A nip forming device includes an endless film and a pressure rotator that presses against a heater via the endless film. A driver drives and rotates the pressure rotator to cause the pressure rotator to drive and rotate the endless film. A controller controls the driver to drive and rotate the pressure rotator, based on a temperature of the pressure rotator, that is detected by a detector, in a forward direction to convey a conveyed object and to interrupt forward rotation of the pressure rotator. In response to a determination that the temperature of the pressure rotator is higher than a predetermined temperature when a job of the nip forming device is finished, the controller controls the driver to drive and rotate the pressure rotator for a predetermined time in a backward direction opposite to the forward direction and to interrupt backward rotation of the pressure rotator.

A fixing device includes a rotatable pressing roller, a fixing rotator to rotate in contact with the pressing roller, a nip formation pad, and a slide sheet disposed between the nip formation pad and the fixing rotator. The slide sheet includes a base material layer made of a woven fabric of spun yarn. In the base material layer, a distance between adjacent spun yarns is equal to or less than 0.4 times a width of the spun yarn in a cross-section of the slide sheet in a direction of slide movement of the fixing rotator, and, in a cross-section of the slide sheet in a longitudinal direction of the slide sheet and a direction perpendicular to the slide movement of the fixing rotator, a thickness of the spun yarn is equal to or greater than 0.2 times a width of the spun yarn.

A fixing device includes a fixing belt, a flat heater, a holder and a pressing roller. The fixing belt is rotatable and cylindrical. The flat heater has a holding body and a heating resistor. The holder is configured to hold the flat heater such that a surface in which the heating resistor is embedded comes into contact with an inner circumferential face of the fixing belt via a lubricant. Of a contact area of the flat heater with the inner circumferential face of the fixing belt, in an area outside longitudinal end portion of the holding body, a groove is formed such that the lubricant flows to a center side of the holding body toward a downstream side in a rotational direction of the fixing belt.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a fixing portion, a discharging portion, a discharge path toward the discharging portion, a reversing portion including a reverse path branched from the discharge path and to reverse the sheet and a reconveying path branched from the reverse path and through which the sheet reversed in the reversing portion is reconveyed to the image forming portion. A curl correcting portion is disposed in the reconveying path and corrects curl of the sheet conveyed through the reconveying path. The curl correcting portion includes a first correcting portion to apply a force to upwardly bend the first side to the sheet conveyed through the reconveying path, and a second correcting portion to apply a force to downwardly bend the first side. The second correcting portion is disposed downstream of the first correcting portion with respect to a conveyance direction of the sheet.

A fixing device includes a belt member that cyclically moves, a pressing unit that comes into contact with the belt member and presses a recording medium moving between the belt member and the pressing unit, and a heat source that includes a base material, a resistance heating element disposed on a surface of the base material along a longitudinal direction of the base material, and an insulator covering the resistance heating element and that comes into contact with the pressing unit via the belt member to heat an inner surface of the belt member, in which the insulator is formed to cover a corner portion of the base material in a direction of movement of the belt member.

An image forming apparatus includes a first rotatable member, a second rotatable member, an air nozzle, and a pipe. The pipe includes a portion provided in a range overlapping with the first rotatable member and making one reciprocation or more in a case that when a direction crossing a feeding direction of a recording material fed in a nip is a widthwise direction of the first rotatable member, the pipe is viewed in a direction perpendicular to the widthwise direction.

A fixing device including a heated endless belt, a first member, a second member, a pressure roller, a guide member, a sliding member, and a lubricant application member. The first member is a non-rotating body inside of the belt and together with the second member tensions the belt. The pressure roller is outside the belt and presses against the first member via the belt, thereby forming the fixing nip. The guide member is inside of the belt and has a guide surface that guides the belt in circulation and a recess opening into the guide surface. The sliding member is between the belt and the first member. The lubricant application member is fitted in the recess and applies lubricant to the belt. The guide surface has an arc shape that is interrupted by the recess in a cross section perpendicular to an axis of rotation of the pressure roller.

A removable unit that is attachable to and detachable from a body of an apparatus includes a positioning projection and an upstream projection. The positioning projection projects downward to position a unit or a member located below the removable unit when the removable unit is attached to the body. The upstream projection projects more downward than the positioning projection at an upstream end of the removable unit in an attachment direction of the removable unit to the apparatus. A lower end of the positioning projection is located higher than a line connecting a lower end of the upstream projection and a lower portion of a downstream end of the removable unit in the attachment direction when viewed in a direction orthogonal to both an up and down direction and the attachment direction.

A fixing device includes a belt having a loop, a nip formation pad inside the loop, a pressure rotator, a supplier, and a holder. The pressure rotator presses the belt against the nip formation pad to form a fixing nip. The supplier is at a position above and upstream from the nip formation pad in the traveling direction to supply lubricant to an inner face of the belt. The holder holds the lubricant adhered to the inner face of the belt. The fixing nip forms a line passing through an entrance and an exit of the fixing nip. The belt forms a tangent at a contacting point with the supplier. The tangent extends to the nip formation pad adjacent to the entrance of the fixing nip in the traveling direction. The line and the tangent form an angle that is 25 degrees or more and 55 degrees or less.

A fixing device includes a fixing rotator, a pressure rotator, a heater, a temperature responsive element, and a fastener. The pressure rotator presses the fixing rotator to form a fixing nip between the fixing rotator and the pressure rotator. The heater heats the fixing rotator. The temperature responsive element is exposed outside the fixing device and fixed to the fastener. The fastener is exposed outside the fixing device.