An image forming apparatus includes an image bearer; a toner image forming device; an intermediate transferor; a primary transfer power source; a secondary transfer nip forming device; and a secondary transfer power source to output a secondary transfer bias. One of two peak values of the secondary transfer bias is a transfer peak value to provide a greater transfer-directional force to move toner from the intermediate transferor toward the recording medium in the secondary transfer nip. An absolute value of the transfer peak value is greater than an absolute value of the primary transfer bias.

An image forming apparatus that forms an image on a long paper sheet conveyed along a conveyance path extending from a paper feeding side to a paper discharging side includes: an image forming unit configured to transfer a toner image onto the long paper sheet; a fixing unit configured to fix the toner image onto the long paper sheet; a paper existence determining unit configured to determine whether the long paper sheet exists along the conveyance path; a temperature determining unit configured to determine whether a fixing temperature of the fixing unit is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature when the paper existence determining unit determines that the long paper sheet exists along the conveyance path; and a state setting unit configured to disable a fixing operation of the fixing unit when the temperature determining unit determines that the fixing temperature is higher than the predetermined temperature.

A method and a developer station are described. The method and developer station being operable to adapt the inking of an image substrate. The method including applying a voltage across a developer layer on the developer element of the developer station. The application of the voltage causing a current to flow through the developer layer, where the current can be measured. The an indicator of a thickness of the developer layer and/or of the toner quantity in the developer layer is generated based on the voltage and/or the current. The indicator can be used to adjust the inking of the image substrate. For example, the current can be compared to a characteristic curve to generate the indicator.

An image forming apparatus includes a fixing device, and a processor. The fixing device fixes an image formed on a recording medium at a fixing temperature. The fixing device includes a heater to heat the fixing device with power from a power supply. The processor detects a voltage value of the power supply, sets a standby temperature of the fixing device based on the detected voltage value of the power supply, and controls operation of the heater to heat the fixing device from the standby temperature to the fixing temperature in response to receiving an instruction for forming an image.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit having a rotatable image bearing member, a first support side plate, and a second support side plate; a development device; a transfer device; a rotatable stay; an operation portion; and a toner containing portion. The rotatable stay is disposed at a position downstream of the development device and upstream of the transfer device with respect to a rotation direction of the image bearing member to face the image bearing member and to connect the first support side plate and the second support side plate. The operation portion is provided at an end portion of the stay to rotate the stay. The toner containing portion contains the toner accumulated on the stay.

An operation unit for image forming apparatus is disclosed. The operation unit includes: a bearing portion configured to rotatably support a shaft portion; a restricting portion provided at a position different from that of the bearing portion in an axial direction of the shaft portion, a restricting portion being configured such that when a supporting portion is rotated in a first direction from a first angle toward a second angle, the restricting portion restricts a rotation of the supporting portion in the first direction by abutting a mounting portion at a position where the operation unit forms the second angle; and an abutting portion provided on an opposite side of the restricting portion via the bearing portion in the axial direction, the abutting portion being configured to abut on the shaft portion.

A technology aimed at improvement of paper discriminating accuracy is provided. In an image forming apparatus, a control unit derives a discriminating result for types of paper. To be specific, the control unit derives the discriminating result for types of paper using a first detection value based on absorption by the paper of the light having the first wavelength and a second detection value based on absorption by the paper of the light having the second wavelength. The first wavelength ranges from 750 nm to 1100 nm. The second wavelength ranges from 400 nm to 500 mn

An information processing apparatus which communicates with an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet, the information processing apparatus includes: an acquisition unit configured to acquire error information about an error that has occurred in the image forming apparatus, and maintenance information about maintenance work performed on the image forming apparatus; a memory configured to store a plurality of pieces of error information acquired by the acquisition unit; and a controller. The controller is configured to: determine, from the plurality of pieces of error information stored in the memory, based on the maintenance information, first error information about an error that has occurred during the maintenance work; and determine an error part of the image forming apparatus based on second error information obtained by excluding the first error information from the plurality of pieces of error information stored in the memory.

An electrophotographic image forming system forms an electrostatic latent image on at least a photoreceptor, develops an image using an electrostatic charge image developing toner, and removes the toner using a cleaning blade. A tip ridge of the cleaning blade is pressed against a surface of the photoreceptor. The system includes a photosensitive layer of the photoreceptor and a surface protecting layer that is provided on a surface of the photosensitive layer. The surface protecting layer includes a polymerizable monomer having at least two polymerizable groups in a molecule and a polymer of a hole transporting compound having a polymerizable group represented by General formula (1). The tip ridge of the cleaning blade has an edge angle that is obtuse and less than 120° and is pressed against the surface of the photoreceptor at an effective contact angle that is in a range of 8 to 20°.

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An assembly for an electrophotographic image forming device includes a drive coupler movable along an axial direction between a retracted position and an extended position. In the retracted position the drive coupler is disengaged from a drive interface of a first replaceable unit when the first replaceable unit is installed in the image forming device. In the extended position the drive coupler is engaged with the drive interface of the first replaceable unit when the first replaceable unit is installed in the image forming device for providing a rotational force to the drive interface of the first replaceable unit. A lever is operatively connected to the drive coupler such that the lever causes the drive coupler to move from the retracted position to the extended position upon the lever receiving an actuation force from insertion of a second replaceable unit that is toward the drive coupler along the axial direction.