A medium carrying device includes a carrying part that carries a continuous print medium, a detection part that includes a light emitting part and a light receiving part arranged sandwiching a carrying path, and that detects the print medium carried on the carrying path according to a light amount that is received by the light receiving part, and a control part that controls operations of the carrying part and the detection part, wherein the control part sets a first emitted light amount of the emitted light of the light emitting part used in image formation to the print medium by performing a light amount measurement using the light emitting part and the light receiving part in a state where the print medium is carried to a first position, and sets a threshold light amount that is used in detecting a boundary position between the first region and the second region by the detection part through performing another light amount measurement by obtaining a receiving light amount of the light receiving part with the first emitted light amount and by determining the threshold light amount based on the receiving light amount in a state where the print medium is carried from the first position to another second position.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms, when forming an image with a white toner on a colored recording medium, a base toner layer and a white toner layer in an overlapped manner such that the base toner layer is inserted between the white toner layer and the colored recording medium, and a fixing unit that fixes the base toner layer and the white toner layer that are formed by the image forming unit on the recording medium.

Disclosed is a belt transfer type multi-function device for printing an image transferred on a belt to paper moving between a transfer roller and a belt roller, including a control device performing controlling such that an image to be printed on paper already caught between the transfer roller and the belt roller is printed as it is, and if printing should not be performed on next paper along a movement direction of paper, movement of the next paper is stopped on a transfer path of paper before the next paper is positioned between the transfer roller and the belt roller, the image already transferred on the transfer belt is deleted in a state in which the next paper is maintained to be stopped on the transfer path of paper, and the next paper in a stopped state is ejected as a blank paper through a ejection port of printed paper along the transfer path of paper, so that the image already transferred to the transfer belt, which is to be printed on the next paper along the movement direction of paper, is not printed on the next paper.

A sheet laminator includes a sheet separation device, a sheet insertion device, and circuitry. The sheet separation device is configured to perform a sheet separating operation to separate a non-bonding portion of a two-ply sheet in which two sheets are overlapped and bonded together at a bonding portion of the two-ply sheet, and a sheet inserting operation to insert an inner sheet between the two sheets. The sheet lamination device is configured to perform a sheet laminating operation on the two-ply sheet after the sheet separating operation and the sheet inserting operation. The circuitry is configured to cause the sheet lamination device to perform the sheet laminating operation on the two-ply sheet while causing the sheet separation device to perform the sheet separating operation on another two-ply sheet subsequent to the two-ply sheet or the sheet separating operation and the sheet inserting operation on said another two-ply sheet.

An apparatus and methods of decorating a metallic container are provided. More specifically, the present invention relates to apparatus and methods used to provide a decoration or indicia on a predetermined portion of an outer surface of a metallic container body. The decorator includes at least one digital print unit, a transfer blanket, and a support element. The digital print unit transfers a decorating material to the transfer blanket to form a decoration on the transfer blanket. The support element then moves a metallic container into contact with the transfer blanket. In this manner, the decorating material is transferred to an exterior surface portion of the metallic container to decorate the metallic container. In one embodiment, the digital print unit is an electrophotographic system which transfers a toner material to the transfer blanket. In another embodiment, the digital print unit includes an inkjet print head which transfers an ink to the transfer blanket. Optionally, the decorator may include two or more support elements.

An image forming apparatus includes a stack portion having recording materials, an image forming unit, a basis weight detection unit, an operating sound detection unit, and a mode selection unit. The basis weight detection unit detects a recording material basis weight based on an ultrasonic wave. The operating sound detection unit detect an abnormality of a generated operating sound. The mode selection unit selects, for each recording material fed to the image forming unit, between transmitting to the basis weight detection unit a first instruction for detecting the recording material basis weight and transmitting to the operating sound detection unit a second instruction for detecting the operating sound abnormality. In determining an interval at which each second instruction is transmitted, the mode selection unit determines the interval so that the interval and a cycle, in which properties of recording materials on the stack portion are repeated, do not continuously coincide.

An image forming apparatus includes a fixing device, an image reading unit, and a control unit. The fixing device includes a heating elements arranged in a main scanning direction, a band-shaped thin film which slides on the surface of the heating element while in contact with the heating element, and a rotatable body configured to press against a surface of the thin film to cause the thin film to rotate. The fixing device heats the heating elements when an inspection sheet is passed through the fixing device, the inspection sheet having plural images formed by using a decolorable developer, each of the images having an image density that differs in a sub-scanning direction of the image forming apparatus. The image reading unit reads an image of the heated inspection sheet and the control unit determines an operative state of each heating element based on the read image.

An information processing apparatus includes at least one processor configured to: acquire physical-property-value information of a recording medium; using information regarding a printing machine, perform an evaluation as to whether there is a possibility that the recording medium causes trouble for printing by the printing machine, the evaluation being performed with respect to at least one printing performance indicator based on the physical-property-value information; and output a result of the evaluation to a display device.

An image recording medium includes two sheets made of resin and a toner image interposed between the two sheets. The toner image serves as an adhesive to bond the two sheets together and includes an information image. At least one of the two sheets includes a transparent portion to enable the information image to be visible through the at least one of the two sheets.

A belt transfer type multi-function device includes a control device performing controlling such that an image to be printed on paper already caught between a transfer roller and the belt roller is printed, and if printing should not be performed on a next paper, movement of the next paper is stopped on a transfer path before the next paper is positioned between the transfer roller and the belt roller, the image already transferred on the transfer belt is deleted in a state in which the next paper is stopped on the transfer path, and the next paper in a stopped state is ejected as a blank paper through a ejection port along the transfer path, so that the image already transferred to the transfer belt, which is to be printed on the next paper along the movement direction of paper, is not printed on the next paper.