Abstract: A toner comprising a toner particle that contains a binder resin, wherein the surface of the toner particle is covered with a resin A; the modulus of elasticity Ea of the resin A and the modulus of elasticity Eb of the binder resin satisfy the following formula: 0.5?(Ea/Eb)×100?50.0; and the adhesion force AT of the toner particle is at least 500 nN when a probe having spherical SiO2 attached at the tip of a cantilever is pressed into the toner particle at 3 ?N.

Abstract: A toner comprising a toner particle that contains a binder resin, wherein the surface of the toner particle is covered with a resin A; the modulus of elasticity Ea of the resin A and the modulus of elasticity Eb of the binder resin satisfy the following formula: 0.5?(Ea/Eb)×100?50.0; and the adhesion force AT of the toner particle is at least 500 nN when a probe having spherical SiO2 attached at the tip of a cantilever is pressed into the toner particle at 3 ?N.

Abstract: A developing device includes: a developing container for accommodating developer, a developer carrying member, and a plate-like elastic member. In a state in which the elastic member contacts the developer carrying member without being deformed, an angle formed between a flat reference surface passing through a surface of the elastic member which is continuous to a contact portion of the elastic member with the developer carrying member and which is downstream of the contact portion with respect to the movement direction and a tangent plane of the developer carrying member and a contact position between the elastic member and the developer carrying member is 10° or more and 45° or less, and the elastic member includes a first region including the contact portion and a second region which is provided continuously from the first region toward the supporting portion and which is lower in rigidity than the first region.

Abstract: A developing device includes: a developing container, a developer carrying member, and a plate-like elastic member. An angle formed between a reference surface passing through a surface of the elastic member continuous to a contact portion of the elastic member with the developer carrying member and downstream of the contact portion with respect to the movement direction of the developer carrying member and a tangent plane of the developer carrying member under no load at a contact position between the elastic member and the developer carrying member is 10° or more and 45° or less. The elastic member includes a first region including the contact portion and a second region provided continuously from the first region toward the supporting portion of the elastic member and lower in rigidity than the first region. The second region is provided downstream of the reference surface with respect to the movement direction.

Abstract: A toner containing toner base particles and an external additive, wherein regions with different tribocharging polarities with respect to a magnetic carrier are present in a domain-matrix structure on the surface of the toner base particles. The island region B has a predetermined height, the external additive has a reverse polarity to the region B in terms of tribocharging polarity to the magnetic carrier, the external additive contains a first external additive having a number-average primary particle size of 80-150 nm and a second external additive having a number-average primary particle size of 10-60 nm, and an average coverage Cb (%) with the first external additive in the region B is 27-100% and a coverage Ca (%) with the first external additive in the sea region A is 12% or less.

Abstract: A glossiness processing apparatus for glossiness treatment includes a first glossiness treatment unit; a second glossiness treatment unit provided downstream of the first glossiness treatment unit with respect to a feeding direction of a sheet; wherein each of the units including a film movable having a surface in contact with an image surface of the sheet while moving; a heating member contacted to another surface of the film, the heating member including a plurality of heat generating elements arranged along a direction substantially perpendicular to a moving direction of the film; a pressing member cooperating with the heating member to form a nip, with the film therebetween, for nipping and feeding the sheet; wherein positions of the heat generating elements are offset relative to positions of the heat generating elements of the first glossiness treatment unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of image forming stations for forming a toner image having superposed toner image components on a recording material, a fixing portion for fixing the toner image on the recording material, and a glossiness treatment unit, operable when a glossiness treatment mode is selected, for glossiness treatment of the toner image fixed on the recording material by heating the toner image. The glossiness treatment unit includes a film movable in a feeding direction of the recording material, a heating member contacting the film, and a pressing member cooperating with the heating member to form a nip, with the film therebetween, for nipping and feeding the recording material.

Abstract: Provide is a clear toner having a wide fixing temperature latitude so as to improve the degree of glossiness in a wide range of image density areas, from a white portion to a high image density portion, while ensuring sufficient fixing performance and color mixing in color portions. The clear toner has a storage elastic modulus G? (130) of 1.0×104 Pa or more at 130° C. and a melt viscosity ? (130) of 1.0×104 Pa·s or less at 130° C.

Abstract: A glossiness processing apparatus for glossiness treatment includes a first glossiness treatment unit; a second glossiness treatment unit provided downstream of the first glossiness treatment unit with respect to a feeding direction of a sheet; wherein each of the units including a film movable having a surface in contact with an image surface of the sheet while moving; a heating member contacted to another surface of the film, the heating member including a plurality of heat generating elements arranged along a direction substantially perpendicular to a moving direction of the film; a pressing member cooperating with the heating member to form a nip, with the film therebetween, for nipping and feeding the sheet; wherein positions of the heat generating elements are offset relative to positions of the heat generating elements of the first glossiness treatment unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit for forming a toner image on a recording material; a fixing portion for fixing the toner image; a glossiness treatment unit, operable when a glossiness treatment mode is selected, for glossiness treatment of the toner image fixed on the recording material by heating the toner image, the glossiness treatment unit including a film movable in a feeding direction of the recording material, a heating member contacted to the film, a pressing member cooperating with the heating member to form a nip, with the film therebetween, for nipping and feeding the recording material; wherein in the glossiness treatment mode, the image forming unit forms, as a topmost layer, a toner image having a tone gradation provided by a dot growth type screening.

