An image heating apparatus has a heater to heat an image formed on a recording material. The heater has a plurality of heat generating elements. A control portion controls electrical power supplied to the plurality of heat generating elements. The 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 the recording material. The control portion is further configured to at least set the heating amount with respect to the region in which the image is not formed when the recording material is heavy paper to become less than the heating amount with respect to the region in which the image is not formed when the recording material is plain paper.

In one example in accordance with the present disclosure, a method for determining media weight is described. According to the method, an energy used by a fusing system over a time interval is calculated and a number of pages processed by the fusing system during that time interval is determined. A fusing energy per processed page is then determined based on the energy used by the fusing system and the number of pages processed by the fusing system during the time interval. A media weight is then determined based on the fusing energy per processed page.

A fixing device includes a rotating unit, a heating unit configured to heat the rotating unit, and a pressure member configured to nip a recording material between the rotating unit and the pressure member and to convey the recording material. A control portion is configured to change the rotating unit from a rotating state to a halt state. A setting portion is configured to set a heating temperature of the heating unit in the rotating state according to information of a basis weight of the recording material. In addition, a determining portion is configured to determine whether or not a heating operation of the heating unit in the halt state is to be performed according to the information of the basis weight of the recording material.

A control unit of the invention compares printing setting suitable for a determined type of a recording material and printing setting of the recording material input by a user, and in a case where a difference between the printing setting suitable for the determined type of the recording material and the printing setting of the recording material input by the user falls in a predetermined range, the control unit performs a printing operation in accordance with the printing setting of the recording material input by the user, and in a case where the difference is greater than the predetermined range, the control unit performs the printing operation by changing the printing setting of the recording material input by the user, which is used when the difference is smaller than the predetermined range.

A fixing apparatus includes a plurality of heat generating elements for heating a developer image formed on a recording medium corresponding to a plurality of heating regions. A first target temperature of the heat generating elements is set based on a developer amount per unit area of the developer image in each of the heating regions, and the temperature of the heat generating elements is controlled to the first target temperature. If a difference between the first target temperatures for two adjacent heating regions is outside of a predetermined range, the first target temperature for one of the two adjacent heating regions is corrected to a second target temperature, which is greater than the first target temperature, so that the difference between the first target temperatures for the two adjacent heating regions is within the predetermined range.

A printing apparatus includes a tray on which a first medium, a decoration to decorate the first medium, and a second medium placed on the first medium and the second decoration are placed, a heating section, an image forming device and a processor, the first medium or the second medium containing an adhesive. A toner image is formed on at least one of the first medium or the second medium. The processor is configured to heat the heating section to a first temperature to bond to each other the first medium, the decoration and the second medium in such a manner that the decoration is sandwiched between the first medium and the second medium, and to heat the heating section to a second temperature lower than the first temperature to fix the toner image on at least one of the first medium or the second medium bonded to each other.

An image forming apparatus that forms a toner image on a recording medium includes an image forming unit that forms an unfixed toner image on a recording medium; a fixing unit that heats the recording medium bearing the unfixed toner image and fixes the unfixed toner image onto the recording medium at a nip portion; a heating member and a pressurizing member that touches the heating member and forms the nip portion therebetween; a first blower that blows air to a non-sheet-passing area of a small-size recording medium in the heating member; and a second blower that blows air to a non-sheet-passing area of a small-size recording medium in the pressurizing member. Upon the temperature of the non-sheet-passing area of the heating member exceeding a threshold temperature, the first blower blows without the second blower blowing, then the two blowers start blowing together.

A fusing device includes a driving roller and a fusing unit including a heat insulating component, a heat generating component, a heat conducting component connected to the heat insulating component, a heat reflecting component, a metal reinforcing component and a fusing component. The heat generating component and the heat reflecting component are located inside the heat insulating component. The metal reinforcing component is located outside the heat insulating component and separated from the heat conducting component. The fusing component movably surrounds the heat conducting component, the heat insulating component and the metal reinforcing component. The heat reflecting component reflects heat generated from the heat generating component to the heat conducting component. The heat conducting component conducts the heat to the fusing component. The fusing component contacts with a printing media to fuse toners onto the printing media by heating when the driving roller drives the printing media to move.

An air blowing cooling mechanism includes a duct, a fan, a first shutter member, a second shutter member, a first drive transmitting portion for transmitting a driving force to the second shutter member, and a second drive transmitting portion for transmitting the driving force from the second shutter member to the first shutter member. The second shutter member is supported by the duct so as to be slidable relative to the duct. The first shutter member is supported by the second shutter member so as to be slidable relative to the second shutter member. The second shutter member includes a slidable portion slidable relative to the first shutter member when said first shutter member slides.

According to one embodiment, a fixing device includes an endless rotating body; a plurality of heat-generating members that heats a medium, each heat-generating member being inclined from the transporting direction to a direction of a predetermined angle, and divided by a predetermined length, the plurality of heat-generating members being disposed on an inner side of the endless rotating body; a plurality of driving circuits, each of the plurality of driving circuits being connected to a corresponding heat-generating member of the plurality of heat-generating members, each of the plurality of driving circuits configured to control individual conduction thereof, each of the plurality of heat-generating members configured to selectively generate a discrete amount of heat corresponding to a position through which the medium passes; and a pressing roller that forms a nip with the plurality of heat-generating members, and configured to nip the medium therebetween and carry the medium in the transporting direction.