Abstract: A method of controlling a printing job of an image forming apparatus having an image forming unit. The method of controlling a printing job includes transforming scanned data into printable data, and determining a time to start driving the image forming unit according to the type of data scanned, starting driving the image forming unit at the determined start time, and printing the scanned data transformed into printable data. The time required to perform a printing job is thereby reduced, and scanned data can be output normally.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable belt; a cleaning blade contacted to the belt; image forming stations including a first station and a second station for forming first and second adjustment toner images, respectively, on the belt, the second station being disposed downstreammost position, and the first station being disposed upstream of the second station and downstream of the cleaning blade with respect to a rotational direction of the belt; a detector for detecting the first image and the second image, at a position opposing the belt; a changing portion for changing image forming conditions of the stations on the basis of a result of detection of the detector, a controller for controlling the stations such that in a region between adjacent ones of the same images in a continuous image formations, the second image reaches the blade before the first image reaches the blade.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier that carries an electrostatic latent image; a developer supplying unit that supplies developer by being driven at a predetermined speed; a developing unit that develops the electrostatic latent image, while a transporting member transports the developer, a transport speed of the transporting member being switched to a plurality of speeds; a determining unit that determines whether or not an operation where a supply capacity of the developer supplying unit is greater than a transport capacity of the developing unit exceeds a predetermined threshold value and is continued; and a controller that performs control so that, when the determining unit determines that the operation exceeds the predetermined threshold value and is continued, an operation that was being executed immediately prior to the determination is stopped to forcefully drive the transporting member of the developing unit for a predetermined driving time.

Abstract: A developing device includes developing units each including a first gear and a development roller; a rotation supporting member; a cam member having a cam surface surrounding the rotation axis, and being secured to and rotating together with the rotation supporting member; and a driving force transmission member including a cam receiving roller and a second gear. The cam surface includes a curved surface whose curvature is less than a curvature of the cam receiving roller so that, as the first gear approaches a driving position where the first gear receives the driving force from the second gear by the rotation of the cam member, the cam receiving roller is moved away from the rotation axis once, after which the cam receiving roller is moved towards the rotation axis, thereby starting engagement of the first gear with the second gear before the first gear reaches the driving position.

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 first development unit, a second development unit, and a control unit. The first development unit forms a first developer image with a first developer absorbing a light having a prescribed wavelength. The second development unit forms a second developer image with a second developer permeating the light having prescribed wavelength therethrough. The control unit controls print of a background design image by the first development unit and print of a print image by the second development unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first drum for bearing an electrostatic latent image and a cleaning blade of a first cleaning device when formation of the toner image to be transferred onto a sheet is not carried out. The control device selects between a toner supply process using the toner accommodated in a first developing device and a toner supply process using the toner accommodated in a second developing device, in accordance with an amount of the toner accommodated in the first developing device or the second developing device.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image bearing member; a developer carrying member; a first chamber for permitting feeding of the developer to the developer carrying member; a second chamber for forming a circulation path of the developer at end portions thereof, wherein the second chamber collects the developer from the developer carrying member at an opposing position; a screw member for feeding the developer contained in the first and second chambers; a supplying portion for supplying a developer; a discharging portion, provided in the circulation path, for causing an excessive developer to overflow; and a controller for controlling, on the basis of information on a first drive time from a start of rotation of the screw member to an end of a developing operation, a second drive time from the end of the developing operation to a stop of the rotation of the screw member.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus of a rotary type, when a pause is made during continuous image formation, the time taken to restart image formation after the pause is shortened so as to reduce stress on the user. In the image forming apparatus, it is determined beforehand whether the next image formation mode is a color mode or a mono mode, and a developing device to be first used in the next image formation mode is moved to a developing standby position.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a controller on the apparatus body to control supply of developers from developer containers to the development devices. The controller includes a storage that reads and stores identification information pieces of all the development devices attached to the apparatus body. When any of the development devices is removed from the apparatus body, and thereafter attached at a position where the removal took place, the controller reads an identification information piece of the development device attached at the position, and when the read identification information piece disagrees with an identification information piece of the development device at the position stored, and agrees with an identification information piece of another one of the development devices at another position, the controller determines that the development device is mistakenly attached and prohibits the supply of the corresponding developers.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a determination unit determining whether an amount of colorant remaining in a container is equal to or greater than a threshold value and a control unit causing a print unit selectively to perform plural double-side printing methods in which at least one of the number of one-side printed sheets N and the number of opposite-side printed sheets M is different. When the determination unit makes a negative determination, the control unit performs a negative selection process of selecting a double-side printing method satisfying at least one condition of a condition that the number of one-side printed sheets N is smaller than that when the determination unit makes an affirmative determination and a condition that the number of opposite-side printed sheets M is greater than that when the determination unit makes the affirmative determination.

