An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a belt, a development unit having a development member in contact with the image bearing member to develop an electrostatic latent image formed on the image bearing member using toner, and a collection unit having a contacting member in contact with the belt to collect toner remaining on the belt adjacent to the contacting member. If condensation is detected inside the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus performs predetermined control to separate the development member from the image bearing member and drive the belt in such a manner that the belt moves at a second surface speed different from a first surface speed while driving the image bearing member in such a manner that the image bearing member rotates at the first surface speed in a state where the image bearing member is in contact with the belt.

A control circuit executes voltage adjustment processing of adjusting a voltage output from a transfer power source so that a current detected by a detection circuit becomes a predetermined current value. The voltage adjustment processing is executed before a toner image is transferred from at least one of a first image bearing member and a second image bearing member to an intermediate transfer belt. A processor determines whether the second transfer member is in a state of contact or is in a state of separation on the basis of behavior of the current detected by the detection circuit in a period in which the control circuit is executing the voltage adjustment processing.

An optical sensor irradiates a control toner image formed on an intermediate transfer belt with light and detects reflection light of the light. A controller executes an abnormality diagnosis mode in a case where change in the phase of a cam is not detected by a phase detection portion until an elapse of a predetermined time or more since a start of output of a driving signal for driving a separation mechanism. In execution of the abnormality diagnosis mode, the controller outputs the driving signal for driving the separation mechanism, and is capable of outputting information about an abnormality of the phase detection portion and information about an abnormality of the separation mechanism and/or a driving unit on a basis of a detection result of the optical sensor that is obtained in a case where the light is radiated from the optical sensor while the driving signal is output.

A process for producing a digital printed heat transfer, the process comprising the steps of: 1) obtaining a substrate having a release layer; 2) applying a primer suitable for electrophotographic toner to the release layer; 3) digitally-printing electrophotographic toner to define a graphic within a defined region of a substrate inclusive of both printed and unprinted areas within that region; 4) digitally printing a tacky viscoelastic binder in registration with the printed areas of the digitally-printed graphic; 5) applying a polyurethane-based powder adhesive to the defined region of said substrate; 6) removing loose powder adhesive that does not adhere to the defined regions of said graphic; and 7) fusing and bonding the adhesive to the digital printed graphic. The binder precisely secures the adhesive powder to the printed graphical areas. The result is then cooled to set the image for use as a heat transfer.

An intermediate transfer member for digital offset printing, comprising a cured silicone release layer formed by curing a curable silicone release formulation comprising a polyalkylsiloxane containing at least two vinyl groups; an at least partially fluorinated polyalkylsiloxane containing at least two vinyl groups; a polyalkylsiloxane cross-linker containing at least two Si-H bonds; and a catalyst or photoinitiator; wherein fluorine atoms provide at least 2.5 wt.% of the total weight of polyalkylsiloxane compounds. There is also described a method of producing an intermediate transfer member, and a curable silicone release formulation for an intermediate transfer member.

An image forming apparatus includes: a transfer cylinder that rotates; a rotating member that is coaxial with the transfer cylinder and rotates integrally with the transfer cylinder; a circulating member that is provided with a holding part that holds a front end portion of a recording medium, is suspended around the rotating member, and transports the recording medium by circulating as the rotating member rotates; an image forming part that forms an image; and a transfer unit having a transfer belt onto which the image is transferred from the image forming part at a contact position with the image forming part and that transfers the image onto the recording medium transported by the circulating member by sandwiching the recording medium together with the transfer cylinder at a nip position. A product of mass of the transfer cylinder and a distance from a center of mass of the transfer unit to the nip position is smaller than a product of mass of the image forming part and a distance from the center of mass to the contact position.

An image forming apparatus includes: an annular transfer belt to which an image is transferred; a transfer roller that transfers an image to a recording medium when the recording medium passes through a transfer area formed between the transfer roller and the transfer belt; a drive mechanism that causes the transfer roller to rotate; and a speed adjustment mechanism that adjusts a rotational speed of the transfer roller achieved by the drive mechanism in units of a cycle of the transfer roller, and switches between a first adjustment pattern and a second adjustment pattern to execute switched adjustment pattern in a cycle including a state in which the transfer roller transports the recording medium, the first adjustment pattern for adjusting the rotational speed of the transfer roller, the second adjustment pattern for adjusting the rotational speed of the transfer roller with a pattern different from the first adjustment pattern.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming target looped around plural rotators including a driving roller, having at least one straight portion that is shaped straight when viewed in an axial direction of the driving roller, and transported by the driving roller and the rotators, and three or more image formers arranged along the straight portion and configured to form images on the image forming target. An adjacency distance along the straight portion between the image formers adjacent to each other on the straight portion is an integral multiple of an outer peripheral length of the driving roller. The adjacency distance at a downstream end is shorter than the adjacency distance at an upstream end, and one of the adjacency distances is equal to or shorter than the adjacency distance that is relatively on an upstream side.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming target looped around plural rotators including a driving roller, having at least one straight portion that is shaped straight when viewed in an axial direction of the driving roller, and transported by the driving roller and the rotators, and three or more image formers arranged along the straight portion and configured to form images on the image forming target. An adjacency distance along the straight portion between the image formers adjacent to each other on the straight portion is an integral multiple of an outer peripheral length of the driving roller. The adjacency distance at a downstream end is shorter than the adjacency distance at an upstream end, and one of the adjacency distances is equal to or shorter than the adjacency distance that is relatively on an upstream side.

An image forming apparatus includes a formation target that is wound around rotating bodies including a driving roller and transported by the rotating bodies including the driving roller while forming a shape having linear portions each of which forms a different angle, which is an acute angle or an angle of zero degrees, with a horizontal direction when viewed in an axial direction of the driving roller, first image forming bodies that are arranged along one of the linear portions in such a manner as to be spaced apart from each other by a first distance and that form images onto the formation target, and second image forming bodies that are arranged along another one of the linear portions, the other linear portion forming the angle larger than the angle formed by the one linear portion, in such a manner as to be spaced apart from each other by a second distance shorter than the first distance and that form images onto the formation target.