An image forming apparatus includes a toner image forming unit, a nip formation member, a transfer power source, an information acquisition device, and a controller. The information acquisition device acquires specific information that specifies whether a recording sheet as a transfer target of a toner image is an uneven surface sheet having an uneven surface. The controller outputs a bias including a superimposed voltage, in which an alternating current (AC) voltage is superimposed on a direct current (DC) voltage, as a transfer bias from the transfer power source when the specific information acquired by the information acquisition device is not information corresponding to the uneven surface sheet and to output a bias including only the DC voltage as the transfer bias from the transfer power source when the specific information is the information corresponding to the uneven surface sheet.

An image forming apparatus includes a transfer unit that transfers a toner image on an image bearer onto a transfer medium. The image forming apparatus includes a control unit that controls a transfer voltage to be output to the transfer unit in accordance with a certain condition. The control unit applies currents having at least two different values while paper is not being fed. The two current values are lower than a current value during paper feeding. The control unit estimates an output voltage on a basis of a voltage detected through the application of the currents. When the estimated output voltage falls below a certain limiter voltage, the control unit controls to bring the output voltage to a value calculated through the certain condition. When the estimated output voltage exceeds the certain limiter voltage, the control unit controls to bring the output voltage to the limiter voltage.

An apparatus for determining a type of a recording medium is provided. A detection unit detects a characteristic value indicating a physical characteristic of a recording medium. A measurement unit measures a moisture content correlated with a moisture content of the recording medium. A determination unit determines the type of the recording medium based on the moisture content and the characteristic value. The determination unit may correct the characteristic value using the moisture content or correct a rule for determining the type of the recording medium using the moisture content unit, and determines the type of the recording medium in accordance with the corrected characteristic value or the corrected rule.

An image forming apparatus that includes an image bearing member which can bear a toner image, a transfer member used to transfer a toner image onto a recording material from the image bearing member, and a reading device which reads density information of images on recording material disposed on the platen. The image forming apparatus forms a first chart on a first recording material and a second chart on a second recording material by sequentially transferring a plurality of test images while applying a plurality of test voltages to the transfer member. The two charts are read by the reading device and the transfer voltage is adjusted based on the reading result.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an image forming control method, a consumable chip, an image forming apparatus, and a consumable. For the image forming control method, based on the environmental data, the encryption and decryption processing and transmission are performed on the preset compensation value of the image forming control parameter using the environmental data respectively detected by the consumable chip and the image forming apparatus. The preset compensation value is prevented from being intercepted and tampered during transmission, which makes data transmission more secure, thereby ensuring the printing and image forming quality.

There is provided an image forming system that includes an image forming apparatus including an image former that forms an image on a recording material, the image forming system including: recording material storage enabled to store the recording material; a recording material supplier that supplies the recording material from the recording material storage to the image former; a recording material information detection apparatus that is arranged outside the image forming apparatus and detects recording material information of the recording material; and a hardware processor that determines whether or not the recording material detected by the recording material information detection apparatus is settable into the recording material storage on the basis of the recording material information detected by the recording material information detection apparatus and information preset for the recording material storage.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an image forming control method, a consumable chip, an image forming apparatus, and a consumable. For the image forming control method, based on the environmental data, the encryption and decryption processing and transmission are performed on the preset compensation value of the image forming control parameter using the environmental data respectively detected by the consumable chip and the image forming apparatus. The preset compensation value is prevented from being intercepted and tampered during transmission, which makes data transmission more secure, thereby ensuring the printing and image forming quality.

A recording device includes a recording unit configured to perform recording on a medium, a transporting belt configured to transport the medium, the transporting belt including a surface on which the medium is able to be supported, a washing unit configured to wash the surface using a liquid, an ultrasonic sensor configured to transmit an ultrasonic wave onto the surface and receive the ultrasonic wave reflected from the surface, and a control unit configured to determine a remaining state of the liquid on the surface based on a result of detection by the ultrasonic sensor, in which the ultrasonic sensor transmits the ultrasonic wave onto at least part of the transporting belt, from downstream of the washing unit to upstream of the recording unit, in a rotation direction of the transporting belt.

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a transfer device, an applying portion; a detecting portion, a controller, and a receiving portion. The controller executes an operation in a setting mode in which during non-image formation, test images are transferred onto the recording material at different test voltages to the transfer device and then a transfer voltage applied to the transfer device during image formation is set on the basis of a detection result of the detecting portion. In a case that the operation in the setting mode is executed to set the transfer voltage for one-side mode, the receiving portion is capable of receiving instruction information selectively instructing a setting condition of the transfer voltage set by the operation in the setting mode from setting conditions including a first setting condition and a second setting condition.

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, an intermediary transfer belt, a transfer member, a voltage source for applying a voltage to the transfer member, a detecting portion for detecting a current flowing through the transfer member, and a controller for carrying out constant-voltage control so that the voltage applied to the transfer member becomes a target voltage when a recording material P passes through a transfer portion. The controller is capable of changing the voltage applied to the transfer member so that a detection result detected by the detecting portion during transfer falls within a predetermined range. The controller changes the predetermined range on the basis of the detection result detected by the detecting portion when the voltage is applied to the transfer member in a state in which the recording material P is absent in the transfer portion.