The present disclosure features an image forming apparatus having a first developing unit having a first developing roller; and a first toner supply unit configured to supply toner to the first developing unit, the first toner supply unit having: a first container configured to accommodate the toner therein, the first container having a first inlet opening through which the toner is received in the first container and a first outlet opening through which the toner in the first container is discharged; a first lid configured to close the first inlet opening; and a first shutter configured to open the first outlet opening when the first lid closes the first inlet opening, and to close the first outlet opening when the first lid opens the first inlet opening.

A development cartridge which is mountable in an image forming apparatus includes a toner container portion to store toner and a toner refilling portion to receive, from a toner refill cartridge mountable to the toner refilling portion, toner to be stored in the toner container portion. The toner refilling portion includes an inlet shutter rotatable to an inlet position at which the toner is capable of being received by the toner refilling portion from the toner refill cartridge, and a shutter protrusion provided on a surface of the inlet shutter to, while the inlet shutter is rotated, contact an object and cause feedback indicating the inlet shutter is rotated to the inlet position.

An example image forming apparatus includes a mainbody, a toner refilling portion, and a controller. On the mainbody, a development cartridge is mounted. The toner refilling portion is connected to the development cartridge and a toner refill cartridge inserted through a communicating portion of the main body and thus receives, from the toner refill cartridge, authentication information obtained from the toner refill cartridge, thereby adjusting a toner inflow from the toner refill cartridge to the development cartridge. A controller determines whether to allow a toner refill using the toner refill cartridge based on the authentication information obtained from the toner refill cartridge and authentication information obtained from the image forming apparatus and controls the toner refilling portion according to a determination result.

A cartridge includes: a housing; a storage medium having an electrical contact surface; and a holder movable relative to the housing. The holder includes a first holder member. and a second holder member movable relative to the first holder member. The first holder member includes at least one pawl and holds the electrical contact surface at one end surface of the first holder member in a first direction crossing the electrical contact surface. The second holder member includes at least one corner part engageable with the at least one pawl to provide an engaging portion therebetween. The second holder member has a through-hole that is open at another end face of the second holder member in the first direction. The engaging portion is accessible from an outside of the holder through the through-hole.

A cartridge includes a frame, a first side member, and a first fixing member. The frame includes a first end in a first direction, a first positioning portion disposed on the first end, and a first rotation stopping portion disposed on the first end. The first side member is attached to the first end and includes a first to-be-positioned portion to be engaged with the first positioning portion and a first rotation to-be-stopped portion to be engaged with the first rotation stopping portion. The first fixing member is fastened to the first positioning portion or the first rotation stopping portion. At least either one of (i) the first to-be-positioned portion and the first positioning portion and (ii) the first rotation to-be-stopped portion and the first rotation stopping portion are adhesively bonded.

A chip dismounting and mounting device, matched with a chip mounting part on a process cartridge. The chip dismounting and mounting device is capable of dismounting a chip disposed on the chip mounting part or mounting the chip on the chip mounting part. The chip dismounting and mounting device can smoothly dismount the chip on an exhausted process cartridge without damage and smoothly mount the dismounted chip on a new process cartridge. This alleviates the inconvenience for the user to dismount a chip on the exhausted process cartridge and mount the chip on the new process cartridge.

An example image forming apparatus includes a main body, a toner refilling portion, and a controller. On the main body, a development cartridge is mounted. The toner refilling portion is connected to the development cartridge and a toner refill cartridge inserted through a communicating portion of the main body and thus receives, from the toner refill cartridge, authentication information obtained from the toner refill cartridge, thereby adjusting a toner inflow from the toner refill cartridge to the development cartridge. A controller determines whether to allow a toner refill using the toner refill cartridge based on the authentication information obtained from the toner refill cartridge and authentication information obtained from the image forming apparatus and controls the toner refilling portion according to a determination result.

An example toner refill cartridge includes a body including a toner accommodating portion to accommodate toner and a toner discharge port provided at an end portion of the body in a longitudinal direction to be in communication with the toner accommodating portion, a first member rotatably supported by the body and having a spiral portion extending in the longitudinal direction, a second member located inside the first member and having a guide groove extending in the longitudinal direction, and a plunger having a guide protrusion which passes through the guide groove to engage the spiral portion, to push the toner inside a toner accommodating portion toward a toner discharge port while being moved in the longitudinal direction as the first member is rotated.

A development cartridge which is mountable in an image forming apparatus includes a toner container portion to store toner and a toner refilling portion to receive, from a toner refill cartridge mountable to the toner refilling portion, toner to be stored in the toner container portion. The toner refilling portion includes an inlet shutter rotatable to an inlet position at which the toner is capable of being received by the toner refilling portion from the toner refill cartridge, and a shutter protrusion provided on a surface of the inlet shutter to, while the inlet shutter is rotated, contact an object and cause feedback indicating the inlet shutter is rotated to the inlet position.

A method of converting a CMYW toner printer to print with one or more non-standard toners, comprising the steps: providing a CMYW toner printer; wherein the CMYW toner printer has four starting toner printing cartridges; wherein the four starting toner printing cartridges comprise a white toner printing cartridge, a cyan toner printing cartridge, a magenta toner printing cartridge, and a yellow toner printing cartridge; removing one or more of the four starting toner printing cartridges from the CMYW toner printer, such that there are one or more empty toner cartridge slots; providing one or more non-standard toner printing cartridges that are each filled with one type of one or more non-standard toners; and installing the one or more non-standard toner printing cartridges into the one or more empty toner cartridge slots.