Provided is an image formation device including a photoreceptor configured to carry a toner image and a developer configured to form the toner image on a surface of the photoreceptor and configured such that the developer is a replaceable development unit, the image formation device including: a development bias application section configured to apply a development bias to between the photoreceptor and the developer; a stabilization control section configured to perform image stabilization control of determining a development bias value to be used in future by changing the development bias while measuring a density of the toner image formed by the developer, thereby obtaining the toner image with a target density; and a life determination section configured to determine expiration of use of the development unit when the development bias value determined by the stabilization control falls outside a preset acceptable range.

According to one embodiment, an image processing device capable of removing a horizontal streak that may show when a document is scanned and made into a file is provided. An image processing device according to one embodiment includes: an image processing unit configured to generate smoothing image data obtained by applying smoothing to image data, and save, as an image file, non-smoothing image data in which smoothing is not applied to the image data when a difference between the non-smoothing image data and the smoothing image data is equal to or greater than a threshold value, and the smoothing image data when the difference is smaller than the threshold value; and a storage unit configured to save the image file.

In the first charge amount acquisition operation, based on density of a plurality of toner images for measurement or based on a direct component of a developing current at the time of forming the plurality of toner images in addition to the density of the plurality of toner images for measurement, the charge amount acquisition section acquires a first toner charge amount that is a charge amount of toner included in the toner image for measurement. In the second charge amount acquisition operation, based on the toner density detected at the time of image formation and a relationship between the first toner charge amount and the toner density detected in the first charge amount acquisition operation, the charge amount acquisition section acquires a second toner charge amount that is a charge amount of the toner in the development device.

An image forming apparatus includes a first toner image forming unit, a second toner image forming unit, and a transfer section. The first toner image forming unit forms a first toner image with use of a first toner. The first toner includes a binder resin. The binder resin has a weight-average molecular weight that falls within a range of from 12297 to 14019, both inclusive. The second toner image forming unit forms a second toner image with use of a second toner. The transfer section transfers the first toner image onto a print medium, and transfers the second toner image onto the print medium in a region that overlaps a portion or all of a region where the first toner image has been transferred. The print medium includes a polymer compound.

An image forming apparatus includes a processor that derives, for each of a plurality of blocks of image data, a value indicating a toner amount to be used in forming a toner image by referring to a density of every pixel, of a plurality of pixels included in each block of image data, shifts a window, and outputs the window before shifting and the window after shifting, the window before shifting and the window after shifting overlapping with each other, and determines a fixing temperature for a fixing operation based on an analysis result of a first toner amount in the window that is output by referring to the toner amount of each block included in the window before shifting, and an analysis result of a second toner amount in the window that is output by referring to the toner amount of each block included in the window after shifting.

A color accuracy verification device includes: a hardware processor that: acquires a colorimetric value for each color patch of color accuracy verification charts generated by a plurality of printers; stores the colorimetric value in time series; sets a target printer to carry out color accuracy verification; and verifies color accuracy based on: the colorimetric value of the target printer stored in the hardware processor; and a verification reference value set in advance; and a display that displays a verification result by the hardware processor for the target printer.

An image formation system includes: a hardware processor that forms an image on a sheet based on a printing job, reads an output image formed on the sheet, assesses a quality of the output image based on the read output image, executes an invalid sheet process when an abnormal image is detected, interrupts the printing job when a time-over has occurred after executing the invalid sheet process; and restarts the printing job after inserting a divider sheet that indicates an occurrence of the time-over. The time-over occurs when quality assessment of the output image is completed outside of a predetermined time.

An image forming system includes: a density detecting section that detects the density of a toner image formed on an image bearing member by an image forming section, the density being detected as an output image density; a hardware processor which performs; tone correction in accordance with input-output characteristics data indicating the relationship between an input image density and an output image density, the input image density being the image density of a tone component included in the input image data, the output image density being detected by the density detecting section in accordance with the tone component; determining whether there is a missing tone component in the input image data; and complementing the input-output characteristics data corresponding to a missing tone component, when it is determined that there is the missing tone component.

Provided is a method of detecting release of a development nip of an image forming apparatus that includes a photoconductor and a developing roller to contact each other to form a development nip and to be away from each other to release the development nip. The method includes obtaining a reference load, after charging the photoconductor in a state in which the development nip is formed, by measuring a load of a transfer system including the photoconductor and a transfer roller, release the development nip and blocking light irradiated from an exposing unit to the photoconductor, obtaining a detected load by measuring a load of the transfer system after exposing the photoconductor, and determining whether the development nip is normally released based on the reference load and the detected load.

An image forming apparatus with an image forming unit, including a photosensitive drum and an optical scanning device having a transparent window through which laser light that scans the photosensitive drum passes. The image forming apparatus further includes a cleaning mechanism configured to clean the transparent window and a controller unit configured to control the cleaning mechanism to clean the transparent window, wherein the controller unit controls the image forming unit to form an adjustment pattern on the photosensitive drum after the cleaning mechanism performs a cleaning operation for cleaning the transparent window.