An image forming apparatus includes: an image carrier; a lubricant applicator that applies a lubricant to the image carrier; a hardware processor; and a density unevenness measurer that is provided in the image forming apparatus or outside the image forming apparatus, and measures a first density unevenness for at least one of the density unevenness measurement image formed by the image former in the application unevenness detection mode or a density unevenness measurement image obtained by primary or subsequent transfer of the density unevenness measurement image, wherein the hardware processor detects the application unevenness of the lubricant applied by the lubricant applicator based on the first density unevenness measured by the density unevenness measurer.

An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming unit configured to form an image pattern on a medium, a predetermined image repeatedly appearing in a first cycle in a sub scanning direction in the image pattern; a density detector configured to optically detect a density of the image pattern in the sub scanning direction; a cyclic image detector configured to detect a feature image having a second cycle corresponding to the first cycle in accordance with a result of the detection; and a state determining unit configured to determine whether a cycle depending on an outer circumference of a rotary member included in the image forming apparatus corresponds to the second cycle when the feature image is detected by the cyclic image detector, and determine that a state of the rotary member has deteriorated when the cycle depending on the outer circumference is determined to correspond to the second cycle.

An image forming apparatus, including: a light source; a photosensitive member rotatable in a first direction; a deflecting unit configured to deflect the light beam in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction; a conversion unit configured to convert image data into a plurality of bit data corresponding to a density on a pixel-by-pixel basis; a specifying unit configured to specify a pixel size that is a number of divided pixels forming a pixel according to a position of the pixel in the second direction; and a correction unit configured to correct the plurality of bit data according to the pixel size, wherein the specifying unit specifies pixel sizes of pixels after an arrangement of the pixels in the second direction is replaced for each pixel group, the pixel group being obtained by dividing, with respect to each predetermined number of pixels, pixels arranged in the second direction.

A method is described in which a spectrum of a surface of a photoconductor member is obtained using optical spectroscopy; and an extent of oxidation of the surface is determined based on the obtained spectrum.

An image forming apparatus which forms an image on a medium on the basis of an input image signal includes: an image carrier configured to carry a developed toner image transferred to the medium on a photoreceptor layer; a contact member arranged so as to be in contact with the surface of the photoreceptor layer; a trace pattern generating unit configured to generate a trace pattern indicating specific information on the image forming apparatus; a composition unit configured to add the trace pattern to the image signal; and an acquiring unit configured to acquire information on the thickness of the photoreceptor layer of the image carrier, wherein the trace pattern is used for arranging a plurality of image areas at respective positions, and the trace pattern generating unit is configured to generate the trace pattern with the image area whose size is reduced in accordance with reduction of the thickness of the photoreceptor layer.

An image forming apparatus includes a correction unit configure to correct image data based on a correction condition; an image bearing member; an image forming unit configured to form an image on the image bearing member, based on the corrected image data; a transfer unit configured to transfer the image onto a recording material; a measurement unit configured to measure a measurement image formed on the image bearing member; and a converting unit configured to convert, based on a conversion condition, a measurement result of the measurement image measured by the measurement unit.

A printer controller controls the image forming unit to form the measurement image, control the measurement unit to measure the measurement image, control the converting unit to convert the measurement result of the measurement image, and generate the correction condition based on the measurement result converted by the converting unit.

An organic photoconductor includes a cylindrical body having a surface on which an electrostatic latent image is to be formed, and an optical tag provided on an outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body. The organic photoconductor may be included in a development cartridge for an image forming apparatus.

An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member, a charging member, an exposure member, a rotatable developer carrying member, a voltage source, and a controller configured to control the voltage source so that when a thickness of the surface layer of the photosensitive member is a first thickness, a developing bias voltage including an oscillating portion having an oscillating voltage and a rest portion having a substantially constant voltage are alternately repeated is outputted and so that when the thickness of the surface layer of the photosensitive member is a second thickness smaller than the first thickness, a developing bias voltage in which the rest portion is not included or is shorter than the rest portion when the thickness of the surface layer is the first thickness.

An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member, a charging member, an exposure member, a rotatable developer carrying member, a voltage source, and a controller configured to control the voltage source so that when a humidity of an inside of the apparatus is a first humidity, a developing bias voltage including an oscillating portion having an oscillating voltage and a rest portion having a substantially constant voltage are alternately repeated is outputted and so that when the humidity of the inside of the apparatus is a second humidity lower than the first humidity, a developing bias voltage in which the rest portion is not included or is shorter than the rest portion when the humidity of the inside of the apparatus is the first humidity.

An example image forming apparatus includes a charger, a developing device, a sensor, and a controller. The charger may apply a plurality of charging voltages to a photoconductor, the plurality of charging voltages having different magnitudes and respectively corresponding to a plurality of area sections constituting a test pattern and the developing device may supply a developer to the photoconductor. The sensor may sense an image formed by the supplied developer and corresponding to the test pattern. The controller may determine a remaining lifetime of the photoconductor based on the image corresponding to the test pattern.