A fixation device includes: a heating roll that heats a transported recording medium whose front end is gripped by a gripping part while rotating; a pressing roll that is disposed so as to face the heating roll, around which at least a part of the transported recording medium is wound, and presses the wound part of the recording medium toward the heating roll while rotating; a peeling part that peels the recording medium off from the pressing roll by lifting the front end of the recording medium up in a state where the front end of the recording medium has passed a portion where the pressing roll and the heating roll face each other and is no longer gripped by the gripping part; and a reducing part that reduces momentum of the peeling part lifting the front end of the recording medium up.

The present invention is characterized in that a control portion respectively sets a heating amount with respect to a region in which an image is formed and a heating amount with respect to a region in which an image is not formed in a single sheet of a recording material, and a difference between the heating amount with respect to the region in which an image is formed and the heating amount with respect to the region in which an image is not formed differs depending on a type of the recording material.

An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier; a transfer unit that transfers an image carried by the image carrier to a continuous medium; a fixing device including a first fixing member that contacts the continuous medium and heats the image transferred to the continuous medium and a second fixing member that is disposed so as to face the first fixing member with the continuous medium therebetween and presses the image, the fixing device fixing the image transferred to the continuous medium, the fixing device being configured so that the first fixing member and the second fixing member are capable of contacting or separating from each other; and a separation member that contacts the continuous medium and separates the continuous medium from the first fixing member when the first fixing member and the second fixing member separate from each other.

A sheet supplying apparatus includes an alignment member pivotable to an alignment location for blocking and aligning fore-ends of media contained on a loading table, and a transport-allowing location for allowing a medium picked up by a pickup member to be transported, a cam gear including a gear portion partially including a tooth-omitted portion, and a cam portion for switching the alignment member between the alignment location and the transport-allowing location at first and second rotating locations, a swing arm pivotable about a same axis as a rotation axis of a main gear, and first and second swing gears supported by the swing arm to interlock with the main gear, selectively interlocking with the gear portion according to a rotating direction of the main gear, and rotating the cam gear to the first and second rotating locations.

An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier; a transfer unit that transfers an image carried by the image carrier to a continuous medium; a fixing device that fixes the image transferred to the continuous medium; a determination unit that determines whether or not a tension is applied to the continuous medium; and a controller that drives the fixing device if a tension is applied to the continuous medium.

A fixing device includes: a fixing belt of an endless shape wound to pass over a heating-side member and a nip forming member; and a pressing roller driven to rotate in a state of being brought into tight contact with the nip forming member through the fixing belt, wherein a toner image is fixed to a recording medium at a nip portion at which the fixing belt and the pressing roller are brought into tight contact with each other by causing the pressing roller to be in tight contact with the fixing belt and driving the pressing roller to rotate, a guide member guiding the fixing belt to a space between the nip forming member and the heating-side member is disposed to be separate from the nip forming member, and a sliding member is disposed at least in a contact portion between the nip forming member and the fixing belt.

An image heating device includes a conveyance belt having a heat generation layer, and a first electrode portion, a second electrode portion and a third electrode portion that are in contact with the heat generation layer. The conveyance belt conveys a recording medium that includes an image. A first heat generation region formed on the conveyance belt between the first electrode portion and the second electrode portion generates heat to a first temperature that is equal to or greater than a deformation temperature at which a material forming the image is deformable. A second heat generation region formed between the second electrode portion and the third electrode portion generates heat to a second temperature that is different from the first temperature. The first heat generation region and the second heat generation region are located in a region of the conveyance belt to contact the recording medium.

A fixing device includes a heater, a heating rotator, a nip formation rotator, and an entry guide. The entry guide guides each of a first recording medium having a predetermined length or more and a second recording medium having a length less than the predetermined length to the fixing nip. The entry guide includes a first and second entry guide portion. The first entry guide portion guides the first recording medium toward a harder one of the heating rotator and the nip formation rotator and has an opening. The second entry guide portion guides the second recording passing through the opening to the fixing nip along a reference line connecting an entry and exit of the fixing nip or guides the second recording medium from an area including a softer one of the heating rotator and the nip formation rotator with respect to the reference line to the fixing nip.

An image forming apparatus includes a fixing belt, a steering roller, a pressure rotation member, and a control unit. The pressure rotation member forms a nip portion with the fixing belt to convey a recording material. In continuously performing fixing on recording materials, the control unit controls the steering roller such that a distance between a center position of the fixing belt when an operation to tilt the steering roller is performed for a first time after the center position is moved away from a center position of a moving range of the fixing belt and the center position of the moving range is smaller in a period after a last but one recording material before the pressure rotation member enters a separated state from the fixing belt passes through the nip portion than in a period before the recording material passes through the nip portion.

An image forming apparatus includes: a rotatable transfer cylinder with a first groove formed in an outer portion thereof in a rotational radial direction that causes an image to be transferred to a recording medium when it passes along an outer surface of the transfer cylinder; a rotatable fixing cylinder that has a second groove formed in an outer portion thereof in a rotational radial direction, that causes the image transferred to the recording medium to be fixed thereto when the recording medium passes along an outer surface of the fixing cylinder; a loop-shaped circulating member that is wrapped at least around the transfer and fixing cylinders, that circulates in response to rotations of the transfer and fixing cylinders; a recording medium holding member supported by the circulating member, disposed in the first groove when the holding member passes along the transfer cylinder and disposed in the second groove when the holding member passes along the fixing cylinder; first and second driving units that rotate the transfer and fixing cylinders respectively; and that is configured such that a ratio of a moment of inertia of the fixing cylinder to an output torque of the second driving unit is set to be greater than a ratio of a moment of inertia of the transfer cylinder to an output torque of the first driving unit.