According to an aspect there is provided a method for conditioning a blanket in an offset printer, the method comprising during a non-printing cycle of the offset printer, applying a first voltage to an intermediate transfer member of the offset printer, wherein the intermediate transfer member comprises the blanket, and maintaining the first voltage for a first period of time.

A method of operating an electrophotographic printer (100) to control the optical density of a printed image is described. The method comprises providing a printing substance on a transfer member (104); emitting a pulse of heat to heat the printing substance on the transfer member to increase flowability of the printing substance on the transfer member; and transfer-ring, from the transfer member to a substrate (108), the printing substance heated by the pulse of heat so as to provide the printed image on the substrate.

The present invention relates to an intermediate transfer member and an image forming apparatus. The intermediate transfer member is an intermediate transfer member having a resin-made base material layer and a surface layer; the surface layer is a cured substance of a composition containing a radically polymerizable vinylic compound and a metal oxide fine particle; and the vinylic compound has a structural unit represented by the following formula (1): ##STR00001## wherein each R.sup.1 independently denotes a C.sub.2-8 alkylene group; each R.sup.2 independently denotes a hydrogen atom or a methyl group; and m denotes a positive number, and n denotes a positive number of 10 or more.

Herein is described a release layer comprising a silicone polymer matrix, carbon black and a trisiloxane surfactant.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming section. The image forming section includes: a first toner image forming unit that forms a textile printing toner image with a textile printing toner; and a second toner image forming unit that forms a first dyeing-target toner image with a dyeing-target toner. The image forming section disposes the textile printing toner image and the first dyeing-target toner image in this order on a print medium. The textile printing toner includes a textile printing dye. The dyeing-target toner includes a polymer compound that is to be dyed with the textile printing dye.

A method of operating an electrophotographic printer (100) to control the optical density of a printed image is described. The method comprises providing a printing substance on a transfer member (104); emitting a pulse of heat to heat the printing substance on the transfer member to increase flowability of the printing substance on the transfer member; and transferring, from the transfer member to a substrate (108), the printing substance heated by the pulse of heat so as to provide the printed image on the substrate.

An intermediate transferor (22;501) for an image forming apparatus includes a base layer (11), an elastic layer (12) layered on the base layer (11), and fine particles (13) on the elastic layer (12) to form an uneven surface of the elastic layer (12). The fine particles (13) have a volume resistivity of 110.sup.0 .Math.cm to 110.sup.6 cm.

An image forming apparatus includes a toner image supporting section and a medium transfer section. The toner image supporting section includes first and second toner image supporting member that support first and second toner images at first and second linear speeds, respectively. The medium transfer section transfers, onto a medium, the first and second toner images respectively supported by the first and second toner image supporting members, to thereby cause the first and second toner images to be superimposed on each other. The following conditional expression (1) is satisfied when the medium transfer section transfers the first and second toner images onto the medium,

(Vd1Vt1)/(Vt1>(Vd2Vt2)/Vt2 (1)

where Vd1 is the first linear speed, Vt1 is a first conveyance speed of the medium, Vd2 is the second linear speed, and Vt2 is a second conveyance speed of the medium.

A method of operating an electrophotographic printer (100) to control the optical density of a printed image is described. The method comprises providing a printing substance on a transfer member (104); emitting a pulse of heat to heat the printing substance on the transfer member to increase flowability of the printing substance on the transfer member; and transferring, from the transfer member to a substrate (108), the printing substance heated by the pulse of heat so as to provide the printed image on the substrate.

The present invention relates to an intermediate transfer member and an image forming apparatus. The intermediate transfer member is an intermediate transfer member having a resin-made base material layer and a surface layer; the surface layer is a cured substance of a composition containing a radically polymerizable vinylic compound and a metal oxide fine particle; and the vinylic compound has a structural unit represented by the following formula (1):

##STR00001## wherein each R.sup.1 independently denotes a C.sub.2-8 alkylene group; each R.sup.2 independently denotes a hydrogen atom or a methyl group; and m denotes a positive number, and n denotes a positive number of 10 or more.