An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit configured to form an image; a transferring unit configured to transfer the image formed by the image forming unit on a recording material; a fixing unit having a fixing heater, the fixing heater being configured to generate heat with electric power supplied from a commercial power source, and the fixing unit being configured to fix the image on the recording material by heating the recording material on which the image is transferred with the heat generated by the fixing heater; a memory configured to store resistance information representing a resistance value of the fixing heater; a zero-cross detection unit configured to detect a zero-cross timing of an AC voltage supplied from a commercial power source, and a voltage detection unit configured to detect a voltage value of AC voltage.

Pressure-responsive particles include pressure-responsive base particles and first inorganic oxide particles, in which the pressure-responsive base particles contain a styrene-based resin which contains styrene and other vinyl monomers as polymerization components and a (meth)acrylic acid ester-based resin which contains at least two kinds of (meth)acrylic acid esters as polymerization components and in which a mass ratio of the (meth)acrylic acid esters to all polymerization components is 90% by mass or higher, Db/Da which is a ratio of a number average particle diameter Db of the first inorganic oxide particles to a number average particle diameter Da of the pressure-responsive base particles is 0.05 or higher and 0.25 or lower, the pressure-responsive particles have at least two glass transition temperatures, and a difference between a lowest glass transition temperature and a highest glass transition temperature is 30° C. or higher.

An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming part that forms an image on a recording medium; a fixing part that fixes the formed image on the recording medium; a reverse transport path that conveys to the image forming part the recording medium with a front and a back surface of the recording medium being reversed; a non-reverse transport path that conveys to the image forming part the recording medium without reversing the front and back surface of the recording medium; and a hardware processor that, when a second image is overlapped and formed on a first image by the image forming part on the front or back surface of the recording medium, performs control of switching whether the recording medium passes through the reverse transport path and the non-reverse transport path before the second image is formed after the first image is formed.

An energization control device includes a voltage detection unit, a control portion, and an energization switching unit. The control portion to which the first detection signal and the second detection signal are input from the voltage detection unit is configured to output a first energization signal if the first detection signal is input and output a second energization signal if the second detection signal is input. The control portion is configured to obtain a correction value based on a difference between a first period in which the first detection signal is input to the control portion and a second period in which the second detection signal is input to the control portion and to correct a timing of switching between the first energization signal and the second energization signal with the correction value.

The present invention relates to an image heating apparatus that includes a heater including a plurality of independently controllable heating blocks in a longitudinal direction thereof, each including a first conductor, a second conductor, and a heating element. At least one of electrodes corresponding to the respective heating blocks is disposed in an area where the heating element is located in the longitudinal direction on a second surface of the heater that is opposite to a first surface that comes into contact with an endless belt. An electrical contact is arranged so as to face the second surface of the heater. An overheating occurring in a no-media passage portion when an image formed on a recording material having a small size is heated is suppressed or reduced.

In a method and device for drying a printed recording medium, a printed recording medium is introduced into a heated first chamber in which a temperature suitable for drying the recording medium and a first pressure are set. The printed recording medium is also introduced into a second chamber in which a second temperature that is suitable for cooling the recording medium for a further processing and a second pressure are set. The first pressure can be provided to be lower than the second pressure.

A printing apparatus and method are disclosed for printing on three-dimensional objects. The apparatus employs an offset printing process in which an ink image is deposited onto an intermediate transfer member (ITM) having the form of a flexible endless belt. After drying of the ink image on the ITM, the ITM transports the dried ink image to an impression station having a nip at which the ITM is compressed between an object and an impression surface, so that the dried ink image is transferred from the ITM to the object. The impression surface may form part of a stationary anvil, the ITM sliding relative to the impression surface during passage through the impression station. To optimize throughput, the velocity of the ITM relative to the surface of the object at the impression station may be greater than the velocity of the ITM relative to the imaging station.

A printing apparatus and method are disclosed for printing on conical objects. An ink image is deposited onto the outer release surface of an intermediate transfer member (ITM) having the form of a flexible endless belt. After drying of the ink image on the ITM, the ITM transports the dried ink image to an impression station having a nip at which the ink image is transferred onto the objects. In order to permit printing on conical objects, the ITM is elastically deformable at least in the direction of movement of the ITM, and is guided in such a manner as to be elongated during passage through the impression station, the extent of elongation varying across the width of the ITM so as to match the surface velocity of the ITM to that of the object over the entire line of contact between the ITM and the object at the nip.

A method for producing printed matter that has a fixed toner image and a resin layer, in the indicated sequence, on a substrate, comprising a toner image formation step of forming a fixed toner image on the substrate by fixing a toner containing a resin and a hydrocarbon wax, a mixture layer formation step of forming, on the fixed toner image, a layer of a mixture, the mixture contains at least one selected from the group consisting of diacrylates and dimethacrylates as a component (a) and a polymerization initiator as a component (b); and a resin layer formation step of polymerizing the component (a) and the component (b) in the mixture layer to form the resin layer; wherein the melting point of the hydrocarbon wax is from 55 C. to 85 C., a surface wax index A and a wax distribution unevenness index B of the area are predetermined range.

An energization control device includes a voltage detection unit, a control portion, and an energization switching unit. The control portion to which the first detection signal and the second detection signal are input from the voltage detection unit is configured to output a first energization signal if the first detection signal is input and output a second energization signal if the second detection signal is input. The control portion is configured to obtain a correction value based on a difference between a first period in which the first detection signal is input to the control portion and a second period in which the second detection signal is input to the control portion and to correct a timing of switching between the first energization signal and the second energization signal with the correction value.