Abstract: An image forming method is provided. The method includes the steps of forming an electrostatic latent image on a photoconductor; developing the electrostatic latent image into a toner image with a toner; transferring the toner image onto a recording medium having a smoothness of 20 s or less; and fixing the toner image on the recording medium. The toner exhibits an adhesion force of 100 gf or more, where the adhesion force is the maximum value of a pull force between a layer of the toner and standard paper determined by a tacking test with a probe temperature of 140° C.

Abstract: An image forming method is provided. The method includes the steps of forming an electrostatic latent image on a photoconductor; developing the electrostatic latent image into a toner image with a toner; transferring the toner image onto a recording medium having a smoothness of 20 s or less; and fixing the toner image on the recording medium. The toner exhibits an adhesion force of 100 gf or more, where the adhesion force is the maximum value of a pull force between a layer of the toner and standard paper determined by a tacking test with a probe temperature of 140° C.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member to bear a latent image on a surface thereof, a developing unit to develop the latent image on the image bearing member with toner, a driving unit to drive the developing device, a storage unit to store a cumulative travel distance of the developing roller at predetermined timing, a total travel distance of the developing unit, and control conditions for the developing unit, a controller to obtain a difference between the total travel distance of the developing roller and the cumulative travel distance up to a predetermined point in time in image forming operation and to instruct intermittent printing in which continuous printing is limited to a certain number of pages in a predetermined time period when the difference is equal to or greater than a threshold travel distance, and an operation unit in which the control conditions are set.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image bearing member; a charger; an irradiator; a development device having an accommodation unit to accommodate toner to obtain a visible image; a transfer device; and a fixing device to fix the visible image transferred onto a recording medium. The fixing device having a fixing rotation member; and a pressure rotation member to form a nipping portion by contacting the fixing rotation member, wherein the surface pressure of the nipping portion is 1.5 kgf/cm2 or less, wherein the fixing rotation member has a Martens hardness of 1.0 N/mm2 or less at 23° C., wherein the ratio of the projected area of a single particle of the toner onto the recording medium at 120° C. to the projected area of a single particle of the toner onto the recording medium at 23° C. is 1.60 or less.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including: electrostatic latent image bearing member; electrostatic latent image forming unit; developing unit configured to develop with toner to form visible image; transferring unit; fixing unit; and discharging unit, the toner containing binder resin, colorant, and releasing agent, the binder resin containing crystalline resin containing urethane or urea bond, or both, the toner satisfying: C/(C+A)?0.15, C being integrated intensity of part of spectrum derived from crystalline structure of the binder resin, A being integrated intensity of part of the spectrum derived from non-crystalline structure, the spectrum being diffraction spectrum of the toner as obtained by X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, storage elastic modulus G?(70) of the toner at 70° C. being 5.0×104 Pa?G?(70)?1.0×106 Pa, and storage elastic modulus G?(160) thereof at 160° C. being 1.0×103 Pa?G?(160)?1.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a plurality of image forming units each with an image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, and each with a developing member for developing process on the electrostatic latent image, wherein the image forming apparatus superimposes toner images of the respective colors to form a composite color image; when images on a plurality of pages are formed, the developing members of the respective colors are started or stopped in response to presence or absence of latent images of the respective colors on a page that is targeted for image formation; and when the image forming unit starts to be driven, a developing member, corresponding to a color whose latent image is not to be formed on a first page of the plurality of pages, is not started.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming device including a fixing unit that fixes a first image to be fixed onto a sheet, the first image to be fixed being supported on the sheet, a target fixing temperature varying unit that varies a target fixing temperature during a time period in which a fixing process is performed, and a gradation processing unit that applies a gradation process to first image information. The target fixing temperature varying unit varies the target fixing temperature for the sheet of the recording medium to which the fixing process is applied, depending on presence or absence of a halftone process, and depending on a type of the gradation process to be utilized.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image bearing member; a charger; an irradiator; a development device having an accommodation unit to accommodate toner to obtain a visible image; a transfer device; and a fixing device to fix the visible image transferred onto a recording medium. The fixing device having a fixing rotation member; and a pressure rotation member to form a nipping portion by contacting the fixing rotation member, wherein the surface pressure of the nipping portion is 1.5 kgf/cm2 or less, wherein the fixing rotation member has a Martens hardness of 1.0 N/mm2 or less at 23° C., wherein the ratio of the projected area of a single particle of the toner onto the recording medium at 120° C. to the projected area of a single particle of the toner onto the recording medium at 23° C. is 1.60 or less.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developing device including a developing roller to bear a developing agent to develop a latent image formed on an image bearing member, a cooling device to reduce an internal temperature of the image forming apparatus, a controller to calculate a travel distance of the developing roller to control the cooling device, and a memory unit to store the total travel distance of the developing roller. The controller calculates the total travel distance of the developing roller every Y minutes in the last X minutes, and a difference between the latest total travel distance of the developing roller and the total travel distance stored Z minutes ago by the memory unit to obtain the total travel distance during Z minutes and operate the cooling device for W minutes after image forming operation where the difference is equal to or greater than a threshold value M.