Abstract: A developing apparatus includes a developer container, a developer carrying member for feeding developer to a position opposing an image bearing member to develop a latent image formed on the image bearing member; a first chamber, provided in the container, for supplying developer to the carrying member; a second chamber, provided adjacent to the first chamber; a first feeding member, provided in the first chamber, for feeding developer; a second feeding member, provided in the second chamber, for feeding developer in a direction opposite to a feeding direction of the first feeding member; a partition member provided between the first and second chambers; an opening provided in each of opposite ends of the partition member; and a sensor, provided between the first and second feeding members at a position facing one of the partition openings, for detecting information relating to temperature or moisture of developer in the container.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a developing device in which a decolorizable developing agent containing encapsulated colorant microparticles each including a core containing a color developable compound, a color developer, and a decolorizing agent is accommodated and a developing device in which a transparent developing agent containing a binder resin is accommodated are provided, respectively, and an image is formed by transferring a transparent developing agent image onto a region capable of covering a decolorizable developing agent image, followed by fusing the image. Further, in the second image formation and thereafter, the using amount of the transparent developing agent is decreased as compared with that in the first image formation.

Abstract: Image forming apparatus is disclosed. The developing portion is replenished with toner from a toner containing body by operating a toner feeding mechanism. The receiving portion receives a designation of switching to a low speed i.e. switching the rotation speed of the motor from the first speed to the second speed lower than the first speed. The measuring portion measures a value of a counter electromotive voltage generated in the motor by causing the motor to operate the toner feeding mechanism. The motor control portion causes the motor to rotate at the first speed until an absolute value of the value measured by the measuring portion is not larger than a predetermined first value, and causes the motor to rotate at the second speed after an absolute value of the measured value is smaller than the first value, in the case where the switching to a low speed is designated.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes first and second developer carrying members and a control device. The apparatus is operable in a first mode where an image of a single color is formed using the first developer carrying member and is operable in a second mode, wherein an image of a plurality of colors is formed using the first and second developer carrying members. The control device controls a first discharging operation for discharging developer from the first developer carrying member and a second discharging operation for discharging developer from each of the first and second developer carrying members. When the apparatus executes only the first mode, the control device performs more image formations, in a period between completion of the second discharging operation and start of the first discharging operation, compared to a period between completion of the first discharging operation and start of a subsequent first discharging operation.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, a control circuit rotationally drives a development roller at a predetermined rotation speed during a development process, in which the development roller has depression portions and land portions on a circumferential surface. The depression portions and the land portions are oblique grooves in the surface. While the development roller is rotationally driven, the control circuit controls the predetermined rotation speed such that a crossing angle approximates 90°. The crossing angle is formed by a screen line in the electrostatic latent image on the circumferential surface of the latent image support and an area where the land portion of the development roller substantially passes over the circumferential surface of the latent image support.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus capable of forming an image at a plurality of image forming speeds, includes: an image bearing member; a developer carrying member; a developer feeding member, having a foam layer at its surface, for feeding the developer to the developer carrying member by being rotated at a speed corresponding to each of the image forming speeds in contact with the developer carrying member; and a controller for rotating, before development, the developer feeding member for a predetermined time corresponding to the image forming speed. The controller extends the predetermined time when an image forming mode is switched from a first mode in which image formation is effected at a first image forming speed to a second mode in which the image formation is effected at a second image forming speed slower than the first image forming speed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has an image carrying member on a surface of which a latent image is formed, a developing roller to develop the latent image on the surface of the image carrying member by providing a developer to the latent image, a smoother, an applying roller to apply the smoother to the surface of the image carrying member, and a controller to determine whether the image forming apparatus is in a waiting mode wherein the image carrying member is moved and is ready for a subsequent image forming operation. The controller controls a rotation and a stop of the rotation of the developing roller when the controller determines that the image forming apparatus is in the waiting mode.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of image carriers, a plurality of developing units configured to contact each of the plurality of image carriers to develop a latent image formed on each of the plurality of image carriers, a contact and separation unit configured to perform contact and separation of the plurality of image carriers and the plurality of developing units, a drive unit that drives the contact and separation unit, and a control unit that controls a drive speed of the drive unit so that the plurality of developing units are separated from the plurality of image carriers after the development performed by the plurality of developing units is completed, and the control unit controls the drive speed so that a last developing unit is separated after completion timing of development performed by the last developing unit and before separation timing of the last developing unit.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus includes an image forming section that forms a non-margin image by forming, on an image bearing member, a toner image including an edge portion area (Ae) and an internal area (Ai), transferring the toner image formed on the image bearing member to the transfer material. On the toner image corresponding to the edge portion area, which is formed on the image bearing member, toner amount increase processing is performed, the toner amount increase processing including toner amount gradual increase processing of gradually increasing intensity of the toner amount increase processing from the inner side of the edge portion area toward an outer side thereof. The image forming section forms, on the image bearing member, the toner image subjected to the toner amount increase processing. Accordingly, fixing performance during non-margin printing is enhanced and a high-quality image is formed.

Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus including: photosensitive drums; electrostatic latent image forming units; developing sleeves; patch detection sensors which detect image densities of the toner images formed by the electrostatic latent image forming units; and toner replenishment units which replenish the developing sleeves with the toner based on the detection results of the patch detection sensors. Further, controllers are provided to make a control such that the rotation speeds of the developing sleeves at the time of forming the reference toner image is higher than the rotation speeds of the developing sleeves at the time of forming a normal image.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, a computing unit computes phase shift amounts A(i) for every correction relative phase angle ?(j) based on an amplitude B of a reference compressional wave ?a, an amplitude C(i) of a detection compressional wave ?(i), and a relative phase angle ?(i). A setting unit specifies the phase shift amounts A(i), and sets a correction relative phase angle ?(j) corresponding to the specified phase shift amounts A(i). A correction unit corrects, based on the correction relative phase angle ?(j) set by the setting unit, a relative phase shift between a periodic variation in the circumferential speed of a first image bearing member and a periodic variation in the circumferential speed of a second group image bearing member by operationally controlling at least one of first and second drive units.

Abstract: Toner is applied to a receiver having an area to be folded and a separate area not to be folded. Non-fold and fold-area screening patterns are selected. The non-fold screening pattern has a toner coverage greater than 50% and the fold-area screening pattern has a toner coverage less than 50%. Image data to be applied to the receiver in the area to be folded and the area not to be folded are received. The image data in the area not to be folded are processed using the non-fold screening pattern and the image data in the area to be folded are processed using the fold-area screening pattern to provide screened data. Toner corresponding to the screened data is applied to the receiver. The applied toner is fused to the receiver, so that the area to be folded includes fused toner.

Abstract: There is described an image forming apparatus, which makes it possible to prevent a final print product from getting its appearance worse due to such a drawback that a reference mark still remains on the final print product. The apparatus includes: a setting section to make the display section display a setting screen for inputting setting information therefrom, the setting information being in regard to a post-processing use page including a reference mark to be used for post processing; an image processing section to create image data representing a second image of the post-processing use page, based on the setting information inputted from the setting screen; and a print processing section to print the first images of the pages included in the document and the second image of the post-processing use page onto first paper sheets and a second paper sheet being separate from the first paper sheets, respectively.

Abstract: This invention provides an apparatus and method capable of strictly keeping to a preset toner consumption amount and maintaining an image quality the user wants. A target toner save value used in toner save processing is set. In accordance with the set target toner save value, toner save processing is performed for data of the first page of image data formed from a plurality of pages. A toner save amount before and after toner save processing is calculated, and the difference value between the calculated toner save amount and the set target toner save value is calculated. Target toner save values for data of Nth and subsequent pages (N is an integer of 2 or more) of the image data formed from a plurality of pages are decided based on the calculated difference value of the target toner save value.

