Provided is a sheet stacking tray such that damage due to external force can be suppressed. The sheet stacking tray (30) is provided with a tray body (40), a first slide member (50), and a second slide member (60). When the first slide member and the second slide member are pulled out, the engagement between a first storage catch portion (44) of the tray body and a first latch portion (52) of the first slide member is released, and then the engagement between a second storage catch portion (54) of the first slide member and a second latch portion (62) of the second slide member is released.

An image forming apparatus includes a fixing device having a nip, in which an image is fixed on a recording material, and an air blowing unit configured to feed air. A first blow portion is provided, through which the air fed by the air blowing unit flows toward a first area, which is an end portion of the fixing device, in a longitudinal direction of the fixing device, so as to cool the first area by the air via an opening of the first blow portion. A blocking member changes a width of the opening of the first blow portion, and a second blow portion is provided, branched from the first blow portion so as to cross the first blow portion, through which the air blocked by the blocking member flows toward a second area, which is a region in which the recording material passes through the nip.

There is provided a sheet storage device including a regulation unit that includes a first contact portion configured to contact a stacking unit, and a second contact portion configured to contact a facing member. The first contact portion contacts the stacking unit in a state of being urged toward the stacking unit. The second contact portion contacts the facing member in a state of being urged toward the facing member.

Disclosed is a sheet stacking apparatus which includes a first stacking portion on which a sheet is stacked, a second stacking portion which is movable with respect to the first stacking portion, a third stacking portion which is detachably attachable to the first stacking portion or the second stacking portion and a restricting portion which restricts disengagement of the third stacking portion which has been attached. The second stacking portion is movable such that the second stacking portion is located at a first position where the restricting portion does not restrict disengagement of the third stacking portion and a second position where the restricting portion restricts disengagement of the third stacking portion which has been attached.

In an image forming method according to the present invention, an image is formed by removing residual charge from the image on an image recording medium. The image forming method includes formation of an image for forming a toner image by fixing a toner on the image recording medium and application of voltage from a voltage applier, the voltage having a polarity reverse to a polarity of a surface potential of the toner image. The toner includes toner base particles and an external additive. The toner base particles include a crystalline polyester resin.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit forming images on a first sheet and a second sheet having a higher stiffness than the first sheet, a discharge rotary member pair, and a sheet supporting unit to support the first and second sheets discharged through the discharge rotary member pair. In addition, an abutment surface abuts against upstream ends of the first and second sheets supported on the sheet supporting unit, and an elevation unit moves the sheet supporting unit up and down. A control unit, in a state where no sheet is supported on the sheet supporting unit, executes a first discharge mode of controlling the elevation unit to position the sheet supporting unit at a first position before the discharge rotary member pair starts discharging the first sheet, and a second discharge mode of controlling the elevation unit to position the sheet supporting unit at a second position lower than the first position.

An image forming apparatus includes a discharging portion to discharge a sheet on which the image has been formed, an image reading portion to read the image formed on the sheet, and a switching portion to switch between a first position where the discharged sheet is conveyed to a supporting portion and a second position where the discharged sheet is conveyed toward the image reading portion. The sheet conveyed toward the image reading portion is conveyed to a reading position after conveyance of the sheet by the discharging portion is finished, and the control portion conveys the sheet at a first conveyance speed in a period before a trailing end of the sheet is released from the discharging portion and conveys the sheet at a second conveyance speed different from the first conveyance speed in a period after the trailing end of the sheet is released from the discharging portion.

An image forming apparatus that is capable of preventing discharged sheet adhesion while lowering degradation of productivity. A print unit prints an image on a sheet based on a print job. A fixing unit fixes the image primed on the sheet to the sheet. The sheet to which the image is fixed is discharged to a discharge tray. A counter counts discharged sheet number that is the number of sheets discharged to the discharge tray during a continuous print operation. A controller controls the print unit so as to lower productivity that is discharging sheet number per unit time in response to increase in the discharged sheet number counted by the counter and so as to recover the productivity in a case where the sheets discharged to the discharge tray are removed in a state where the productivity is lowered.

In an image forming apparatus, the image bearing member has a surface and configured to rotate about an axis. The collection device is in contact with the surface, and configured to collect materials adhered to the surface. The developing roller is configured to provide a charged toner having a first polarity. The processor is configured to perform: executing a print job in a printing period; executing, in a non-printing period, a first process in which the image bearing member is rotated at least one rotation while a holding bias is applied to the collection device, the holding bias having a second polarity opposite to the first polarity; and executing, in a non-printing period after the first process, a second process in which the image bearing member is rotated while an ejection bias is applied to the collection device, the ejection bias having the first polarity.

According to one embodiment, there is provided an information generating device which generates information to be used in an image forming apparatus that performs continuous printing by binding a plurality of sheets on which an image is formed among the plurality of sheets using a sheet binding mechanism, and includes a blank determination unit. The blank determination unit determines blanks of the sheets in a case of forming the image that shows characters on the plurality of sheets based on the number of the characters formed on the sheets, the types of the characters, the sizes of the characters, and a sheet binding position.