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier; a latent-image forming unit configured to form a latent image on the image carrier; a developing unit configured to develop the latent image on the image carrier with a developer applied onto a developer carrier; a temperature detector configured to detect an internal temperature or an ambient temperature of the developing unit, the internal temperature and ambient temperature varying depending on a temperature of the developer carrier; and a control unit configured to control restriction on number of pages on which image formation is allowed to be performed continuously and cancellation of the restriction, based on the temperature detected by the temperature detector.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus capable of executing continuous image forming operation forming images on more than one page includes a temperature detector that detects internal or surrounding temperature of a developing device correspondingly changing to temperature of a developer bearer. A temperature information acquiring device acquires information of ambient temperature outside of the image forming apparatus. A controller switches a current operation mode to an intermittent image forming operation mode intermittently including a braking time period not to allow image formation and cancels the intermittent image forming operation mode in accordance with detection result of the temperature detector. The intermittent image forming operation mode allowed to continuously form images only on a prescribed limited number of sheets. The controller varies the braking time period in accordance with the ambient temperature detected by the temperature information acquiring device.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a fixing unit configured to fix a not-yet-fixed image on a recording medium, includes a fixing target temperature changing part configured to change a fixing target temperature at a time of a fixing process; and a gradation processing part configured to carry out gradation processing on image information. For each sheet of a recording medium on which the fixing process is carried out, the fixing target temperature is changed based on whether halftone processing is carried out and a type of gradation processing to be used.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming device including a fixing unit that fixes a first image to be fixed onto a sheet, the first image to be fixed being supported on the sheet, a target fixing temperature varying unit that varies a target fixing temperature during a time period in which a fixing process is performed, and a gradation processing unit that applies a gradation process to first image information. The target fixing temperature varying unit varies the target fixing temperature for the sheet of the recording medium to which the fixing process is applied, depending on presence or absence of a halftone process, and depending on a type of the gradation process to be utilized.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier; a latent-image forming unit configured to form a latent image on the image carrier; a developing unit configured to develop the latent image on the image carrier with a developer applied onto a developer carrier; a temperature detector configured to detect an internal temperature or an ambient temperature of the developing unit, the internal temperature and ambient temperature varying depending on a temperature of the developer carrier; and a control unit configured to control restriction on number of pages on which image formation is allowed to be performed continuously and cancellation of the restriction, based on the temperature detected by the temperature detector.

Abstract: A pasting apparatus includes a pasting member operative to paste a non-transparent medium onto an image-formed surface of a transparent medium; and a conveying member that conveys the non-transparent medium to the pasting member by electrostatic adsorption.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a fixing unit configured to fix a not-yet-fixed image on a recording medium, includes a fixing target temperature changing part configured to change a fixing target temperature at a time of a fixing process; and a gradation processing part configured to carry out gradation processing on image information. For each sheet of a recording medium on which the fixing process is carried out, the fixing target temperature is changed based on whether halftone processing is carried out and a type of gradation processing to be used.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developing device including a developing roller to bear a developing agent to develop a latent image formed on an image bearing member, a cooling device to reduce an internal temperature of the image forming apparatus, a controller to calculate a travel distance of the developing roller to control the cooling device, and a memory unit to store the total travel distance of the developing roller. The controller calculates the total travel distance of the developing roller every Y minutes in the last X minutes, and a difference between the latest total travel distance of the developing roller and the total travel distance stored Z minutes ago by the memory unit to obtain the total travel distance during Z minutes and operate the cooling device for W minutes after image forming operation where the difference is equal to or greater than a threshold value M.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member to bear a latent image on a surface thereof, a developing unit to develop the latent image on the image bearing member with toner, a driving unit to drive the developing device, a storage unit to store a cumulative travel distance of the developing roller at predetermined timing, a total travel distance of the developing unit, and control conditions for the developing unit, a controller to obtain a difference between the total travel distance of the developing roller and the cumulative travel distance up to a predetermined point in time in image forming operation and to instruct intermittent printing in which continuous printing is limited to a certain number of pages in a predetermined time period when the difference is equal to or greater than a threshold travel distance, and an operation unit in which the control conditions are set.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus capable of using a recording medium having a transparent portion includes an image forming unit, a fixing unit, and an applicator. The image forming unit forms an image on a face of the recording medium. The fixing unit fixes the image, formed by the image forming unit, on the face of the recording medium. The applicator applies a non-transparent liquid to at least the fixed image on the face of the recording medium.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a plurality of image forming units each with an image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, and each with a developing member for developing process on the electrostatic latent image, wherein the image forming apparatus superimposes toner images of the respective colors to form a composite color image; when images on a plurality of pages are formed, the developing members of the respective colors are started or stopped in response to presence or absence of latent images of the respective colors on a page that is targeted for image formation; and when the image forming unit starts to be driven, a developing member, corresponding to a color whose latent image is not to be formed on a first page of the plurality of pages, is not started.