An image forming apparatus transfers a first image including a first toner not containing a metal pigment onto a specific medium having a smoothness of 112 seconds or smaller, fixes the first image for use as a base coat onto the specific medium, and transfers and fixes a second image including a second toner containing a metal pigment onto the base coat fixed onto the specific medium.

The heater to be used for an image heating apparatus includes a substrate, and first and second heat generation lines that are provided on the substrate along a longitudinal direction of the substrate, and are each divided into a plurality of heat generation blocks that can be mutually independently controlled, in the longitudinal direction, wherein in the plurality of heat generation blocks in the second heat generation line, a heat generation block is provided that overlaps one heat generation block in the first heat generation line in the longitudinal direction, and has a different heat generation distribution in the longitudinal direction, and can be independently controlled. Accordingly, the heater can form a heat generation distribution that is suitable for various paper sizes.

A fixing apparatus fixes an image onto a recording material. A first fuse and a second fuse are connected in series each other. A power supply line is connected to one end of the first fuse. A signal line is connected to a connection point between another end of the first fuse and one end of the second fuse. A ground line is connected to another end of the second fuse. Information regarding the fixing apparatus is held in accordance with melt states of the first and second fuses.

A fixing apparatus fixes an image onto a recording material. A first fuse and a second fuse are connected in series each other. A power supply line is connected to one end of the first fuse. A signal line is connected to a connection point between another end of the first fuse and one end of the second fuse. A ground line is connected to another end of the second fuse. Information regarding the fixing apparatus is held in accordance with melt states of the first and second fuses.

The digital printing process includes the printing of liquid toner on both substrate sides. Thereto developed portions of a first and a second liquid toner are transferred to the first side and fused by exposure to infrared radiation and by subsequent contact fusing. The substrate is conditioned for a further transfer step by maintaining a substantially uniform water content therein during and after the fusing step, in which further transfer step at least one further developed portion of liquid toner is transferred to a side of the substrate. This occurs particularly by limiting heat development in the liquid toner, such as by using a black toner liquid with an absorbance at 800 nm of at most than 0.8.

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.

An image forming apparatus includes: a conveying portion configured to convey a continuous recording medium in a first conveying direction or in a second conveying direction opposite to the first conveying direction; an image forming portion configured to form a toner image on the continuous recording medium at a transfer nip; a fixing portion provided on a lower stream side of the image forming portion in the first conveying direction and configured to heat and fix the toner image formed on the continuous recording medium, at a fixing nip; a retaining portion provided between the transfer nip and the fixing nip in the first conveying direction and configured to retain a part of the continuous recording medium; and a control portion configured to control the conveying portion to convey a passed portion that has passed through the fixing nip and control the retaining portion to retain the passed portion.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming section that forms a toner image on a recording material, a fixing section that fixes the toner image onto the recording material, an air passage disposed between the fixing section and the image forming section to be adjacent to a conveying region in which the recording material is conveyed from the image forming section toward the fixing section, an air-blowing unit that generates, in the air passage, airflow in a longitudinal direction of the fixing section, a first partition facing a conveying path region and partitioning the air passage with respect to the conveying region, and a second partition partitioning the air passage. A total area of an opening formed by the first partition in the air passage is smaller than a total area of an opening formed by the second partition in the air passage.

Methods and devices for digital printing to a recording medium are described. The printing can use a liquid print ink that includes a flammable carrier. Print control data can be generated from print data and the print control data can activate one or more print groups to print to the recording medium. An areal coverage can be determined based on the print control data. The areal coverage corresponds to a quantity of color applied onto the recording medium. The determined areal coverage can be limited to a predetermined maximum average areal coverage within a predetermined averaging area. The predetermined maximum average areal coverage can be less than a maximum theoretical areal coverage. The recording medium can be heated in, for example, a heating chamber. The predetermined averaging area can be smaller than an area of the recording medium located within the heating chamber.

The heater to be used for an image heating apparatus includes a substrate, and first and second heat generation lines that are provided on the substrate along a longitudinal direction of the substrate, and are each divided into a plurality of heat generation blocks that can be mutually independently controlled, in the longitudinal direction, wherein in the plurality of heat generation blocks in the second heat generation line, a heat generation block is provided that overlaps one heat generation block in the first heat generation line in the longitudinal direction, and has a different heat generation distribution in the longitudinal direction, and can be independently controlled. Accordingly, the heater can form a heat generation distribution that is suitable for various paper sizes.