According to examples, an apparatus may include a processor and a nontransitory computer readable medium storing machine readable instructions that when executed by the processor may cause the processor to receive a requested power demand from a first heating component and a second heating component, compare the requested power demand to a first threshold, and select a sequencing and stacking group of a plurality of sequencing and stacking groups for the first heating component and the second heating component corresponding to a result of the requested power demand being compared to the first threshold. The instructions may also cause the processor to control application of power to the first heating component and the second heating component according to the selected sequencing and stacking group.

A fixing device includes: a non-contact heating unit configured to heat a recording medium in a non-contact manner; and a contact heating unit configured to press and heat the recording medium on a downstream side of the non-contact heating unit in a conveyance direction of the recording medium, in which the non-contact heating unit controls an amount of heat applied to the recording medium according to information on whether the recording medium is black or not, and a thickness of the recording medium, and the contact heating unit controls the pressure applied to the recording medium according to the thickness regardless of whether the recording medium is black or not.

A fixing device includes: a heating unit configured to heat a medium to be conveyed along a conveyance path by radiation; and a shielding unit made of non-metallic material, the shielding unit being configured to form a shielding state in which radiation from the heating unit is shielded and a non-shielding state in which radiation from the heating unit is not shielded, in which the shielding unit being expanded in a direction intersecting the radiation in the shielding state and is stored in the non-shielding state.

A heating device includes: a heating unit configured to heat a transported material being transported in a transport direction in a non-contact manner with respect to the transported material; and a facing portion that is disposed on a side opposite to the heating unit with respect to the transported material and faces the heating unit in a facing direction intersecting the transport direction, wherein a length of the heating unit in the transport direction is longer than a length of the facing portion in the transport direction, or a length of the heating unit in an intersecting direction intersecting the transport direction and the facing direction is longer than a length of the facing portion in the intersecting direction.

A compound that is fluidized by light irradiation and reversibly non-fluidized and is represented by the following general formula (1):

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In the general formula (1), Ar.sub.1 and Ar.sub.2 each independently represent an aromatic hydrocarbon group optionally having a substituent or an aromatic heterocyclic group optionally having a substituent, and Y, Z.sub.1, and Z.sub.2 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group.

A fixing device includes: a heating section that heats in a non-contact manner a front surface of a recording medium; a feeding section that feeds the recording medium while causing the front surface to be opposed to the heating section; and a maintaining section that, in order to enable the recording medium to be fed by the feeding section while a rear surface that is opposite to the front surface, and that is in an image region where an unfixed-image is formed on the front surface is in a non-contact state, maintains the non-contact state.

A digital printing process for xerography printing with curable dry toner. The process includes: forming a latent image as a pattern of electric charge on a surface of an imaging member; transferring dry toner onto a development member; developing the latent image by transferring dry toner from the development member onto the imaging member in accordance with the pattern; transferring the dry toner from the imaging member to a first substrate; applying a second substrate on the transferred dry toner, fusing the transferred dry toner, and bonding the second substrate to the first substrate. The fusing is done before and/or during and/or after the applying of the second substrate. After application of the second substrate, the dry toner is irradiated with actinic radiation or particle beams to cure at least the fused transferred dry toner. The irradiating is done after and/or during the fusing.

A scanning laser having a wavelength compatible with a coating binder so as to cure it as the laser scans and irradiates the coating on a moving web. A system and method for curing flakes by providing a scanning laser which scans across a moving coated substrate in a magnetic field allows images to be formed as magnetically aligned flakes are cured into a fixed position. The images have regions of cured aligned flakes. The scanning laser cures the magnetically aligned flakes within it region it irradiates. Alternatively an array of lasers can be used wherein individual lasers can be switched on and off to fix irradiated coating as a moving web is moved at a high speed.

According to examples, an apparatus may include a processor and a nontransitory computer readable medium storing machine readable instructions that when executed by the processor may cause the processor to receive a requested power demand from a first heating component and a second heating component, compare the requested power demand to a first threshold, and select a sequencing and stacking group of a plurality of sequencing and stacking groups for the first heating component and the second heating component corresponding to a result of the requested power demand being compared to the first threshold. The instructions may also cause the processor to control application of power to the first heating component and the second heating component according to the selected sequencing and stacking group.

An image forming device, includes: a transfer unit that transfers a toner image onto a recording medium being conveyed; a main heating unit that is disposed at a downstream side of the transfer unit in a conveyance direction of the recording medium, heats the recording medium in contact with the recording medium, and fixes the toner image to the recording medium; a reversing unit that reverses front and back of the recording medium having the toner image fixed on a first surface of the recording medium by the main heating unit, and sends the recording medium to the transfer unit; a preheating unit that is arranged between the transfer unit and the main heating unit in the conveyance direction of the recording medium and heats the recording medium in a non-contact state, the preheating unit being configured to heat the recording medium so that, when the recording medium that is sent to the transfer unit by the reversing unit and on which the toner image is transferred to a second surface is heated, a temperature of the first surface of the recording medium is higher than a softening point of a toner before the recording medium is heated by the main heating unit; and a non-contact unit that brings a toner image forming region on the first surface of the recording medium on which the toner image is transferred onto the second surface and a member other than the recording medium between the preheating unit and the main heating unit in a non-contact state.