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.

A water content sensor for a recording medium includes a single light emitting part, a wavelength separation device and a detector device. The single light emitting part emits infrared light in a wavelength range including an absorption wavelength of water along one incident light path toward the recording medium. The wavelength separation device separates infrared light, either reflected from or transmitted through the recording medium, into a first light in a first wavelength range including the absorption wavelength of water and a second light in a second wavelength range excluding the first wavelength range. The detector device receives the first light in the first wavelength range and the second light in the second wavelength range, and generates a first output corresponding to an intensity of the first light received and a second output corresponding to an intensity of the second light received, respectively.

According to one embodiment, a paper feeding device includes a containing unit, a conveyance unit, a heater, a wiring, a thermostat, and a switch. The containing unit contains a sheet bundle. The conveyance unit conveys sheets from the sheet bundle contained in the containing unit one sheet by one. The heater heats the sheet bundle contained in the containing unit. The wiring supplies electric power to the heater. The thermostat controls a driving state of the heater. The switch is inserted in a middle of wiring and switches an ON state and an OFF state of the wiring in response to an input control signal.

An imaging system includes: a housing; an ionizer including a first electrode and a second electrode and to charge airborne particles contained in the housing; a particle filter collecting charged particles; and a controller changing an amount of a current flowing between the first electrode and the second electrode by electric discharge during a printing operation, in which the controller controls the amount of current based on a print state indicator associated with the printing operation.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a storage portion to which a heating unit configured to heat the sheet stored in the storage portion is detachably attached, a conveyance unit, a detection unit configured to detect attachment of the heating unit to the storage portion, and a control unit configured to control the conveyance unit such that a standby time by which conveyance of the sheet fed from the storage portion is stopped is shorter when the detection unit detects the heating unit than when the detection unit does not detect the heating unit.

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.

An image forming apparatus includes a latent image forming portion configured to form a latent image on an image bearing member; a developing device including a container configured to store toner and a developing member configured to supply the toner to the latent image formed on the image bearing member to form a toner image; an environment sensor configured to detect environmental information related to an environment in which the developing device is placed; and a controller configured to control switching between a first mode and a second mode, in which a number of prints per unit time is less than that in the first mode. The controller is configured to perform switching from the first mode to the second mode based on an update value obtained by adding or subtracting over time an index value weighted in accordance with the environmental information detected by the environment sensor.

An information which includes an image bearing member 1, an intermediary transfer belt 7, a transfer member 8, a voltage source 20 for applying a voltage to the transfer member 8, a detecting portion 21 for detecting a current flowing through the transfer member 8, and a controller 50 for carrying out constant-voltage control so that the voltage applied to the transfer member when a recording material P passes through a transfer portion N2 and in which the controller 50 is capable of changing the voltage applied to the transfer member 8 so that a detection result detected by the detecting portion 21 during transfer falls within a predetermined pass has a constitution in which said controller 50 changes the predetermined range on the basis of the detection result detected by the detecting portion 21 when the voltage is applied to the transfer member 8 in a state in which the recording material P is absent in the transfer portion N2.

An image forming apparatus includes: an image holding section; a transfer section that has a transfer member, applies a transfer electric-field to a transfer region between the image holding section and the transfer member, and electrostatically transfers an image held by the image holding section onto a recording medium; contact sections that act as electrodes to ground while being in contact with the recording medium; a humidification section that is provided upstream of the transfer region and humidifies the recording medium; a first control section that performs control without humidification by the humidification section; a second control section that performs control to cause the humidification section to humidify the recording medium; and a selection section that selects the first control section or the second control section depending on a type of the recording medium.

A characteristic detector includes two electrodes facing each other to form a passage through which a medium passes, a cover disposed between the two electrodes, a current generator to supply a current between the two electrodes, a capacitance gauge to measure a capacitance generated between the two electrodes, and circuitry. The two electrodes have a shape or an arrangement in which at least two points on a leading end of the medium enter the passage with a time lag. The cover covers one of the two electrodes in connection with a size of the medium. The capacitance gauge detects the size of the medium based on the measured capacitance. The circuitry calculates a characteristic of the medium based on the capacitance measured by the capacitance gauge and the size of the medium detected by the capacitance gauge.