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 embodiment of an image forming apparatus may include a photosensitive member, a development unit, a transfer member, a sensor, and a correcting unit. The development unit may form a toner image on the photosensitive member. The toner image member may be transferred onto the transfer member. The sensor may detect light from a surface of the transfer member. The correcting unit may correct a toner density in a first area of the transfer member after transfer of a toner image of a test pattern to the first area. The correcting unit may correct the toner density on the basis of a difference between an output value of the sensor from a second area before the transfer of the toner image of the test pattern and an output value of the sensor from the second area after the transfer of the toner image of the test pattern.

Abstract: There are provided a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus which can adjust adhesive strength by a simple configuration. A toner image for adhesive strength adjustment is formed on a toner image of a sheet to be bonded by an image forming portion provided in a copying machine body. An adhesive is applied onto a bonding portion of the sheet by a gluing device provided in a finisher. The bonding portion of the sheet onto which the adhesive is applied and the toner image having the toner image for adhesive strength adjustment of the sheet are bonded together by a second pushing-out member and a pair of second folding rollers provided in the finisher. The amount of toner forming the toner image for adhesive strength adjustment formed by the image forming portion is adjusted to adjust the adhesive strength of the adhesive.

Abstract: This invention is to provide a technique of always obtaining a stable output image in image formation using toner. A supplier (1217) supplies toner in a decided toner supply amount. A developing device (1206) agitates the supplied toner and supplies the agitated toner to an electrostatic latent image formed on a photosensitive drum (1203), thereby developing a toner image on the photosensitive drum (1203). A correction amount calculation unit (1106) estimates the toner charge amount by calculating a function model that approximates the variation characteristic of the toner charge amount using the toner consumption necessary for printing a print target image, the toner supply amount necessary for printing the print target image, and the toner agitation time. At least one of an image processing condition and a process condition is controlled using the estimated toner charge amount.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus, which controls a fixing temperature and a fixing speed of a fixing device used to fix a formed image, and a color material amount used to form the image, the apparatus comprises: a display unit configured to display an operation panel which accepts settings associated with the fixing temperature, the fixing speed, and the color material amount for image forming processing; and a determination unit configured to determine, in a case where settings of two items out of the fixing temperature, the fixing speed, and the color material amount are accepted via the operation panel, a setting of the remaining one item.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developing device having a toner supply sensor, a toner supply device supplying toner to the developing device, a toner supply controller controlling toner supply from the toner supply device to the developing device based on predetermined conditions, a toner empty determiner determining whether toner is present inside the toner supply device. In the image forming apparatus, the toner supply device includes a storage for recording multiple measured values of toner supply detected by the toner supply sensor, and the toner supply controller corrects the amount of toner supply, based on the moving average of multiple measured values of the amount of toner supply.

Abstract: Developing bias is set as follows. An electric field intensity between a developing roller and a photoconductor is set to cause normally-charged toner to fly in an image area and not to cause the toner to fly in a background area. Thus, the normally-charged toner does not fly in the background area. The normally-charged toner caused to fly is therefore unlikely to flick low-charged toner and oppositely-charged toner. The low-charged toner and the oppositely-charged toner will not adhere to the background area and cause image fogging. Accordingly, an image forming apparatus can be provided to prevent the low-charged toner and the oppositely-charged toner from adhering to the background area of an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor and to avoid the occurrence of image fogging in the background area on a printed material.

Abstract: A developing device includes: a developing device main body in which a developer chamber containing a developer is formed; a pressure application area forming unit that is provided in the developer chamber so as to form a pressure application area where pressure is applied to the developer in the developer chamber because of movement of the developer contained in the developer chamber; and a pressure regulating unit that regulates the pressure applied to the developer in the pressure application area in response to temperature of the developer in the pressure application area.

