred, to fix the toner image to the recording medium. The fixing section is capable of switching a fixing temperature between a first fixing temperature and a second fixing temperature lower than the first fixing temperature. If the recording medium is metallic paper including a metallic layer and a resin layer that covers the metallic layer, the fixing section heats the recording medium at the second fixing temperature to fix the toner image to the recording medium.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a forming unit that forms a toner image with a substantially flat toner containing a substantially flat metal pigment on a movable body; a transfer unit that forms a nip with the movable body and transfers the toner image on a medium transported to the nip; and a controller that, if at least one of first and second conditions, the first condition in which an image width from data for allowing the forming unit to form the toner image is larger than a predetermined width, the second condition in which an area coverage from the data is higher than a predetermined area coverage, is satisfied, causes the forming unit to form a toner image with a corrected area coverage lower than the area coverage from the data.

Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus including a first image portion that uses toner including a flat pigment, a second image portion that uses toner that does not include the flat pigment, a fixing portion that fixes an image formed on a recording medium to the recording medium by heat, and a controller that performs a control that switches the fixing portion to a first state in which an amount of heat similar to an amount of heat applied to the image when an image formed by the toner that does not include the flat pigment is fixed to the recording medium is applied to the image, and a second state in which, compared to when the image formed by the toner that does not include the flat pigment is fixed to the recording medium, the amount of heat applied to the image by the fixing portion is large.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an endless transfer member, a first transfer section, a second transfer section, and a medium transfer section. An image is transferred to the transfer member during circulation of the transfer member. The first transfer section forms an image using a toner containing flat metallic pigment particles, and transfers the formed image to the transfer member through a transfer current. The second transfer section forms an image using a toner not containing flat metallic pigment particles, and transfers the formed image to the transfer member through a transfer current. The second transfer section is disposed upstream of the first transfer section in a circulation direction of the transfer member. The medium transfer section transfers the image transferred to the transfer member to a recording medium through a transfer current. The transfer current for the first transfer section is smaller than that for the second transfer section.

Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus including a first image unit that uses toner which contains a flat pigment, a second image unit that uses toner which does not contain a flat pigment, and a fixing unit that fixes an image which is formed on a recording medium to the recording medium by using heat while transporting the recording medium, wherein the recording medium is transported again to the fixing unit after the image formed on the recording medium by the toner containing the flat pigment is fixed to the recording medium by the fixing unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first image forming unit that uses a toner including a flat pigment, a second image forming unit that uses a toner not including a flat pigment, and a fixing unit that fixes a toner image formed on a recording medium by heat. In the image forming apparatus, a minimum fixing temperature of the toner including the flat pigment is lower than a minimum fixing temperature of the toner not including the flat pigment.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a heating unit, and a fixing unit. The image forming unit uses a toner including a flat pigment. The heating unit heats a recording medium. The fixing unit allows the recording medium to pass therethrough so as to cause an image formed on the recording medium to be fixed onto the recording medium by heat. In the image forming apparatus, the heating unit heats the recording medium on which the image has not been formed, the image forming unit forms the image on the recording medium having been heated, and the fixing unit fixes the image having been formed onto the recording medium.

Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus including a first image unit that uses toner which contains a flat pigment, a second image unit that uses toner which does not contain a flat pigment, and a fixing unit that includes a heating member which contacts with one surface of a recording medium where an image is formed to heat the image and a contact member that contacts with the other surface of the recording medium, and fixes the image to the recording medium, wherein an amount of heat that is applied to the image from the contact member is larger when the image formed by the toner containing the flat pigment is fixed to the recording medium than when the image formed by the toner not containing the flat pigment is fixed to the recording medium.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first image forming portion that forms a toner image on a latent image carrier with a toner containing a flat pigment; and a second image forming portion that forms a toner image on a latent image carrier with a toner not containing the flat pigment. The toner images formed by these image forming portions are transferred to a toner image carrier or a recording medium. The average charge amount per particle of the toner containing the flat pigment is smaller than that of the toner not containing the flat pigment. A transfer width is larger than the particle diameter of the toner containing the flat pigment. A transfer current flowing between the latent image carrier of the second image forming portion and the toner image carrier or the recording medium is higher than or equal to a value required to form an electric field.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first image forming portion that uses toner containing flat pigment; a second image forming portion that uses toner not containing the flat pigment; and a toner image carrier that carries a first toner image that is formed in the first image forming portion and a second toner image that is formed in the second image forming portion. The image forming apparatus has a mode in which a relationship Am<Ac is satisfied, where Am denotes a number of toner layers of the first toner image that is carried by the toner image carrier, and Ac denotes the number of toner layers of the second toner image that is carried by the toner image carrier.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first image forming portion that forms a toner image on a latent image carrier with a toner containing a flat pigment; and a second image forming portion that forms a toner image on a latent image carrier with a toner not containing the flat pigment. The toner images formed by these image forming portions are transferred to a toner image carrier or a recording medium. The average charge amount per particle of the toner containing the flat pigment is smaller than that of the toner not containing the flat pigment. A transfer width is larger than the particle diameter of the toner containing the flat pigment. A transfer current flowing between the latent image carrier of the second image forming portion and the toner image carrier or the recording medium is higher than or equal to a value required to form an electric field.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an endless transfer member, a first transfer section, a second transfer section, and a medium transfer section. An image is transferred to the transfer member during circulation of the transfer member. The first transfer section forms an image using a toner containing flat metallic pigment particles, and transfers the formed image to the transfer member through a transfer current. The second transfer section forms an image using a toner not containing flat metallic pigment particles, and transfers the formed image to the transfer member through a transfer current. The second transfer section is disposed upstream of the first transfer section in a circulation direction of the transfer member. The medium transfer section transfers the image transferred to the transfer member to a recording medium through a transfer current. The transfer current for the first transfer section is smaller than that for the second transfer section.

Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus including a first image unit that uses toner which contains a flat pigment, a second image unit that uses toner which does not contain a flat pigment, and a fixing unit that fixes an image which is formed on a recording medium to the recording medium by using heat while transporting the recording medium, wherein the recording medium is transported again to the fixing unit after the image formed on the recording medium by the toner containing the flat pigment is fixed to the recording medium by the fixing unit.