An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms, when forming an image with a white toner on a colored recording medium, a base toner layer and a white toner layer in an overlapped manner such that the base toner layer is inserted between the white toner layer and the colored recording medium, and a fixing unit that fixes the base toner layer and the white toner layer that are formed by the image forming unit on the recording medium.

An image forming method includes developing an electrostatic charge image on the surface of an image holding member by a developer including toner particles which contain a binder resin, a flake shape brilliant pigment, and a layered inorganic material, transferring the developed toner image onto a surface of a recording medium, and fixing the toner image, which is a brilliant image, by passing the recording medium through a contact region between a fixing member and a pressing member pressed to the fixing member, the brilliant image satisfying (1) at a depth of 200 nm, A<10, 10≦B≦50, and 20≦C≦70 and (2) at a depth of 1,000 nm, 10≦A≦40, 20≦B≦60, and 20≦C≦50, wherein A, B and C are element amounts (atomic %) of aluminium, silicon, and carbon, respectively.

An image forming apparatus includes a coating portion configured to perform a coating process that forms a coating film on a recording sheet with an image formed thereon, a main transport path configured to transport the recording sheet with the image formed thereon and to have a branching portion formed thereon, and a sub transport path configured to be once branched from the main transport path at the branching portion and to be returned to the main transport path again. The coating portion is disposed on the sub transport path.

An image forming apparatus includes a first image forming unit that develops a first latent image using a first developer so that a first developer image is developed with the first developer, a second image forming unit that develops a second latent image using a second developer, which is lower in saturation or higher in light-permeability in comparison to the first developer, so that a second developer image is developed with the second developer, a transfer part that transfers the first developer image and the second developer image to a medium, and a control part that controls an amount of the second developer used to develop the second developer image according to a type of the medium.

A sheet laminator includes a sheet separation device, a sheet insertion device, and circuitry. The sheet separation device is configured to perform a sheet separating operation to separate a non-bonding portion of a two-ply sheet in which two sheets are overlapped and bonded together at a bonding portion of the two-ply sheet, and a sheet inserting operation to insert an inner sheet between the two sheets. The sheet lamination device is configured to perform a sheet laminating operation on the two-ply sheet after the sheet separating operation and the sheet inserting operation. The circuitry is configured to cause the sheet lamination device to perform the sheet laminating operation on the two-ply sheet while causing the sheet separation device to perform the sheet separating operation on another two-ply sheet subsequent to the two-ply sheet or the sheet separating operation and the sheet inserting operation on said another two-ply sheet.

Provided is an image forming method, wherein after image formation with a printing material containing a release agent, a specific active ray-curable liquid substance is applied with a roll coating method, and when a coordinate (A, V) of a point indicating a contact angle A (°) and a viscosity V (mPa.Math.s) corresponding to the contact angle Av (°) is plotted in a coordinate system having a contact angle A (°) on a horizontal axis and a viscosity V (mPa.Math.s) on a vertical axis, the coordinate is included in a coordinate region R (A, V) on an upper side of a contact angle-viscosity curve represented by a formula on a right side of a specific expression.

In a method and an apparatus for forming on a substrate (214) a pattern of a material, a material layer is provided on an intermediate carrier (204) and an adhesive layer is provided on the material layer, wherein at least one of the material layer or the adhesive layer comprises a pattern corresponding to the pattern to be formed on the substrate (214). The material is transferred to the substrate (214) with the adhesive fixing the material to a surface (216) of the substrate (214).

An image forming apparatus may include: a fixer that includes a fixing nip and makes an image formation medium pass through the fixing nip, to apply heat and pressure to the image formation medium, and fix toner containing wax to the image formation medium, an image formed with the toner having been transferred onto the image formation medium; and a hardware processor that controls the fixer in such a manner that an amount of wax precipitating on a surface of the image formation medium, when a laminating process is performed on the image formation medium to which the toner has been fixed, becomes smaller than when the laminating process is not performed.

An image forming apparatus (1) includes a recording head section (4), a spray section (10), and a controller (9). The recording head section (4) forms an image on a paper sheet (S). The spray section (10) sprays a drug toward the paper sheet (S) to form a drug region (R) on the paper sheet (S). The controller (9) controls the spray section (10). The controller (9) controls the spray section (10) such that at least a part of the image formed on the paper sheet (S) and at least a part of the drug region (R) overlap each other.

An apparatus and methods of decorating a metallic container are provided. More specifically, the present invention relates to apparatus and methods used to provide a decoration or indicia on a predetermined portion of an outer surface of a metallic container body. The decorator includes at least one digital print unit, a transfer blanket, and a support element. The digital print unit transfers a decorating material to the transfer blanket to form a decoration on the transfer blanket. The support element then moves a metallic container into contact with the transfer blanket. In this manner, the decorating material is transferred to an exterior surface portion of the metallic container to decorate the metallic container. In one embodiment, the digital print unit is an electrophotographic system which transfers a toner material to the transfer blanket. In another embodiment, the digital print unit includes an inkjet print head which transfers an ink to the transfer blanket. Optionally, the decorator may include two or more support elements.