Abstract: An image developing device includes a developer supporting body; a first conveyance path in which a first conveyance member is arranged; a second conveyance path in which a second conveyance member is arranged; and a partition member that partitions the first conveyance path and the second conveyance path and that has a first communication port and a second communication port. The first communication path and the second communication path communicates with each other through the first communication port and the second communication port. The image developing device includes a developer amount detection unit that includes an optical detection unit arranged in the second conveyance path and that optically detects an amount of the developer in the image forming device. The developer is caused to accumulate in the vicinity of the developer amount detection unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, includes: an image forming portion; a supplying device for supplying a toner; a transfer device capable of transferring the toner image from the image forming portion onto a toner image receiving member; a first detecting portion for detecting a transfer current of the transfer device; a second detecting portion for detecting information on a toner amount of the transferred toner image; and a controller for controlling, during non-image formation, a supplying operation of the supplying device on the basis of a detection result of the first detecting portion when a toner image for measurement formed at the image forming portion is transferred by the transfer device at a transfer voltage lower than a discharge start voltage and on the basis of a detection result when the toner image for measurement transferred on the toner image receiving member is detected by the second detection portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a motor configured to drive a developing roller and a stirring member and a motor configured to drive a photosensitive drum. When initial driving of the stirring member of a new process cartridge is performed, the image forming apparatus drives the photosensitive drum at a peripheral velocity higher than that at the time of image formation to aid the rotation of the developing roller.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a light emission element, a lighting signal generation section, a storage section, a communication line, a control section and an electromagnetic noise generation source. The storage section stores data used when the lighting signal generation section generates a lighting signal. The lighting signal generation section and the storage section transmit and receive the data therebetween through the communication line. The control section that controls the transmitting and receiving of the data between the lighting signal generation section and the storage section. The control section controls so as to start the transmitting and receiving of the data between the storage section and the lighting signal generation section in a state where a magnitude of the electromagnetic noise, at a position where the lighting signal generation section is disposed, generated by the electromagnetic noise generation source is smaller than a predetermined value.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an acquiring unit configured to acquire a first amount of a transparent toner for use in 2-pass printing in which a color toner is fixed on a recording medium and then the transparent toner is fixed, a change-amount acquiring unit configured to acquire a first amount of change in lightness between an image after the color toner is fixed to the recording medium and an image after the 2-pass printing is performed on the recording medium using the first amount of the transparent toner, and a setting unit configured to set a second amount of the transparent toner for use in 1-pass printing such that a difference between the first amount of change in lightness and a second amount of change in lightness is equal to or smaller than a threshold, the second amount of change in lightness being an amount of change in lightness between the image after the color toner is fixed to the recording medium and a 1-pass printing image after the color toner and the second amount of the trans

Abstract: Disclosed an image forming system including: an image forming section to perform an image forming processing to form an image on a sheet to eject the image-formed sheet to an sheet ejection section; a control section to control the image forming processing by the image forming section; a specify section to specify the number of units for stop in a temporary stop mode in which the image forming processing by the image forming section is temporarily stopped, wherein the control section allows the image forming section to stop the image forming processing when the image forming processing by the image forming section reaches the number of units for stop specified with the specify section.

Abstract: In a development apparatus including conveying screws which circulates and conveys developer in a developer container as being rotated, a developing sleeve which bears and conveys developer in the developer container as being rotated, and a restriction blade which restricts developer quantity at the developing sleeve, the developer container includes a supply chamber to supply developer to the developing sleeve and a retrieval chamber to retrieve developer from the developing sleeve, and rotation speed of the conveying screws or rotation speed of the developing sleeve is changed so that Vsc/Vsl during image forming is not performed is to be smaller than that during image forming is performed, as Vsc denotes the rotation speed of the conveying screws and Vsl denotes the rotation speed of the developing sleeve.

Abstract: An image forming method, includes a charging step of charging an image carrier; an image writing step of writing image data onto the image carrier; a developing step of developing a latent image area written by the image writing step on the image carrier; a transferring step of transferring a toner image developed by the developing step to a transferring member; an image writing position adjusting step of detecting a position of the image carrier where the image is written in a case where designated conditions are satisfied, and of adjusting an image writing position; and a voltage output control step of controlling voltages applied for charging, developing, and transferring in the charging step, the developing step, and the transferring step, respectively.