Abstract: The present invention provides a hologram forming apparatus, including: an embossed hologram sheet; a roller which forms a nip portion between the embossed hologram sheet and the roller, wherein a recording medium bearing a toner image is conveyed to the nip portion so that the toner image is brought into contact with the embossed hologram sheet, and the recording medium and the embossed hologram sheet are heated while being nipped and conveyed in the nip portion; a cooling portion for cooling the recording medium that has passed through the nip portion and is in a contact state with the embossed hologram sheet; and a separating portion for separating the recording medium from the embossed hologram sheet, the recording medium having passed through the cooling portion and bearing the toner image on which an embossed shape of the embossed hologram sheet is transferred.

Abstract: A sheet surface treating apparatus includes a heater including a substrate and a heat generating element provided on the substrate; a transfer film which is movable while contacting the heater; a pressing member cooperating with the heater to form a nip for feeding a sheet carrying thermoplastic resin material, through the transfer film; wherein the sheet is fed by the nip together with the transfer film in a state that the thermoplastic resin material is in contact with the transfer film, and is heated by the heater in the nip so that a configuration of a surface of the transfer film is transferred to the thermoplastic resin material, and then is separated from the transfer film; wherein a downstream end of the heat generating element with respect to a sheet feeding direction is disposed at a position upstream of an end of the nip with respect to the sheet feeding direction, and a distance between the downstream end of the nip and the downstream end of the heat generating element is not less than 0.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a first recording mode of outputting the recording material without passing thru the glossiness applying device after fixing and a second recording mode using the glossiness applying device, and then outputting the recording material. In the latter recording mode (B), when a void ratio G of toner in the toner image not yet subjected to the glossing process by the glossiness applying device is defined by a thickness t1 of a toner layer on the recording material after fixing and before entering the glossiness applying device, and a thickness t2 of a toner layer on the recording material after passing through the glossiness applying device, satisfies the formula: G=100×(t1-t2)/t1. In the recording mode (B), fixing conditions for the fixing device and the glossiness applying device are respectively set so that the void ratio of toner satisfies a formula 15?G?60.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus that causes a recording material carrying a fixed toner image to be in close contact with a belt and improves gloss level of an image surface is provided. A decrease in the separability of the recording material from the belt can be suppressed by control of the position on the belt in close contact with the leading edge of the recording material.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member; a charging device for electrically charging the image bearing member; a rotatable developer carrying member for carrying a developer to develop an electrostatic image formed on the image bearing member with the developer, the developer carrying member being supplied with a developing bias voltage including an AC voltage; non-rotatable magnetic field generating device, disposed inside the developer carrying member, for magnetically attracting the developer on the developer carrying member, wherein the developer carrying member has a surface elastic layer, and the developer carrying member is press-contacted to the image bearing member, and the developer is one component magnetic toner, and a maximum value of an absolute value of the developing bias voltage |V|max and a surface potential of the image bearing member charge by the charging device is Vd(V), satisfy, |V|max=|Vd|.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a first recording mode of outputting the recording material without passing thru the glossiness applying device after fixing and a second recording mode using the glossiness applying device, and then outputting the recording material. In the latter recording mode (B), when a void ratio G of toner in the toner image not yet subjected to the glossing process by the glossiness applying device is defined by a thickness t1 of a toner layer on the recording material after fixing and before entering the glossiness applying device, and a thickness t2 of a toner layer on the recording material after passing through the glossiness applying device, satisfies the formula: G =100×(t1?t2)/t1. In the recording mode (B), fixing conditions for the fixing device and the glossiness applying device are respectively set so that the void ratio of toner satisfies a formula 15?G?60.

Abstract: A developing device includes a rotatable developer carrying member for carrying a developer to develop an electrostatic image formed on an image bearing member with the developer; non-rotatable magnetic field generating means, disposed inside the developer carrying member, for magnetically attracting the developer on the developer carrying member; a regulating member for regulating an amount of the developer carried on the developer carrying member, wherein the developer carrying member is provided with a surface elastic layer, and the developer carrying member is press-contacted to the image bearing member, and wherein, the developer is an one component magnetic toner having an average circularity not less than 0.965, and an amount of the developer per unit area of the developer regulated by the regulating member is 5-14 g/m2, and an amount of electric charge thereof is 10-50 ?C/g.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus that causes a recording material carrying a fixed toner image to be in close contact with a belt and improves gloss level of an image surface is provided. A decrease in the separability of the recording material from the belt can be suppressed by control of the position on the belt in close contact with the leading edge of the recording material.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member; a charging member for electrically charging the image bearing member; developing means for developing with a developer an electrostatic latent image formed on the image bearing member, the developing means having a developer carrying member for carrying the developer, wherein a gap is formed between the developer carrying member and the image bearing member; bias voltage applying means for applying a bias voltage to the developer carrying member, wherein the bias applying means applies an AC bias when the electrostatic latent image is developed, wherein the developing means is capable of collecting the developer fro the image bearing member, and an amplitude of an AC bias voltage applied to the developer carrying member by the bias applying means when the the developer is collected, is larger than that when the the electrostatic latent image is developed.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus includes a pre-charge exposure device which removes electric charge from a photoconductor drum to increase a potential contrast between the surface of the photoconductor drum and the surface of a charge roller in an upstream region of a nip region between the photoconductor drum and the charge roller in the rotating direction of the photoconductor drum, so that toner accumulating in an upstream region of the nip region in the rotating direction of the photoconductor drum is restrained and prevented from being discharged onto an image-forming region. When the toner accumulating in the upstream region of the nip region in the rotating direction of the photoconductor drum is to be discharged onto a non-image-forming region, the pre-charge exposure device is turned off so that the potential contrast decreases.