An image forming apparatus and a method of reducing image banding of the image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes: a photoconductor unit on which an electrostatic latent image is formed; and a conveying unit configured to convey printing medium at a first conveying velocity toward the photoconductor unit, and configured to convey the printing medium at a second conveying velocity that is lower than the first conveying velocity when the printing medium approaches the photoconductor unit.

A document conveyance apparatus includes a document conveyance section, a cover, an opening and closing detection sensor, a document detection sensor, and a control section. The control section detects opening and closing of the cover on the basis of an output value of the opening and closing detection sensor and detects whether or not there is a document in a predetermined detection position on the basis of the output value of the document detection sensor. If, when the output value of the document detection sensor has changed from a value indicating an opened state of the cover to a value indicating a closed state thereof, the output value of the document detection sensor is a value indicating that there is the document, the control section detects a half-closed state where the cover is not completely closed.

Examples disclosed herein relate to application of a coating fluid. Examples include an apparatus including a first coating applicator to apply a coating fluid to a plurality of first rollers; a first transfer roller in contact with the plurality of first rollers to receive coating fluid; and a media path to apply coating fluid from the first transfer roller to a first side of a media, wherein the plurality of first rollers are shorter than the first transfer roller and are individually movable along its longitudinal axes such that they may positioned to apply a variable width of coating fluid onto the first transfer roller.

A method for heat treatment of mixed media sheets in an image reproduction apparatus having an image forming station, a heat treatment station, a conveying path for conveying the sheets one by one through the image forming station and the heat treatment station, and a duplex loop for looping sheets back from the heat treatment station to the image forming station includes pre-heating a sheet before an image is formed thereon in the image forming station. The pre-heating includes the sub-steps of passing the sheet through the image forming station while the image forming station is idle, passing the sheet through the heat treatment station for pre-heating, and looping the sheet back to the image forming station.

A sheet feeder is provided. The sheet feeder includes a roller to feed a sheet, a motor to rotate the roller, and a motor controller to control rotation of the motor by a feedback control. The motor controller detects a condition of the sheet based on a value acquired in the feedback control at the time a load is applied from the sheet to the roller, while performing a stop control to stop the roller at a designated stop position. The stop control is performed after the motor is rotated in a direction opposite to a direction of feed of the sheet.

An image forming apparatus and roller separation device are provided. The image forming apparatus including a main body having a print unit, a first paper feeding unit containing print paper and insertable in or pullable from the main body, a feed roller in the main body feeding the print paper from the first paper feeding unit to the print unit and comprising a driven roller contacting a driving roller, an elastic member applying an elastic force to the driven roller in a direction to contact the driving roller, a handle member in the main body movable to a first position and a second position, and a separation member connected to the handle member and switched to a normal position separated from the driven roller and a separation position separating the driven roller from the driving roller.

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, an image forming portion, an endless belt, a plurality of stretching rollers including an inner roller, an outer roller, a position changing mechanism capable of changing a position of the inner roller to a first position and a second position positioned downstream of the first position with respect to a rotational direction of the endless belt, a feeding member, a feeding member driving portion, and a controller. A feeding start timing of a recording material by the feeding member depends on the position of the inner roller during transfer of a toner image onto the recording material.

An image forming apparatus includes: a pair of transport rollers that nip and transport a recording medium; an image forming device that is disposed on the downstream side of the pair of transport rollers in a recording-medium transport direction and forms an image on the recording medium; a pair of fixing members that are disposed on the downstream side of the image forming device in the recording-medium transport direction and fix the image formed on the recording medium while nipping and transporting the recording medium; a single driving source that rotationally drives both the pair of transport rollers and the pair of fixing members; and a releasing device that stops rotational driving of the pair of transport rollers by the driving source at a timing when the recording medium is transported while being nipped both between the pair of transport rollers and between the pair of fixing members.

A transport guide device includes: a first guide unit including a guide portion configured to guide a sheet-shaped object along a transport path; and a second guide unit including a fixed first end portion and a non-fixed second end portion opposite to the fixed first end portion, the second end portion (i) approaching the guide portion toward a downstream side in a transport direction of the sheet-shaped object and then contacts with the guide portion or (ii) approaching the guide portion toward the downstream side in the transport direction of the sheet-shaped object, the second guide unit being configured to guide the sheet-shaped object such that the sheet-shaped object comes into contact with the guide portion, in which the second guide unit includes a tip end protrusion at a tip end of the second end portion, the tip end protrusion protruding in a direction away from the guide portion.

An image formation apparatus is such that at least one of an upstream guide plate and a downstream guide plate is provided with a guide roller that extends in a direction transverse to a direction in which a continuous medium is transported and that rotates on the side of an upper surface of the continuous medium while abutting against the continuous medium in a state where the continuous medium is tensioned.