An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit configured to form a toner image on a recording material, a fixing unit configured to fix the toner image formed on the recording material by the image forming unit to the recording material, and a controller configured to cause the image forming unit to form an image on a basis of image information, the controller being configured to cause the image forming unit to form the image in which a first toner image and a second toner image is superimposed on each other on the recording material, the first toner image being a toner image corresponding to the image information, the second toner image being constituted by a pattern having anisotropy such that glossiness of the image changes depending on a direction in which the image is viewed.

An imaging system includes: a conveyor belt that conveys a medium having a toner image fixed thereto, along a conveying route; a heating element to heat the conveyor belt; and a pressing roller to press the conveyor belt against the heating element. The heating element may have a planar surface adjacent to an inner peripheral surface of the conveyor belt.

An image forming apparatus including a print engine, a gloss treatment device, a medium conveying device, and a processor. The print engine is to form an image on a print medium. The gloss treatment device is to perform a gloss treatment on the print medium on which an image is formed. The medium conveying device to provide the print medium to the print engine and selectively provide the print medium on which an image is formed to the gloss treatment device. The processor is to control the print engine to form an image based on print data and control the medium conveying device to selectively provide the print medium to the gloss treatment device depending on whether a gloss treatment option is set in the print data.

A glossiness detector includes a glossiness sensor, a glossiness corrector, and a reference plate. The glossiness corrector corrects glossiness detected by the glossiness sensor. The reference plate is used for correction processing of the glossiness sensor. Then, the glossiness corrector acquires a glossy reflection profile of the reference plate that has been detected in advance. The glossiness corrector corrects the glossiness according to the reference plate on the basis of the glossy reflection profile and a gloss distribution of the reference plate that has been detected by the glossiness sensor.

A glossiness inspection device includes an illumination device that emits irradiation light to a glossiness detection target and a light receiving device that receives reflected light of the irradiation light reflected by the glossiness detection target and outputs a light reception detection signal according to an amount of the received light. A dimmer of the device adjusts an amount of the irradiation light, and a detection signal adjuster of the device adjusts a gain for amplifying the light reception detection signal. An irradiation position controller of the device selectively irradiates a first gloss region and a second gloss region of a correction plate with the irradiation light. A hardware processor of the device adjusts at least one of the amount of the irradiation light, an offset of the detection signal adjuster, a characteristic straight line for calculating a glossiness, or a calculated glossiness.

Print glossing is described. Print glossing can be performed on a glossing drum having a location affixed to a circumferential outer surface thereof, where the location transits from a first position in an apparatus having a first temperature range selected to enable reflow of ink applied to a substrate that is placed at the location to a second position in the apparatus having a second temperature range selected for clean release from the location of the ink applied to the substrate.

An imaging system with a gloss treatment device includes an endless belt, a heating portion and a pressing portion. The endless belt conveys a medium along a conveyance direction. The heating portion heats the endless belt. The pressing portion presses the endless belt against the heating portion. A nip is formed in a region where the endless belt contacts both of the pressing portion and the heating portion. The nip includes an upstream end and a downstream end in the conveyance direction, and a reference line intersects the upstream end and the downstream end of the nip. The endless belt includes a conveyance portion that is inclined toward the heating portion, in relation to the reference line associated with the nip.

A sheet laminator includes a sheet separation device, a sheet insertion device, and circuitry. The sheet separation device is configured to perform a sheet separating operation 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, and a sheet inserting operation to insert an inner sheet between the two sheets. The sheet lamination device is configured to perform a sheet laminating operation on the two-ply sheet after the sheet separating operation and the sheet inserting operation. The circuitry is configured to cause the sheet lamination device to perform the sheet laminating operation on the two-ply sheet while causing the sheet separation device to perform the sheet separating operation on another two-ply sheet subsequent to the two-ply sheet or the sheet separating operation and the sheet inserting operation on said another two-ply sheet.

An imaging system includes an endless belt to convey a medium, a heating member to heat the endless belt, a pressure member to press the endless belt against the heating member, and a cooling device. The cooling device is in contact with the endless belt at a non-linear portion of the endless belt and includes an interior space.

A glossiness inspection device includes: an illumination device that emits irradiation light; a light receiving device that receives reflected light of the irradiation light reflected by a glossiness detection target and outputs a light reception detection signal according to an amount of the received light; a correction plate that includes at least a first gloss region and a second gloss region; a dimmer that adjusts an amount of the irradiation light; a detection signal adjuster that adjusts a gain for amplifying the light reception detection signal; an irradiation position controller that selectively irradiates the first gloss region and the second gloss region with the irradiation light; and a hardware processor that adjusts at least one of the amount of the irradiation light, an offset of the detection signal adjuster, a characteristic straight line for calculating a glossiness, or a calculated glossiness.