An image forming apparatus supplies, to an image carrying member, a toner to which a lubricant is externally added to form a toner image and transfers the toner image to a sheet transported to the image carrying member. The image forming apparatus includes a control portion that controls, when a toner patch is formed onto the image carrying member in a part corresponding to a region between the sheets transported continuously, the drawing of the toner patch based on coverage information of the toner image transferred to the sheet transported in a predetermined period.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device, an image density detector, and an output change device configured to cause the image forming device to form a test toner image while cyclically changing a charging power based on a charging change pattern and a developing bias based on a developing change pattern, generate an image density fluctuation pattern of the test toner image in a rotation direction of the latent image bearer, generate a writing change pattern to cyclically change a power of latent image writing based on the image density fluctuation pattern of the test toner image and one of the charging change pattern and a correlative pattern correlated with the charging change pattern. The output change device is configured to cyclically change the power of latent image writing based on the writing change pattern during image formation according to a user command.

An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier that holds an image, which is formed by developing a latent image and which is transferred onto a recording medium, a developing device that is disposed adjacent to the image carrier and that develops the latent image, a light-reflection-type sensing unit that is disposed below the developing device in a vertical direction and that detects the image on the image carrier, and a guiding member that guides the recording medium, which is transported between the developing device and the sensing unit, and that covers an upper side of the sensing unit in the vertical direction in a state where a space is ensured on an optical path of the sensing unit.

An image forming device includes a plurality of image formation units each configured to form an image of one of a plurality of colors, and a patch image transfer unit configured to control transfer conditions during transferring a patch group that is a pattern for detecting a position shift and formed on an intermediate transfer belt onto a secondary transfer belt. The patch image transfer unit is configured to transfer patches of at least single color for which a band of transfer efficiency is narrowest, of the patch group, onto the secondary transfer belt under transfer conditions for the color, and during transition to the transfer conditions for the color from other transfer conditions or during transition from the transfer conditions for the color to the other transfer conditions, patches of a color other than the color, of the patch group is transferred onto the secondary transfer belt.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, an intermediate transfer member, a power source, and a control unit configured to perform a mode to output a test chart which is formed by transferring a plurality of test toner images from the intermediate transfer member to a plurality of sheets of the recording material. In a case where a jam occurred during execution of the mode, the control unit is configured to resume the mode after the jam has been recovered. In a case where the control unit resumes the mode after the jam has occurred during the execution of the mode, the control unit is configured to resume the mode from a first sheet of the plurality of sheets of the recording material regardless of a number of sheets of the recording material not discharged due to the jam.

A print control apparatus that improves operability in readjusting a secondary transfer voltage that has been adjusted. The print control apparatus that communicates with an image forming apparatus. The print control apparatus includes an instruction unit that instructs the image forming apparatus to execute a process that prints a predetermined chart, reads the predetermined chart by the reading device, and sets a secondary transfer voltage, a reception unit that receives an adjustment value obtained by the process from the image forming apparatus, and a display control unit that controls a display unit to display an object that prompts a user to adjust at least the secondary transfer voltage based on reception of the adjustment value obtained by the process by the reception unit.

There is provided an image forming apparatus in which an image carrier and an elastic body may be in pressure contact with each other, and in which a toner remover may be in contact with the image carrier to remove toner remaining on the image carrier. The image forming apparatus may include: a first hardware processor that forms an image pattern in a region including at least a part of a pressure contact part of the image carrier that is in pressure contact with the elastic body when operation of the image carrier is stopped; a second hardware processor that acquires density of the image pattern formed on the image carrier; a third hardware processor that adjusts driving time of the image carrier based on the density of the image pattern; and a fourth hardware processor that drives the image carrier for the driving time.

A printing device includes an applicator with which a test fluid is applied onto a recording medium to be printed to, as well as an absorption measurement system with which absorption data are acquired with regard to the absorption rate of the test fluid. The printing device also includes a fuser to fix a print image printed by the printing device. The fuser is adjusted depending on the acquired absorption data so that an optimal and/or desired fixing of print images on the respectively used type of recording medium is produced.

An image forming apparatus and method for color registration are provided. The image forming apparatus according to an example includes a communication device to receive print data, a print engine including a plurality of photosensitive drums, and a processor to control the print engine to print the received print data on a plurality of printing papers, and to form a predetermined pattern for color registration in an inter-paper distance section between two of the plurality of printing papers on a paper feeding path.

An example image forming apparatus includes a charger, a developing device, a sensor, and a controller. The charger may apply a plurality of charging voltages to a photoconductor, the plurality of charging voltages having different magnitudes and respectively corresponding to a plurality of area sections constituting a test pattern and the developing device may supply a developer to the photoconductor. The sensor may sense an image formed by the supplied developer and corresponding to the test pattern. The controller may determine a remaining lifetime of the photoconductor based on the image corresponding to the test pattern.