Layers of build and support material on an intermediate transfer surface are moved past a transfuse station and a platen moves relative to the intermediate transfer surface to contact the platen to one of the layers on the intermediate transfer surface. The intermediate transfer surface transfers a layer of the build material and the support material to the platen each time the platen contacts the layers on the intermediate transfer surface at the transfuse station to successively form a freestanding stack of the layers of build and support material on the platen. The build material has a higher melting temperature than the support material. A support material removal station heats the stack to a temperature above the melting temperature of the support material, but below the melting temperature of the build material, to melt the support material, but leave a 3-D structure made of only the build material.

The present invention provides an electrophotographic member which has a high ability to impart charge to toners while the charge imparting ability is unlikely to be reduced even under an environment at high temperature and high humidity.

The electrophotographic member comprises a substrate, an elastic layer formed on the substrate, an intermediate layer covering the surface of the elastic layer, and a surface layer covering the surface of the intermediate layer, wherein the intermediate layer contains a binder resin and a polymer having a specific structure, the surface layer contains silicon oxide, and the surface layer has a thickness of 10 nm or more and 300 nm or less.

An image forming apparatus comprising a transfer means for transferring, a developer image onto a recording material; a discharging unit for discharging the recording material; a first circuit that applies a first voltage of reverse polarity to the developer to the transfer unit; a second circuit that applies a second voltage of identical polarity to the developer to the transfer unit and the discharging unit; and a control unit. The control unit applies a transfer voltage which is a superposition of the first and the second voltage to the transfer unit, and applies a discharging voltage which is a partial voltage from the second voltage. When the discharging voltage is set to the first value, the control unit reduces the discharging voltage in a case where the transfer voltage is lower than a target value.

An intermediate transfer belt has a first region and a second region in an outer circumferential surface thereof that is in contact with a blade. The first region has a first dynamic friction coefficient in a belt conveyance direction, and the second region has a second dynamic friction coefficient. The distance of the second region in the belt conveyance direction is less than the distance of the first region and is greater than the distance of a contact portion in which the blade is in contact with the intermediate transfer belt.

An image forming apparatus includes a transport belt, a first intermediate transfer belt, and a second intermediate transfer belt. The transport belt is disposed along a transport path extending in a vertical direction. The transport belt is configured to transport a recording medium while coming into contact with one surface of the recording medium. The first intermediate transfer belt is configured to sandwich the recording medium together with the transport belt. An image is transferred from the first intermediate transfer belt to the recording medium. The second intermediate transfer belt is disposed above the first intermediate transfer belt. The second intermediate transfer belt is configured to sandwich, together with the transport belt, the recording medium which is in a state where the recording medium is sandwiched between the first intermediate transfer belt and the transport belt. An image being transferred from the second intermediate transfer belt to the recording medium.

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, an image forming portion, an endless belt, a plurality of stretching rollers including an inner roller, an outer roller, a position changing mechanism capable of changing a position of the inner roller to a first position and a second position positioned downstream of the first position with respect to a rotational direction of the endless belt, a feeding member, a feeding member driving portion, and a controller. A feeding start timing of a recording material by the feeding member depends on the position of the inner roller during transfer of a toner image onto the recording material.

An intermediate transfer unit is attached to a position in the main body portion from a front side of the main body portion along the depth direction in a detachable manner. A cover portion extends in the depth direction and along a region of the outer circumferential surface of a rotating image carrying member that is more on a downstream side in a rotation direction of the image carrying member than the top region of the rotating image carrying member that is in contact with the intermediate transfer belt. A shield portion is provided on a portion of an upper surface of the cover portion that is closer to a front surface of the main body portion than the intermediate transfer belt. The shield portion has a taper surface that is inclined diagonally downward from a top surface of the shield portion toward the intermediate transfer belt.

The crystallinity of a thermoplastic resin is 8% or more and 25% or less, the average primary particle size of carbon black is 10 nm or more and 30 nm or less, the content of the carbon black is 15.0 parts by mass or more and 30.0 parts by mass or less with respect to 100 parts by mass of an intermediate transfer belt, and (Li+Lo+Lc)/3≤100 nm, where Li, Lo, and Lc are values of an L-function indicating a dispersibility of the carbon black with respect to the thermoplastic resin in an inner peripheral surface region of the intermediate transfer belt, in an outer peripheral surface region, and in a central region that is a central portion of the intermediate transfer belt in a thickness direction of the intermediate transfer belt, respectively.

An image forming system for transferring foil onto an image to be foil-pressed formed by a toner to perform foil pressing print includes: an image forming unit that forms a normal image or the image to be foil-pressed on a recording material; an operation reception unit that receives an operation of selecting a foil pressing mode of causing the image forming unit to form the image to be foil-pressed or a normal mode for causing the image forming unit to form the normal image; an image data analysis unit that analyses the image data and acquiring the amount of each toner; and a determination unit that determines whether to interrupt the image forming operation. When the amount of toner not used for the image to be foil-pressed is a predetermined first threshold or more, the determination unit determines to interrupt the image forming operation.

An image forming apparatus including an image forming unit that forms an image, an intermediate transfer member for a measuring image, a measurement unit that measures the measuring image, a conversion unit that converts a measurement result of the measuring image on a basis of a conversion condition, a determination unit that determines an image forming condition on a basis of the converted measurement result, and an update unit that updates the conversion condition while forming and measuring first measuring images, converting the measurement results of the first measuring images, determining a measuring image forming condition on a basis of the converted measurement results, forming second measuring images on a basis of the measuring image forming condition, obtaining measuring results of the second measuring images output from another measuring unit, and updating the conversion condition on a basis of the measurement results of the second measuring images.