An image forming apparatus includes a heat source, a fixing belt that is heated by the heat source to thermally fix a color material to each of a plurality of pieces of paper in sequence, an operation acceptor that allows a user to specify a fixation degree of the color material for the plurality of pieces of paper, and one or more controllers that cause each of the plurality of pieces of paper to pass through the fixing belt in sequence at a control paper feed amount which is a paper feed amount per unit time according to the fixation degree.

An image forming system includes an image forming unit including a first photosensitive member, a first developing unit, a second photosensitive member, a second developing unit, a third photosensitive member, a third developing unit, a fourth photosensitive member, and a fourth developing unit; a varnish applying unit; an irradiation unit; and a controller configured to control image formation by the image forming unit to form a black image, on which the varnish is superimposed, with yellow toner, magenta toner, and cyan toner.

Provided is an image forming method including: forming, on a recording medium, a toner image including a white toner image and a color toner image disposed on the white toner image; and fixing the toner image onto the recording medium. In the fixing, the recording medium on which the toner image is formed is nipped between an annular belt, which includes an inner periphery that is at least partially supported by a heating member, and a facing member facing the heating member via the annular belt, and the toner image is fixed on the recording medium. The white toner and the color toner satisfy a relation of a following expression: 0.3log (W110)log (C100).

An image forming method includes forming an electrostatic latent image on an electrostatic latent image bearer, developing the electrostatic image with a toner to form a visible image, transferring the visible image onto a recording medium, and fixing the transferred visible image on the recording medium. The toner includes toner base particles each including a binder resin, a release agent, and particles of an inorganic antibacterial antiviral agent, and satisfies conditions (1) to (3) below. The image forming method satisfies a relationship of 2.0X (micrometers)Z2.5X (micrometers). Conditions (1) the number average particle diameter X of the particles of the inorganic antibacterial antiviral agent is 1.5 (micrometers)X2.5 (micrometers), (2) 3X (micrometers)Y4X (micrometers), and (3) an amount of the inorganic antibacterial antiviral agent in the toner is 2.8% by mass or greater, but 5.0% by mass or less.