An image forming apparatus includes: an annular transfer belt to which an image is transferred; a transfer roller that transfers an image to a recording medium when the recording medium passes through a transfer area formed between the transfer roller and the transfer belt; a drive mechanism that causes the transfer roller to rotate; and a speed adjustment mechanism that adjusts a rotational speed of the transfer roller achieved by the drive mechanism in units of a cycle of the transfer roller, and switches between a first adjustment pattern and a second adjustment pattern to execute switched adjustment pattern in a cycle including a state in which the transfer roller transports the recording medium, the first adjustment pattern for adjusting the rotational speed of the transfer roller, the second adjustment pattern for adjusting the rotational speed of the transfer roller with a pattern different from the first adjustment pattern.

A power supply is configured to apply voltage to a power feed roller. An elastic blade of a roller cleaning unit clean a surface of the power feed roller at a position different from an abutting position of the power feed roller and a secondary transfer outer roller. A control unit is configured to execute a secondary transfer cleaning mode at a timing when a transfer of a toner image in a secondary transfer portion is not performed. In the secondary transfer cleaning mode, a voltage of only one of the positive and negative polarities is applied to the power feed roller while the secondary transfer outer roller and the power feed roller are rotated.

A print group for a digital printer can include a transfer station and a wetting system. The transfer station can be configured to transfer a toner image onto a first side of a recording medium at a transfer point in response to an electrical field, the transfer station being configured to apply the electrical field between a transfer electrode on the first side of the recording medium and a counter-electrode on a second side of the recording medium, wherein the recording medium is directed between the transfer electrode and the counter-electrode. The wetting system can be configure to apply a conductive fluid onto a surface of the second side of the recording medium at the transfer point, the conductive fluid at least partially forming a conductive connecting layer between the surface of the second side of the recording medium and a surface of the counter-electrode at the transfer point.

An image forming apparatus includes a first forming unit that forms a first image with a substantially flat toner containing a substantially flat metal pigment on a moving movable body; a second forming unit that forms a second image with a substantially non-flat toner on the movable body; a transfer unit that forms a nip with the movable body while circulating and transfers the first image and the second image on a medium transported to the nip; a removing unit that includes a rotational body and removes the toners adhering to the transfer unit, the rotational body having an axis and being configured to rotate around the axis; and a controller that, if the controller causes the first forming unit to form the first image, stops the rotation of the rotational body around the axis.

The image forming apparatus includes a control unit configured to selectively execute an operation for applying a voltage with a polarity opposite to an original charging polarity of a toner to a first charging member and a second charging member and an operation for applying a voltage with the polarity opposite to the original charging polarity of the toner to one of the first charging member and the second charging member and a voltage with the same polarity as the original charging polarity of the toner to another of the first charging member and the second charging member as a cleaning operation for charging a secondary transfer residual toner to the polarity opposite to the original charging polarity of the toner by using the first charging member and the second charging member to transfer the secondary transfer residual toner onto an image bearing member.

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearer to bear a latent electrostatic image thereon, a developing device to supply a development agent to the latent electrostatic image to obtain a visible image, a transfer roller to contact the image bearer to transfer the visible image to a recording medium, a replenishing device to replenish the developing device with the development agent when a density value read from a density detection pattern formed on the image bearer by the developing device is equal to or less than a threshold, a processing device to conduct a predetermined processing to reduce attachment of the development agent to the transfer roller, and a control device to control the number of times the predetermined processing is performed or processing time in performing the predetermined processing for the processing device, based on whether there is replenishment of the development agent to the developing device.

Disclosed is a heat source for radiating heat onto an intermediate printing material transfer element of a printing apparatus. The heat source can include a plurality of heat generating segments disposed along an axis, the plurality of heat generating segments including a first heat generating segment, a second heat generating segment and a third heat generating segment. The second heat generating segment is disposed between the first heat generating segment and the third heat generating segment. The second heat generating segment has a length shorter than a length of the first heat generating segment and shorter than a length of the third heat generating segment. Also disclosed is a printing system that includes the disclosed heat source. Also disclosed is a method of selecting a heat radiating pattern of a heat source.

An image forming apparatus includes: a toner transport body that is an endless belt holding a toner image, or is a transfer member transferring the toner image to a recording medium nipped between the endless belt and the transfer member; a cleaning brush that has plural first bristle materials that rotate and come into contact with a surface of the toner transport body, and cleans a toner adhering to the surface of the toner transport body; and a removing brush that has plural second bristle materials in contact with the first bristle material of the cleaning brush and removes the toner adhering to the first bristle material.

An image forming device includes a housing; a conveying belt, and a retaining member. The retaining member retains image bearing members that juxtaposed with and spaced apart from one another. The retaining member is slidingly movable relative to the housing in a direction that the image bearing members are juxtaposed. The retaining member retains the image bearing members to confront the conveying belt. The image bearing members and the conveying belt are arranged in a reference direction. The retaining member includes a cleaning member that removes residual developing agent from the conveying belt, and a guide unit that guides the recording medium to the conveying belt. The guide unit is located on the image bearing member side and the cleaning member is located on the conveying belt side. At least part of the guide unit overlaps at least part of the cleaning member when projected in the reference direction.

After outputting a first start signal for causing an image forming unit to start formation of an image for a first side of an i-th sheet, a controller causes a feeding member to start feeding of the i-th sheet, and determines whether or not the i-th sheet has already been detected by a detector. In a case where the i-th sheet has been detected before a predetermined time has elapsed, the controller outputs a second start signal for causing the image forming unit to start formation of an image for second side of an (i−1)th sheet. In a case where the i-th sheet has not been detected before the predetermined time has elapsed, the controller outputs the second start signal after the i-th sheet is detected.