A lubrication mechanism applies a lubricant to an image carrier of an image forming device. The lubrication mechanism includes a solidified lubricant rod, an application brush, a lubricant pressing part, and a controller. The application brush scrapes the lubricant from the lubricant rod and supplies the lubricant to the image carrier. The lubricant pressing part presses the lubricant rod against the application brush. The controller controls rotational drive of the application brush. The controller executes a detection mode of controlling a rotation speed of the application brush and detecting a value of a drive load of the application brush which corresponds to the rotation speed. The controller estimates a remaining amount of the lubricant rod based on the value of the drive load of the application brush and/or the rotation speed of the application brush at a time of detection.

An image forming apparatus includes a process unit that includes a photosensitive drum, a charger, and a developing device, a print head, a first sub-scanning color shift correction circuit, a sub-scanning resolution conversion circuit, and a second sub-scanning color shift correction circuit. The first sub-scanning color shift correction circuit reads image data from a page memory and corrects the read image data in a first line period based on a first color shift parameter set in advance. The sub-scanning resolution conversion circuit converts the image data corrected by the first sub-scanning color shift correction circuit into image data of a second line period. The second sub-scanning color shift correction circuit corrects the image data converted by the sub-scanning resolution conversion circuit in the second line period based on a second color shift parameter set in advance and outputs the corrected image data to the print head.

A method for enhancing resolution of a radiation sensitive microcapsule-based printer includes generating multiple subpixels in a sub-scan direction. The method further includes mapping multiple grids onto a photosensitive medium, the multiple grids corresponding to the multiple subpixels. The method further includes determining an exposure energy required for each grid of the multiple grids. The method further includes allocating the exposure energy required for each grid into a first exposure level and a second exposure level. The method further includes exposing each grid of the photosensitive medium to the corresponding first exposure level and the corresponding second exposure level sequentially as the photosensitive medium passes through the radiation sensitive microcapsule-based printer in the sub-scan direction.

A method for enhancing resolution of a radiation sensitive microcapsule-based printer includes generating multiple subpixels in a sub-scan direction. The method further includes mapping multiple grids onto a photosensitive medium, the multiple grids corresponding to the multiple subpixels. The method further includes determining an exposure energy required for each grid of the multiple grids. The method further includes allocating the exposure energy required for each grid into a first exposure level and a second exposure level. The method further includes exposing each grid of the photosensitive medium to the corresponding first exposure level and the corresponding second exposure level sequentially as the photosensitive medium passes through the radiation sensitive microcapsule-based printer in the sub-scan direction.