An image forming apparatus includes: a transfer cylinder that is supported on an image forming apparatus body and rotates; a rotating member that is coaxial with the transfer cylinder and rotates integrally with the transfer cylinder; a circulating member that is provided with a holding part that holds a front end portion of a recording medium, is suspended around the rotating member, and transports the recording medium by circulating as the rotating member rotates; a transfer unit that is supported on the image forming apparatus body and has a transfer belt that transfers an image on a recording medium transported by the circulating member by sandwiching the recording medium together with the transfer cylinder at a nip position; a first image forming part that is supported on the image forming apparatus body and forms the image on the transfer belt; and a second image forming part that is supported on the image forming apparatus body at a position lower than the first image forming part and forms the image on the transfer belt. Mass of the second image forming part is larger than mass of the first image forming part.

An electrophotographic photosensitive member includes: a conductive support; a charge generation layer disposed on the conductive support, the charge generation layer including a charge generating material and a vinyl copolymer, the vinyl copolymer including a structural unit including a chlorine atom, a structural unit including an acyloxy group, and a structural unit including an aromatic polycarboxylic acid structure, a proportion of the structural unit including a chlorine atom to all the structural units being 80% by mass or more, a proportion of the structural unit including an aromatic polycarboxylic acid structure to all the structural units being 0.5% by mass or more; and a charge transport layer disposed on the charge generation layer, the charge transport layer including a charge transporting material and a binder resin.

An image forming apparatus includes first and second image forming portions provided with first and second image bearing member, respectively. A controller controls a first operation in which the image to be transferred to the recording material is formed only in the first image forming portion, a second operation in which the image to be transferred is formed in the first and second image forming portions, and a supplying operation in which a lubricant is attached to the second image bearing member and supplied to a contacting portion of the second image bearing member. In a case that stopping time exceeds a predetermined threshold when a start instruction of the first operation is input in a stopping state of the first and second image bearing members, the controller controls to execute the supplying operation during from a current start instruction of the first operation is input until a next start instruction of the first or second operation is input.

An apparatus and methods of decorating a metallic container are provided. More specifically, the present invention relates to apparatus and methods used to provide a decoration or indicia on a predetermined portion of an outer surface of a metallic container body. The decorator includes at least one digital print unit, a transfer blanket, and a support element. The digital print unit transfers a decorating material to the transfer blanket to form a decoration on the transfer blanket. The support element then moves a metallic container into contact with the transfer blanket. In this manner, the decorating material is transferred to an exterior surface portion of the metallic container to decorate the metallic container. In one embodiment, the digital print unit is an electrophotographic system which transfers a toner material to the transfer blanket. In another embodiment, the digital print unit includes an inkjet print head which transfers an ink to the transfer blanket. Optionally, the decorator may include two or more support elements.

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.

A processor causes a printing portion to execute, when first conveying processing is executed, test print processing for executing processing of forming a plurality of test toner images on a sheet under a print condition that differs for each of the plurality of test toner images. The processor acquires a plurality of first sensing densities when the first conveying processing is executed. The processor causes the printing portion to execute the test print processing when second conveying processing is executed. The processor acquires a plurality of second sensing densities when the second conveying processing is executed. The processor compares the plurality of first sensing densities and the plurality of second sensing densities to adjust the print condition in the print processing when the second conveying processing is executed.

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a transfer member, a moving portion, a driving portion, a voltage applying portion, a first detecting portion, and a second detecting portion. On the basis of a detection result of the first detecting portion when a first test voltage is applied to the transfer member by the voltage applying portion, the second detecting portion sets a second test voltage. The second detecting portion detects a position of the transfer member on the basis of a detection result of a current value by the first detecting portion acquired when the second test voltage is applied to the transfer member by the voltage applying portion.

An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of image bearing members, a transfer unit including an intermediate transfer belt, a plurality of transferring members which sandwich the intermediate transfer belt between the plurality of image bearing members and themselves, a biasing member which biases each of the plurality of transferring members toward the plurality of image bearing members via the intermediate transfer belt, and a frame which supports the intermediate transfer belt, the plurality of transferring members, and the biasing member, and an apparatus main body which supports the plurality of image bearing members and the transfer unit. The apparatus main body includes a supporting portion which supports the transfer unit and a biasing force receiving portion of which a position is between the plurality of transferring members in a moving direction of the surface of the intermediate transfer belt and which is capable of supporting the transfer unit.

An image forming apparatus includes: a toner image former that forms a toner image on an outer peripheral surface of a photosensitive rotating body and that transfers the toner image having been formed onto a transfer receiving object; a detector that detects a grayscale abnormality of the toner image on the photosensitive rotating body or the transfer receiving object; a cleaner that cleans the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive rotating body; and a hardware processor that causes the cleaner to clean when the detector detects the grayscale abnormality at a same position in a main scanning direction per circumferential length of the photosensitive rotating body in a sub-scanning direction.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device and circuitry. The image forming device forms an image on a recording medium, based on an image forming condition. The circuitry determines a position of the image formed on the recording medium by the image forming device, based on a detection signal of a pattern formed on the recording medium by the image forming device and reference position information of the pattern on the recording medium. The circuitry determines a reference position of the pattern differently depending on the image forming condition.