A heating device includes a heater, a rotator, and a pressure rotator. The heater includes resistive heat generators forming a heat generation area and has a separation area formed by the resistive heat generators. The pressure rotator includes a first region and a second region. The first region faces the heater in a range of 20 mm from a center position of the heat generation area toward an end thereof in the arrangement direction. The second region faces the heater in at least a part of a range of 30 mm from a center position of the separation area toward the center position of the heat generation area. An outer diameter of the pressure rotator increases from the center toward the end. The outer diameter of the second region increases at an increasing rate larger than an increasing rate of the outer diameter of the first region.

A fixing apparatus a tubular film, a nip forming member that contacts an inner surface of the film, and a roller that forms a nip portion together with the nip forming member via the film. The nip portion is an area where the film and the roller are in contact with each other and where a recording material is conveyed. The nip forming member has a protruding portion, protruding toward the roller and extending in a generatrix direction, that is provided on at least one of an upstream side and a downstream side in the nip in a conveying direction of the recording material. In the conveying direction of the recording material, an end portion of the protruding portion in the generatrix direction is arranged at a location different from a central portion of the protruding portion in the generatrix direction.

A heating device includes: a rotating body; a heating body as defined herein; and a contact mechanism, in a non-existence state where a material to be heated does not exist between the rotating body and the heating body after the material to be heated passes between the rotating body and the heating body, configured to cause the rotating body to be in contact with the heating body at a central portion of the rotating body in a rotation axis direction of the rotating body, so that an area of the rotating body in contact with the heating body is smaller at each of both end portions of the rotating body than at the central portion of the rotating body in the rotation axis direction, or configured to switch the rotating body between a first contact state and a second contact state as defined herein.

An optical scanning device includes a light transmitting member, a guide rail, a holding member, and a cleaning member. The light transmitting member extends in a main scanning direction and transmits a light beam. The guide rail extends in the main scanning direction and is arranged parallel to the light transmitting member. The holding member extends in a cross direction intersecting the main scanning direction and moves in the main scanning direction along the guide rail. The cleaning member is held by the holding member and cleans a light emitting surface of the light transmitting member by means of movement of the holding member in the main scanning direction.

A heating device includes: a rotating body; a heating body as defined herein; and a contact mechanism, in a non-existence state where a material to be heated does not exist between the rotating body and the heating body after the material to be heated passes between the rotating body and the heating body, configured to cause the rotating body to be in contact with the heating body at a central portion of the rotating body in a rotation axis direction of the rotating body, so that an area of the rotating body in contact with the heating body is smaller at each of both end portions of the rotating body than at the central portion of the rotating body in the rotation axis direction, or configured to switch the rotating body between a first contact state and a second contact state as defined herein.

An optical scanning device includes a light transmitting member, a guide rail, a holding member, and a cleaning member. The light transmitting member extends in a main scanning direction and transmits a light beam. The guide rail extends in the main scanning direction and is arranged parallel to the light transmitting member. The holding member extends in a cross direction intersecting the main scanning direction and moves in the main scanning direction along the guide rail. The cleaning member is held by the holding member and cleans a light emitting surface of the light transmitting member by means of movement of the holding member in the main scanning direction.

A fuser includes a pressure pad forming a nip with a fuser belt between the pad and a fuser rotator. A pressure face in contact with the belt has profiles in planes normal to the axis of the rotator. The profiles each include a reference section, the first to come into contact with the rotator with the belt in between when the pad forms the nip, and a boundary section at a threshold distance from the reference section in the width direction of the nip. When the pad is apart from the nip due to removal of a force applied by a pusher unit, the boundary section is, relative to the reference section, more largely displaced in the opposite direction to that of the rotator in one of the profiles located at a larger distance from a center portion of the pad in the axial direction of the rotator.

A fixing device includes a first pressing member, a fixing belt, a second pressing member, a tensioning section on which the fixing belt is wound on an upstream side relative to the fixing nip in a rotation direction of the fixing belt and which is configured to impart tension to the fixing belt, and a control section configured to control the tensioning section such that the shape in an axial direction of the fixing belt is changed in accordance with a type of sheet which passes through the fixing nip.

A fuser includes a pressure pad forming a nip with a fuser belt between the pad and a fuser rotator. A pressure face in contact with the belt has profiles in planes normal to the axis of the rotator. The profiles each include a reference section, the first to come into contact with the rotator with the belt in between when the pad forms the nip, and a boundary section at a threshold distance from the reference section in the width direction of the nip. When the pad is apart from the nip due to removal of a force applied by a pusher unit, the boundary section is, relative to the reference section, more largely displaced in the opposite direction to that of the rotator in one of the profiles located at a larger distance from a center portion of the pad in the axial direction of the rotator.

A semiconductive roller is provided, which includes a tubular main body having a multiplicity of concavities (2) provided in an outer peripheral surface (1) thereof in at least one of circumferentially overlapping relation and axially overlapping relation. The concavities are each gently concave toward a center thereof from an outer periphery thereof. A semiconductive roller production method is also provided, which includes the step of forming the concavities by a laser processing method.