An image forming apparatus includes plural image forming units including plural image forming sections and an intermediate transfer body to which a toner image formed on the plural image forming sections is primarily transferred, and a processor, in which the processor is configured to, in a case where a printing instruction is received in a state in which an image forming section having a combination of identical colors is set for each of the plural image forming units, execute the printing instruction by using an image forming unit that is in a state in which image formation is able to be executed among the plural image forming units.

A method of using an interface device to interface to a processing unit is disclosed. The interface device and the processing unit are part of a station of a plurality of stations in a sheet processing line. The method involves using the interface device to receive a control signal from an upstream station, and comparing a selection part of the control signal with a reference, the selection part being part of an addressing part of the control signal. If the comparison result is negative, a further control signal is determined from the control signal, which is derived from and differing from the addressing part of the control signal and the interface device outputs the further control signal to a different interface device corresponding to a processing unit of a downstream station. If the comparison result is positive, an instruction signal is sent from the interface device to the processing unit.

An image forming system includes a first device and a second device that are connected in series. The first device can continuously discharge a paper. The second device is blocked from information on a paper conveyance in the first device. The second device, based on printing setting information and a time at which the first paper passes the predetermined position, sets a printing cycle, and based on a time at which the second paper passes the predetermined position, calculates a delay time from a printing cycle of the second paper. The second device stops a conveyance of the second paper that is conveyed to the paper processor, and in accordance with the delay time, controls resuming of the stopped conveyance of the second paper.

An image forming system includes a first image forming apparatus and a second image forming apparatus. The first image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that at least forms an image of a first color. The second image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms an image of a second color different from a color of an image formed by the image forming unit of the first image forming apparatus, and also includes an image forming unit that forms an image of the first color. The first image forming apparatus and the second image forming apparatus use the first color to form positional-adjustment images for adjusting image formation positions between the first image forming apparatus and the second image forming apparatus.

An image forming apparatus as a first apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms an image onto a recording medium, a memory that stores first and second information, and a correcting unit that corrects an image formation position by the image forming unit in accordance with the first or second information. The first information is for correcting misregistration between a print position in the first apparatus and a print position in a second image forming apparatus as a second apparatus when an image is formed by the first apparatus and an image is subsequently formed by the second apparatus. The second information is for correcting misregistration between the print positions in the second and first apparatuses when an image is formed by the first apparatus, an image is subsequently formed by the second apparatus, and then an image is formed by the first apparatus.

An image forming system which suppresses the decline in printing speed without user intervention when the speed of data transmission to a storage does not meet an allowable speed, and a control method for the system. A first acquisition part acquires the speed of data transmission to the storage of each of plural image forming apparatuses and a second acquisition part acquires the data transmission speed between image forming apparatuses. When the speed of data transmission to a given image forming apparatus among the apparatuses is lower than a specified value, if the speed of data transmission to the storage of another image forming apparatus and the data transmission speed between image forming apparatuses are both higher than a given value, a striping part performs striping to distribute and store data into the storage of the given image forming apparatus and the storage of the other image forming apparatus.

An image forming apparatus includes: a first image forming part that forms an image on one surface of a recording material; and a second image forming part provided at an upper side of the first image forming part in a gravitational direction, the second image forming part that transports the recording material received from the first image forming part such that the one surface faces downward in the gravitational direction and that forms an image on the one surface from a lower side in the gravitational direction.

An image forming system includes first and second image forming apparatuses including respective image forming sections and fixing sections. When the system forms an image on a sheet using the first image forming section, then forms an image on the sheet using the second image forming apparatus, and forms an image on a same side of a sheet which has a nonuniform sheet thickness and first and second regions respectively having small and large sheet thicknesses, the image in the first region is formed and fixed using the first image forming apparatus and the image in the second region is formed and fixed using the second image forming apparatus, and the respective fixing sections of the first and the second image forming apparatuses pass the nonuniform sheet while applying a second load lower than a first load applied to a sheet having a uniform sheet thickness.

There is provided an image forming system including at least a first image forming apparatus that includes a first image forming unit and an obtaining unit configured to obtain operation-related information related to an operation of the first image forming unit. The image forming system further includes a carryover unit configured to carry over, to a second image forming apparatus, information related to an operation of a second image forming unit of the second image forming apparatus among the operation-related information obtained by the first image forming apparatus when the second image forming apparatus is newly used in the image forming system. The operation-related information includes operation history information of the first image forming unit.

An image forming method includes: supplying a powder onto a recording medium; supplying a coated toner onto the powder on the recording medium; and fixing the powder to the recording medium by heating the coated toner supplied onto the powder and melting the coated toner.