To notify a residual life of a replaceable part at appropriate time on image quality required by the user. An image forming apparatus including: a replaceable part used for image formation; an output unit configured to output information indicating that a usage amount has reached a threshold; an input unit configured to input information; and a control unit configured to change the threshold in accordance with information about image quality input by the input unit.

An apparatus for determining a type of a recording medium is provided. A detection unit detects a characteristic value indicating a physical characteristic of a recording medium. A measurement unit measures a moisture content correlated with a moisture content of the recording medium. A determination unit determines the type of the recording medium based on the moisture content and the characteristic value. The determination unit may correct the characteristic value using the moisture content or correct a rule for determining the type of the recording medium using the moisture content unit, and determines the type of the recording medium in accordance with the corrected characteristic value or the corrected rule.

A driving force transmission unit includes a first coupling, a second coupling, and a first rotary shaft. The first coupling includes a first contact portion and a hole, the inner circumferential surface of which has a rounded rectangular shape in cross section including a circular arc portion. The second coupling includes a second contact portion disposed at a position facing the first contact portion to contact the first contact portion along a direction of rotation of the second coupling. The first rotary shaft is connected to the first coupling and includes a shaft portion, an outer circumferential surface which has a rounded rectangular shape in cross section including a circular arc portion inserted into the hole of the first coupling.

Apparatus is described which, in use, applies a thin film of a wetting agent, such as water or a water-based solution, onto paper or other print medium before applying a liquid toner. The wetting agent is applied at a predetermined distance from an image transfer area. The wetting agent acts to promote adhesion of the liquid toner to the print medium. The adhesion of the liquid toner to the print medium is further improved by supplying the wetting agent at a temperature higher than room temperature.

A sheet conveyance device (1) includes a feed tray (20), a feeding unit (50), a stopper (30), a first abutted portion (41), and an impact reducing mechanism (10). Sheets are loaded on the feed tray (20). The feeding unit (50) feeds the sheets. The stopper (30) is rotatably supported on the feeding unit (50) and rotates when pressed by the sheets inserted into the feed tray (20). The stopper (30) comes into contact with the first abutted portion (41) in association with the rotation of the stopper (30). The impact reducing mechanism (10) reduces impact applied to the first abutted portion (41) by the stopper (30).

An image forming apparatus includes a conversion unit that converts image data based on a conversion condition, an image forming unit that forms an image based on the converted image data, a measurement unit that measures a measuring image, and a generation unit that controls the image forming unit to form a first measuring image while the image forming unit is continuously forming images, and generates the conversion condition based on first measurement data of the first measuring image and a first feedback condition. The generation unit controls the image forming unit to form a second measuring image during a period from when toner discharge processing has been performed until the image forming unit forms a subsequent image, and generates the conversion condition based on second measurement data of the second measuring image, and a second feedback condition with a larger correction amount than the first feedback condition.

A printing apparatus to communicate with a terminal apparatus, includes a storing unit, an acquiring unit, a receiving unit, and a printing unit. The storing unit stores information for specifying first paper types selectable in the terminal apparatus. The terminal apparatus acquires the information from the printing apparatus and displays the first paper types as selection candidate paper types. The acquiring unit acquires a second paper type. The receiving unit receives a first paper type from the first paper types for printing of an image. The printing unit prints the image where the first paper type corresponding to second paper types is received and any of the second paper types corresponding to the first paper type is acquired, and does not print the image where the first paper type corresponding to second paper types is received and another second paper type different from the second paper types is acquired.

A sheet conveying device, including: a conveyor; a first supporter configured such that, when located at its closed position, a first surface thereof partially forms an exterior surface of the device and such that, when located at its open position, a second surface thereof supports the sheet to be supplied to the conveyor; a second supporter configured such that, when located at its closed position, a first surface thereof partially forms the exterior surface of the device and such that, when located at its open position, a second surface thereof supports the sheet output from the conveyor; and a link configured such that, when the first supporter is moved from the closed position to the open position, the link transmits a force from the first supporter to the second supporter and thereby moves the second supporter from the closed position to the open position in conjunction with the first supporter.

An image forming system detects a first conveyance abnormality of a recording material when a time taken for the recording material conveyed along a conveyance path in the image forming system to pass a predetermined position exceeds a first threshold value, temporarily stops the conveyance of the recording material when the first conveyance abnormality is detected and changes the first threshold value to a second threshold value larger than the first threshold value when the conveyance of the recording material is temporarily stopped, and detects a second conveyance abnormality based on the second threshold when a re-conveyance is made to eject the recording material remaining in the conveyance path.

A communication method is provided between a chip and an imaging device. Accordingly, the chip receives a clock pulse signal from the imaging device via a clock line; and receives a READ instruction from the imaging device via a data line. Within one clock pulse signal period, the chip transmits at least one bit of implicit data and one bit of master data that are stored in an internal memory to the data line within different time slots, respectively, and the imaging device collects data from the data line while the chip is transmitting the master data to the data line. Further, the chip receives a WRITE instruction from the imaging device via the data line, wherein the chip receives master data sent from the imaging device, writes the master data into the memory arranged in the chip, and updates the implicit data stored in the memory.