Apparatus is described which, in use, applies a thin film of a wetting agent, such as water or a water-based solution, onto paper or other print medium before applying a liquid toner. The wetting agent is applied at a predetermined distance from an image transfer area. The wetting agent acts to promote adhesion of the liquid toner to the print medium. The adhesion of the liquid toner to the print medium is further improved by supplying the wetting agent at a temperature higher than room temperature.

A roll excellent in abrasion resistance, which contains: a resin layer containing a first atom group having a plurality of sulfur atoms, a plurality of second atom groups having a carbon chain that has a plurality of carbon atoms arranged in a line and has an end bonded to any one of the plurality of sulfur atoms, and a plurality of third atom groups each of which has a urethane bond and is bonded to any one of the plurality of second atom groups; and a cylindrical foamed resin having an outer surface covered with the resin layer.

An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier that carries an image, a transfer body that transports a recording medium in a contact region between the image carrier and the transfer body, a pair of transport members that are disposed upstream of the contact region in a transport direction, and transport the recording medium to the contact region, a guide member that includes, between the contact region and the pair of transport members, a portion on a downstream side in the transport direction which serves as a free end portion and a portion on an upstream side in the transport direction which is supported in a cantilever state, that guides a non-transfer surface of the recording medium, that is elastically deformed, and that has a cutout, and a detection unit that detects an image on an outer peripheral surface of the image carrier on a optical path.

An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a transfer body, a pair of transport members, and first and second guide members. The first and second guide members each have an upstream portion with respect to the transport direction that is cantilevered between the contact area of the transfer body and the image carrier, and the transport members. The first guide member guides the non-transfer surface of plain paper such that the plain paper contacts the image carrier upstream of the contact area with respect to the transport direction, and guides the non-transfer surface of heavy paper while being pressed by the non-transfer surface and elastically deformed to the transfer body side. The second guide member guides the transfer surface of plain paper while being elastically deformed to the image carrier side, and guides the transfer surface of heavy paper while being elastically returned to the transfer body side.

A sheet feeding device includes a feeding roller pair, a detecting portion, a first changing portion, a second changing portion, and a controller for controlling the first changing portion and the second changing portion. The controller starts a first feeding operation for feeding a sheet toward the obliquely feeding roller pair in a nipping state of the feeding roller pair and then starts a second feeding operation for feeding the sheet for abutting a side end of the sheet against the reference member in the nipping state of the obliquely feeding roller pair. The controller changes, after the first feeding operation is started and before the second feeding operation is started, a start timing of the second feeding operation on the basis of a detection result of a position of the side end of the sheet detected by the detecting portion.

An image forming apparatus includes a paper tray, an elevating plate, a cam, and a shutter. The paper tray is configured to hold sheets. The elevating plate on the paper tray is arranged to ascend and descend between a descended position and an ascended position higher than the descended position. The cam is movable between a first position and a second position. The shutter includes a shielding portion. The shielding portion is located at a shielding position when the cam moves to the first position. The shielding position is a position that overlaps with a region in a height direction occupied by the cam at the second position. The shielding portion retracts from the shielding position when the cam has moved from the first position to the second position.

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 photosensitive drum; a developing roller; a separation mechanism for moving the developing roller between a contacting position contacting the photosensitive drum and a separated position separated from the photosensitive drum; a first tray; a first sheet feed mechanism for feeding a sheet from the first tray toward the photosensitive drum; a first sheet sensor for detecting passage of the sheet at a prescribed position; and a controller. The controller of the image forming apparatus is configured to perform: when a printing operation is performed onto the sheet ted from the first tray, feeding the sheet in the first tray to the prescribed position and maintain the sheet; moving, on or after the first sheet sensor detects the sheet, the developing roller to the contacting position.

A conveyance device includes a conveyance roller, a registration roller, a sensor, a mode setting part, a storage, a conveyance state determination part and a drive control part. The mode setting part sets the mode to either a plain paper mode or a tab paper mode. The storage stores threshold information corresponding to the mode. The conveyance state determination part determines, when the plain paper mode is set, whether the conveyance state of the recording medium is a skew conveyance state or a tab paper conveyance state, based on the detection result of the sensor and the plain paper mode threshold information. The conveyance state determination part determines, when the tab paper mode is set, whether the conveyance state of the recording medium is the skew conveyance state or the tab paper conveyance state, based on the detection result of the sensor and the tab paper mode threshold information.

A recording-material-transporting device includes an attracting part to which a recording material is attracted from below, and a blowing device that blows air from a position higher than the attracting part to an edge of the recording material attracted to the attracting part.