An image forming apparatus includes a transfer unit for transferring a toner image onto a sheet, a fixing device for fixing the image, the fixing device including a heating member including a heat generating element and electrodes on both sides of the heat generating element in a sheet conveyance direction and connected to the heat generating element, and a pressure element for pressing against the heating member, and a controller for controlling an adjustment mechanism so that a distance between the heating member and the pressure element becomes a first distance during a fixing process and a second distance larger than the first distance during temperature raising of the heating member, which is conducted before the fixing process.

An example operation method of an image forming apparatus includes obtaining, from a sensor, an output signal corresponding to a degree of shrinkage of a transporting member that transports a developing agent in a toner cartridge, as the transporting member rotates, determining a state of the toner cartridge based on a characteristic of the output signal, and executing a recovery mode that increases a driving force delivered to the transporting member when determining that the state of the toner cartridge is an abnormal state in which toner is not normally supplied to a developing device.

A post-process apparatus may include: a first operation portion that accepts a sheet conveyed from an image forming apparatus and performs a first operation based on a job involved with the sheet, a second operation portion that accepts a sheet manually inserted into the post-process apparatus and performs a second operation different from the first operation, and a control unit that determines timing to perform the second operation in accordance with a condition of the first operation performed.

A toner cartridge is mountable on a developing device including a developing roller. The developing device develops an electrostatic latent image formed on a photo conductor. The toner cartridge includes a housing in which toner is stored, and an auger rotatable and configured to supply the toner in the housing to the developing device. In a case where the developing device is installed on an image forming apparatus in a state in which the toner cartridge is mounted on the developing device, rotation of the auger is started before formation of the electrostatic latent image corresponding to a sheet is started, based on a signal indicating that the image forming apparatus detects the sheet.

A toner cartridge is mountable on a developing device including a developing roller. The developing device develops an electrostatic latent image formed on a photo conductor. The toner cartridge includes a housing in which toner is stored, and an auger rotatable and configured to supply the toner in the housing to the developing device. In a case where the developing device is installed on an image forming apparatus in a state in which the toner cartridge is mounted on the developing device, rotation of the auger is started before formation of the electrostatic latent image corresponding to a sheet is started, based on a signal indicating that the image forming apparatus detects the sheet.

An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a toner supply unit, an application roller adjacent to the image carrier, a toner measuring unit, and a control unit. The toner supply unit supplies toner to the image carrier. The application roller applies a lubricant to the image carrier. The toner measuring unit measures an amount of toner transferred from the image carrier to the application roller. The control unit adjusts the supply of toner to be supplied to the image carrier in accordance with the amount of toner measured by the toner measuring unit.

An image forming apparatus (1) includes a discharge port (25), a sheet stacking plate (41), a pair of cursors (43), a cursor driver (95), a pair of blowers (83) and a controller (37). Through the discharge port (25), a sheet formed an image is discharged. On the sheet stacking plate (41), the sheet discharged through the discharge port (25) is stacked. The pair of cursors (43) is supported on the sheet stacking plate (41) in a slidable manner in width directions perpendicular to a discharge direction of the sheet and comes into contact with both side edges of the sheet. The cursor driver (95) drives the pair of cursors (43). The pair of blowers (83) is provided in the pair of cursors (43) so as to blow air to both corners on an upstream side in the discharge direction of the sheet which is discharged through the discharge port (25), from above. The controller (37) controls the cursor driver (95) and the pair of blowers (83).

An image forming apparatus includes a transfer unit for transferring a toner image onto a sheet, a fixing device for fixing the image, the fixing device including a belt, a pressure element for pressing against the belt, a heating member on the belt including a heat generating element and electrodes on both sides of the heat element in a sheet conveyance direction and connected to the heat element, and an adjustment mechanism for moving one of the heating member and the pressure element in a manner to move the one closer to or away from the other, and a controller for controlling the adjustment mechanism so that a distance between the heating member and the pressure element becomes a first distance during a fixing process and a second distance larger than the first distance during temperature raising of the heating member, which is conducted before the fixing process.

An example image forming apparatus includes a printing engine including a plurality of photosensitive drums, a motor device to provide a driving force to each of the plurality of photosensitive drums, and a processor to control the printing engine such that printing data is printed on a printing paper and control the motor device such that at least one of the plurality of photosensitive drums operates at a different speed from the other photosensitive drums while the printing data is printed.

An image forming apparatus including a first processor and a second processor are provided. When the two processors receive a cooperative command for forming images respectively at first and second image forming sections, the first processor transmits a preparation command for performing image formation preparation in the second image forming section to the second processor, and the second processor performs the image formation preparation in the second image forming section and transmits a completion notification to the first processor upon completion, and the first processor executes an image forming process. When the first processor receives an independent command for forming an image at the first image forming section but not at the second image forming section and subsequently receives the cooperative command, the first processor transmits the preparation command corresponding to the cooperative command to the second processor upon completion of an image forming process corresponding to the independent command.