An image forming apparatus includes a feeding member, a conveying member, and a detecting unit. The feeding member feeds a recording material stacked on a stacking unit. The conveying member convey the fed recording material. The detecting unit detect the conveyed recording material. Where the recording material is a first type, the feeding member feeds the stacked recording material at a first speed, and the conveying member changes the first speed to a second speed that is faster than the first speed before the detecting unit detects the recording material. Where the recording material is a second type that is different from the first type, the feeding member feeds the stacked recording material a third speed that is different from the first speed, and the conveying member changes the third speed to a fourth speed that is different from the third speed after the detecting unit detects the recording material.

An image-forming apparatus includes: a main body; a toner cartridge having a first opening; a process cartridge having a photosensitive drum and a second opening; a positioning part; a transfer unit; and an urging member. The toner cartridge and process cartridge are attachable to and detachable from the main body in an axial direction of the photosensitive drum. The positioning part and transfer unit are positioned above the process cartridge attached to the main body. The positioning part fixes the attached process cartridge in position relative to the main body. The urging member urges the attached process cartridge toward the positioning part and urges the process cartridge such that the toner can be supplied from the toner cartridge to the process cartridge through the first opening and the second opening when the toner cartridge and the process cartridge are attached to the main body.

An image forming apparatus includes image forming stations including respective electrophotographic photosensitive drums; an image transfer belt contactable to the drums; image transfer rollers, contactable to the transfer belt to urge the belt to the drums for transferring the toner images from the drums onto the belt, the rollers being provided with respective rotational shafts about an axis of which the rollers are rotatable; and a slidable member slidable in a direction in which the stations are arranged to retract the rollers away from the corresponding drums, the slidable member being provided with inclined surfaces contactable to the shafts, the inclined surfaces being disposed at such positions that the rollers are retracted from respective drums sequentially with the movement of the slidable member in the direction.

According to one embodiment, a fixing device includes determination means for determining a size of an image forming area of a medium, heating means for including an endless rotating body, plural heat-generating members which are formed in a perpendicular direction to a transport direction and divided by a predetermined length, and are disposed so as to come into contact with an inner side of the rotating body, and a switching unit which switches individual conduction of these heat-generating members, and heats the medium, pressing means for forming a nip by performing pressing and contact at a position of the plural heat-generating members, and nipping and carrying the medium in the transport direction along with the heating means, and heating control means for controlling the switching unit to select and conduct heat-generating members and controlling the heating means to heat the medium.

A heater includes an insulating substrate, a heat generating section formed in the insulating substrate and including a plurality of divided regions in a longitudinal direction, temperature sensors detecting temperature of the heat generating section and a wiring pattern for power feed to the temperature sensors, each formed in a layer different from a layer in which the heat generating section is formed in the insulating substrate. The heat generating section, the temperature sensors, and the wiring pattern are layer stacked.

A cartridge includes a casing and a photosensitive drum rotatably supported by the casing. A coupling member is operatively connected to the photosensitive drum, with the coupling member being rotatable about a rotational axis thereof. The coupling member includes (i) a cylindrical portion, (ii) a first projection at least partially positioned inside of the cylindrical portion, (iii) a second projection at least partially positioned inside of the cylindrical portion, and (iv) an aligner at least partially positioned inside of the cylindrical portion, the aligner including a surface that faces the rotational axis. A distance between at least one of the first and second projections and the aligner is changeable.

A cartridge includes a casing and a photosensitive drum rotatably supported by the casing, with the photosensitive drum having a first end and a second end. A coupling member is provided adjacent to the first end of the photosensitive drum, with the coupling member being operatively connected to the photosensitive drum. The coupling member includes (i) a cylindrical portion, (ii) a first projection at least partially positioned inside of the cylindrical portion, (iii) a second projection at least partially positioned inside of the cylindrical portion, (iv) an elastically movable projection at least partially positioned inside of the cylindrical portion, and (v) a wall extending in a direction perpendicular to the rotational axis and positioned between the second end of the photosensitive drum and the first and second projections.

A belt rotating device includes: a meandering correction roller that is rotatably supported within a support frame and is one of a plurality of rollers that stretch an endless belt; a supporting portion that is provided at the support frame and supports a rotating shaft of the meandering correction roller so as to be able to incline the rotating shaft of the meandering correction roller in a one direction; a collar member that is provided on the rotating shaft of the meandering correction roller, contacts the side end of the endless belt in which meandering has occurred, and moves in an axial direction; and an inclination guide portion that is supported by the support frame and has an inclined surface downward and inclined with respect to the shaft of the meandering correction roller, in a position in which the contact portion of the collar member contacts the inclination guide portion.

A method for demanding a more flexible printing processing by an image forming apparatus which comprises a first storage section and a second storage section involves deciding whether to print the image information contained in the file; determining whether or not an image indicated by the emphasis information stored in the second storage section is contained in the image information contained in the file if the decision is carried out; creating a print command to print the image indicated by the emphasis information with a decolorable recording material in a case in which it is determined that the image indicated by the emphasis information is contained in the image information contained in the file; and sending the created print command through the communication section.

A cartridge includes a rotatable member configured to carry toner on a surface and a coupling member operatively connected to the rotatable member. The coupling member is rotatable about a rotational axis thereof, and the coupling member includes an extended portion that is movable in a direction perpendicular to the rotational axis, and a projection projecting from the extended portion, with the extended portion extending in a direction crossing a projecting direction of the projection. The extended portion extends downstream in a rotational direction of the coupling member toward the projection.