A method for producing a printed material includes providing pressure-induced phase transition particles on a recording medium having an arithmetic average roughness Ra of 0.07 μm or more and 3.80 μm or less to form a pressure-induced phase transition particle layer having a coverage C within a range of 30% to 90%; bonding the pressure-induced phase transition particles onto the recording medium; and folding the recording medium having the pressure-induced phase transition particles bonded thereon and pressure-bonding the folded recording medium, or pressure-bonding the recording medium having the pressure-induced phase transition particles bonded thereon and another recording medium placed on top of each other. The pressure-induced phase transition particles have at least two glass transition temperatures, and the difference between the lowest glass transition temperature and the highest glass transition temperature among the glass transition temperatures exhibited by the pressure-induced phase transition particles is 30° C. or more.

An image forming apparatus includes a sheet separation device, a first sheet feeder, a second sheet feeder, an image forming device, and circuitry. The sheet separation device is configured to separate a non-bonding portion of a two-ply sheet in which two sheets are overlapped and bonded together at a bonding portion of the two-ply sheet. The first sheet feeder is configured to feed the two-ply sheet. The second sheet feeder is configured to feed an inner sheet to be inserted between the two sheets. The image forming device is configured to form an image on a surface of the inner sheet. The circuitry is configured to cause the first sheet feeder to feed the two-ply sheet, perform a sheet separating operation on the two-ply sheet and cause the second sheet feeder to start feeding the inner sheet before completion of the sheet separating operation on the two-ply sheet.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet based on a mode selected from a plurality of modes having different image forming speeds; a memory configured to store first data for a first mode included in the plurality of modes, the first data indicating a correspondence for the first mode between a type of the sheet and the image forming speed, and second data for a second mode included in the plurality of modes, the second data indicating a correspondence for the second mode between a type of the sheet and the image forming speed; a display; and a controller configured to: determine a first image forming speed for the first mode from the first data based on the type of the sheet; and determine a second image forming speed for the second mode from the second data.

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.

A fixing device includes: a non-contact heating unit configured to heat a recording medium in a non-contact manner; and a contact heating unit configured to press and heat the recording medium on a downstream side of the non-contact heating unit in a conveyance direction of the recording medium, in which the non-contact heating unit controls an amount of heat applied to the recording medium according to information on whether the recording medium is black or not, and a thickness of the recording medium, and the contact heating unit controls the pressure applied to the recording medium according to the thickness regardless of whether the recording medium is black or not.

An image forming apparatus includes a fixing device and a drive transmission mechanism. The fixing device fixes an image on a sheet by application of heat and pressure. The drive transmission mechanism changes a conveying speed of the sheet in the fixing device between an image forming mode and a lamination mode. The conveying speed of the sheet in the fixing device in the lamination mode is lower than the conveying speed of the sheet in the fixing device in the image forming mode.

An image forming method for forming an image on a base material by using powder includes: attaching a protective material to a surface of the base material on which the image is to be formed; forming an attachment layer on at least one of the base material and the protective material attached to the base material; attaching the powder to the attachment layer after attaching the protective material; and removing excess powder attached to the protective material from the protective material without attaching to the attachment layer.

A cartridge is attachable to and detachable from a housing main body of a foil transfer device that disposes a multilayer film including a plurality of layers on a sheet and transfers at least one layer of the multilayer film onto the sheet. The cartridge includes a feed reel around which the multilayer film is rolled and that is configured to rotate about a first axis extending in an axial direction of the feed reel, a reel gear that is located at an end portion of the feed reel in the axial direction and that is configured to rotate together with the feed reel, an output gear that transmits a rotational force applied to the feed reel to outside of the cartridge, and an intermediate gear that reduces rotation speed of the reel gear and transmits the rotation of the reel gear to the output gear.

In an image forming apparatus, a detecting unit is configured to detect a characteristic value indicating a characteristic of a recording material fed from a sheet feeding unit. A determination unit is configured to determine a type of the recording material, based on the detected characteristic value and a determination rule for determining a type of a recording material. A control unit is configured to control an image forming condition for performing image formation onto the recording material in accordance with the determined type of the recording material. A collection unit is configured to collect an operation history of the image forming apparatus. An adjustment unit is configured to adjust the determination rule used by the determination unit based on the collected operation history.

A digital printing system (10) includes a flexible substrate (44), an optical assembly (200, 301) and a processor (20). The flexible substrate (44) has a periodic pattern, and is configured to be moved and to receive ink droplets in a printing process that forms an image thereon. The optical assembly (200, 301) is configured to illuminate the flexible substrate (44) with light (215, 315), to detect the light (215, 315) from the flexible substrate (44), and to derive from the detected light (215, 315) a signal indicative of the periodic pattern. The processor (20) is configured to receive the signal and to monitor or control the digital printing system (10) based on the periodic pattern as indicated by the signal.