Apparatus and methods are provided for measuring the dryness of primer on a substrate in an inline priming system. In implementations, the apparatus comprises a plurality of measurement electrodes spaced laterally to extend across and contact a primed surface of a substrate following application of a primer to the substrate as it is fed through the inline priming system. A resistance measurement unit is provided as part of the dryness measuring apparatus to, in use, measure the surface resistance of the primed substrate between different measurement electrodes across the primed surface of a substrate. A controller is provided in the dryness measurement apparatus, the controller arranged to, in use: receive the measured surface resistance value and to generate, based on the measured surface resistance values, a dryness profile indicative of the dryness of the primer at locations across the substrate in the direction of the spacing of the electrodes.

A sheet characteristic detection system that detects a sheet characteristic, includes: a sheet characteristic detection device that includes a plurality of media sensors corresponding to a plurality of different sheet characteristics; and a hardware processor that is capable of changing a type of the sheet characteristic to be detected by the plurality of media sensors.

There is provided a method and apparatus for preparing a print substrate. A surface resistivity of a print substrate comprising a conductive layer is determined. The determined surface resistivity is compared to a print range having a lower threshold value for the surface resistivity of the print substrate and an upper threshold value for the surface resistivity of the print substrate. If the determined resistivity of the print substrate is outside the print range, a surface modification is selected to adjust the determined surface resistivity of the print substrate to fall within the print range. The selected surface modification is applied to the top layer of the print substrate.

An image-forming apparatus that is capable of accurately detecting skew angle when arriving at a resist roller. In the image-forming apparatus, the resist roller feeds the printing paper to a printing unit at specified timing, and the printing unit performs printing on the printing paper. The flat-conveying section is formed between the paper-supply roller and the resist roller, and conveys the paper in a flat state. The camera takes images of the edge of the front end of the printing paper that is conveyed in the flat-conveying section. The camera-driving apparatus causes the camera to move along the flat-conveying section at the designed conveying speed of the printing paper. The skew-detection unit, based on images taken in the flat-conveying section by the camera, detects the skew angle when arriving at the resist roller as the arrival skew angle.

An image forming system includes a transport unit that transports a recording medium by using a roller; a transfer unit that applies a transfer voltage by using a transfer body and that transfers a toner image to the recording medium that is transported by the transport unit; a fixing unit that fixes the toner image by using a heat roller to the recording medium to which the toner image is transferred; and a processor configured to: implement temperature control on the heat roller, based on a result of detection of an electric current value detector that detects an electric current value of an electric actuator that rotates the roller and a result of detection of a resistance value detector that detects volume resistivity of the recording medium when the toner image is transferred to the recording medium after the electric current value detector detects the electric current value.

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearer to bear a visible image, a transfer device to transfer the visible image from the image bearer onto a recording medium, a separator to separate the recording medium from the image bearer, a separation bias application device to apply a separation bias to the separator; and a controller to control the separation bias. When the recording medium fed in the image forming apparatus is either a black sheet or a metallic sheet, the controller sets the separation bias smaller than a predetermined separation bias value for a reference sheet type other than the black sheet and the metallic sheet.

A sheet characteristic detection device includes: a detector that is disposed on a sheet ejection path through which a sheet is ejected and that detects an electrical resistance value of the sheet; and a charge neutralizer that is disposed on a downstream side of the detector on the sheet ejection path and that neutralizes electric charge on the sheet.

A sheet characteristic detection apparatus includes a first characteristic detector that is arranged on a conveyance path of a sheet and detects first characteristic information corresponding to a first characteristic of the sheet, and a second characteristic detector that is arranged on the conveyance path and detects second characteristic information corresponding to a second characteristic of the sheet, in which, on the basis of a detection result of any one of the first characteristic detector and the second characteristic detector, the other characteristic detector is controlled.