Abstract: When glossiness in an area designated by a user was adjusted, the glossiness adjustment was achieved by exchanging a plurality of toners having different glass transition points. Thus, the user was required to select an appropriate toner when the glossiness in the area designated by the user was adjusted. Further, the user took some time or effort to set the selected toner every glossiness adjustment. In the present invention, how to adjust the glossiness in the area designated by the user is obtained as mode information and on the basis of the obtained mode, control is effected so that a transparent image is selectively formed in the area designated by the user or an image formable area except for the area designated by the user.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a process cartridge. In the case where the process cartridge is a fresh cartridge, after toner (developer) is sufficiently fed to a developer carrying member in the entire longitudinal area of the developer carrying member, an initializing operation for depositing the toner on a contact portion between an image bearing member and a cleaning blade.

Abstract: A method for selectively removing magnetically attractable toner particles from an image-forming device and an image-forming device for performing the same are provided. The image-forming device includes a cleaning magnet system, configured to provide an activatable second magnetic field. The method includes a step of switching the image-forming device into a cleaning mode, the cleaning mode including the steps of stopping the toner supply to the image-recording medium, rotating the rotatable sleeve in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, such that the magnetically attractable toner particles are transported out of the developing zone towards the cleaning magnet system, and activating the second magnetic field so as to remove the transported magnetically attractable toner particles from the rotating rotatable sleeve of the developing element.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus determines whether an amount of colorant remaining in a container is equal to or greater than a threshold value and controls a print unit to perform a reduced printing operation with a reduced amount of colorant if the amount of the remaining colorant is less than the threshold value is made and to perform the reduced printing operation on one side of a new non-printed sheet instead of performing the reduced printing operation on the opposite side of a one-side printed sheet existing if the amount of the remaining colorant is less than the threshold value.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member; developing devices, each of which includes a developer carrying member, having an electrode member, for carrying a developer, and a developer feeding member, having a core metal and a surface foam layer, for supplying the developer to the developer carrying member; a supporting member, supporting the developing devices, for sequentially rotating the developing devices to a developing position; and a controller for executing an operation for reducing non-uniform distributions of the developers in the developing devices on the basis of electrostatic capacities between the electrode members and the core metals, respectively.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearing member; a developing device, including a developer carrying member and developing bias application means for applying a developing bias for developing a developer image; a rotatable intermediary transfer member; a primary transfer member for forming a primary transfer nip and for transferring the developer image from the image bearing member onto the intermediary transfer member; a secondary transfer member for secondary-transferring the developer image from the intermediary transfer member onto a recording material; wherein an area of the image bearing member includes a first area at least containing an area located in primary transfer nip at a time when a speed of the intermediary transfer member is temporarily decreased and includes a second area located in the primary transfer nip when there is no temporary change in speed; and a control device for controlling a developing bias.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, a control portion forms a restoring toner image (restoring toner band) at a position, in which the refreshing toner image overlaps with a control image with respect to a longitudinal direction of a secondary transfer roller, during post-rotation after image formation in an image forming job is completed. The restoring toner band is formed in a length corresponding to 3 full circumferences of the secondary transfer roller for one-sheet image forming job, 2 full circumferences of the secondary transfer roller for 5-sheet image forming job, and one full circumference of the secondary transfer roller for 10-sheet image forming job. In the case of an image forming job on 50 sheets or more, a lowering in cleaning performance of a secondary transfer member cleaning device for the secondary transfer roller is not caused to occur, so that the restoring toner band is not formed.

Abstract: A metering skive for a dry electrophotographic (EP) printer is mounted on a retractable skive mount. The skive mount is spring-loaded to a mounting block, and a stop pin sets the distance between the skive mount and the mounting block. A movable spacer with a plurality of laterally-separated regions of respective, different thicknesses is mounted between the head of the stop pin and the mounting block. A retractor can be operated to pull the skive mount towards the mounting block so the spacer can be moved to select a desired spacing between the mounting block and the skive mount, and thus a desired gap between the metering skive and the toning member in the printer.

Abstract: To provide a recording-material type determination apparatus and recording-material type determination method which can determine the type of recording material using simple calculations as well as to provide an image forming apparatus capable of obtaining stable image quality independent of the type of recording material using the apparatus and method. Based on data read by a read unit which reads surface images of recording material, a first calculation unit calculates the depth of irregularities in the surface of recording material and stores the results of calculation in a register A while a second calculation unit calculates the spacing of irregularities on the surface of the recording material and stores the results of calculation in a register B. Based on the values in the registers A and B, the type of recording material such as gloss paper, plain paper, rough paper or OHT is determined.