An image forming apparatus with a duplex printing function may include a closeable and openable portion. In one example, the portion may correspond to a cover of the image forming apparatus. The cover may include guiding portions configured to define a return path for duplex printing. In another example, the portion may correspond to a document reading unit including an outer casing. A portion of the outer casing may be configured to guide a recording sheet that is conveyed out of a housing of the image forming apparatus by a switchback roller. In one example, the switchback roller may convey a recording sheet to a position above an upper surface of the outer casing.

An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming unit; a housing configured to store the image forming unit, the housing including an outer peripheral wall; a power supply unit disposed inside the housing; and a near field communication board including an antenna for near field communication, the near field communication board being disposed at a position of the outer peripheral wall apart from the power supply unit by a communicable distance or more.

A post-processing device for applying a post-process to a sheet fed from a device of a preceding stage is provided. The post-processing device includes a holding tray; an alignment mechanism; an output mechanism; and a control unit. In the case where a first sheet and a second sheet are different in size, the control unit performs a control in such a manner that, when the first sheet is fed, the alignment mechanism or the output mechanism shifts the first sheet to match the side edge of the first sheet and the side edge of the second sheet to be fed following the first sheet, and that, after the second sheet is fed, the output mechanism outputs the sheet bundle.

An electrophotographic photosensitive member includes a single-layer type photosensitive layer including phthalocyanine or a derivative thereof and an electron transport material. The electron transport material includes at least one first compound represented by formula (1) or (2) shown below and at least one second compound represented by formula (3), (4), or (5) shown below. A total amount of the at least one first compound and the at least one second compound is no less than 60 parts by mass and no greater than 120 parts by mass relative to 100 parts by mass of the binder resin. An amount of the at least one first compound is no less than 35 parts by mass and no greater than 80 parts by mass. An amount of the at least one second compound is no less than 25 parts by mass and no greater than 40 parts by mass. ##STR00001##

A sheet conveying device includes: a conveyance path along which a sheet is conveyed; a plurality of butting target members that are arranged beside and alongside the conveyance path and against which a side edge of a sheet being conveyed along the conveyance path is caused to butt; and a butting device that causes the side edge of the sheet to butt against the butting target members by moving, toward the butting target members, the sheet being conveyed along the conveyance path using a plurality of sheet conveying structures that are deviated from each other in a sheet conveying direction, and two or more of the butting target members are located downstream of a sheet conveying structure that is located second in the upstream direction from a most downstream one among the plurality of sheet conveying structures.

An image forming apparatus includes a removable sheet support tray. The sheet support tray includes a sheet support surface providing a sheet support area above the sheet support surface. The support tray also includes a stopper portion movable between a restraining position and a non-restraining position that is a different position from the restraining position. In a state where the stopper portion is located at the restraining position, the stopper portion includes a surface disposed adjacent to and downstream of the sheet support area in a first direction, the first direction extending along at least a portion of the sheet support surface.

A sheet stacking tray that includes a single pneumatic baffle which uses the pressure differential caused by the flow of air across a cross process curved bottom surface of the pneumatic baffle to hold the lead edge of sheets driven by an input nip into the sheet stacking tray above a stack especially for longer and lighter weight sheets as they are driven by the input nip to a registration wall.

A printing control apparatus configured to control a binding unit configured to perform a binding processing for binding sheets without using a staple includes a control unit that controls the biding unit to divide sheets subjected to printing into sheet groups in units of a number of sheets bindable by the binding unit, and to apply the binding processing to each of sheet groups or controls another binding unit to bind the sheets subjected to printing using a staple.

A method of controlling the ejection speed of a print job that includes, with a density module of a printing device, determining a density classifier based on a region of a plane where print fluid is to be printed for a plurality of sheets of media of a print job; determining a percentage of each sheet of media exceeding a threshold density classifier relative to a total sheet count of the print job; and, based on the percentage, initiating an assisted ejection of the print job from the printing device.

Disclosed is a sheet stacking apparatus which includes a first stacking portion on which a sheet is stacked, a second stacking portion which is movable with respect to the first stacking portion, a third stacking portion which is detachably attachable to the first stacking portion or the second stacking portion and a restricting portion which restricts disengagement of the third stacking portion which has been attached. The second stacking portion is movable such that the second stacking portion is located at a first position where the restricting portion does not restrict disengagement of the third stacking portion and a second position where the restricting portion restricts disengagement of the third stacking portion which has been attached.