An image forming apparatus includes: a transporter; an image former; a reflective optical sensor; an image density adjuster; and a controller. The image former includes: a photoreceptor; a charger; an exposer; a developer; a transferor; and a fuser. The reflective optical sensor is provided opposite to the photoreceptor across a conveyance path. During image density adjustment, the controller forms a predetermined patch toner image on the photoreceptor, irradiates the patch toner image with light, and control the image density adjuster to adjust image density based on reflected light from the patch toner image. During image forming, the controller causes the reflective optical sensor to emit light on timing that a predetermined leading edge area of the recording area passes, and decides based on reflected light therefrom whether a width in the main scanning direction of a recording medium is longer than a predetermined reference length.

A printing control apparatus includes a conveying unit that conveys a document to a reading unit, a detection unit that detects a size of the document before it begins to be conveyed, a detection unit that detects the size of the document after the document begins to be conveyed, and a control unit that performs a copy job using the reading unit and printing unit based on the size of the document detected before it is conveyed in a case where the printing unit starts to print the image data before the reading unit finishes generating image data for one page and performs a copy job based on the size of the document detected after it begins to be conveyed in a case where the printing unit starts to print the image data after the reading unit finishes generating image data for at least one page.

In a medium conveying device, a projector projects light, a projection light amount of the light changes, at every fixed time, to a first projection light amount and a second projection light amount less than the first projection light amount, a receiver receives the light projected from the projector, a processor determines, at fixed sampling timings, whether a reception light amount of the receiver is at a first reception light level or a second reception light level smaller than the first reception light level, determines, when the reception light amount alternately changes to the first reception light level and the second reception light level, that a medium is not present on a conveying path, and determines, when the reception light amount is fixed to either the first reception light level or the second reception light level, that the medium is present on the conveying path.

An image forming apparatus comprises a tray, a conveyor, a detector and a movement mechanism. The tray accommodates at least one document. The conveyor conveys the document placed on the tray. The detector detects that the document is placed on the tray. The movement mechanism moves the tray from a first position to a second position closer to the conveyor than the first position based on the detection that the document is placed on the tray, and after moving the tray from the first position to the second position, moves the tray to the first position based on a setting of a mixed stacking mode in which mixing of the documents with different sizes on the tray is permitted.

A printing apparatus includes a first feeding roller, a feeding motor configured to drive the first feeding roller, a second feeding roller, a conveyance roller, a conveyance motor configured to drive the conveyance roller, a printing unit configured to print the printing sheet, a detection sensor configured to detect the leading edge of the printing sheet, and a control unit configured to, when the printing unit performs a printing operation on a preceding sheet, drive the feeding motor in synchronization with the conveyance motor before the detection sensor detects the leading edge of a succeeding sheet, and continuously drive the feeding motor so that the conveying speed of the succeeding sheet by the feeding motor becomes higher than that of the preceding sheet after the detection sensor detects the leading edge of the succeeding sheet.

Method and systems of automated document processing described herein include activating in sequence a plurality of illumination modules of an illumination source to illuminate a document, where the plurality of illumination modules are located at different positions relative to the document. The document can be imaged each time the document is illuminated by an illumination module to provide a plurality of images. A shadow profile of the document can be obtained based on the plurality of images. One or more of a boundary of the document and presence of a fastener attached to the document can be identified using the shadow profile. Any fasteners present may be removed using a robot arm.

An image forming apparatus includes: a transfer unit, a fixing unit, a sway roller pair constituted of a pair of rollers, a first detector and a hardware processor. The transfer unit transfers an image onto paper. The fixing unit fixes, to the paper, the image transferred onto the paper by the transfer unit. The sway roller pair conveys the paper to the transfer unit, the paper being conveyed to the sway roller pair. The first detector is provided on a downstream side of the transfer unit but on an upstream side of the fixing unit and detects a position of a side edge of the paper. The hardware processor performs sway control of the sway roller pair based on a detection result of the detection by the first detector.

An edge detection unit is arranged in a conveying portion conveying a sheet and detects the edge of the sheet in the width direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction. A light source unit is arranged opposite the sheet. A detecting portion holder holds the edge detection unit and the light source unit. A conveying roller pair positions the sheet conveyed toward the edge detection unit. A unit housing houses the detecting portion holder and the conveying roller pair. The edge detection unit has a contact glass making contact with the sheet. The light source unit has a facing glass facing the contact glass. One glass out of the contact glass and the facing glass is inclined downward at a first angle with respect to the tangent line, which passes through the nip portion between the conveying roller pair, toward the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction.

An image forming apparatus includes a platen on which an original is to be placed, a feeder configured to feed an original placed on a tray, a sensor configured to detect a sheet on the tray, a lamp provided to the feeder, a reader configured to read the original placed on the platen and to read the original conveyed by the feeder, an image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet, and a controller. The controller is configured to control the image forming unit to form a first test image on a sheet, control the reader to read the first test image formed on the sheet placed on the platen, control a density of the image to be formed by the image forming unit based on a reading result of the first test image.

An image forming device includes a transfer unit that transfers a toner image onto a recording medium that has first and second surfaces and is conveyed in a conveyance direction; a main heating unit arranged downstream of the transfer unit in the conveyance direction, and which contacts and heats the recording medium and fixes the toner image onto the recording medium; a reversing unit that reverses front and back of the recording medium having a first toner image fixed onto the first surface; and a preheating unit arranged between the transfer and main heating units in the conveyance direction and that heats the recording medium having a second toner image transferred onto the second surface. The preheating unit heats the recording medium so that a temperature of the first surface is lower than a softening point of a toner before the recording medium is heated by the main heating unit.