Image forming apparatus and method of setting printing condition in the same
View Patent ↗Using an operation panel a user selects group to which a recording medium to be subjected to image formation belongs out of plural groups of recording media classified according to grammages, a classification processing unit sub-classifies the group selected, to which the recording medium belongs, into plural sub-groups of recording media according to a detecting result of the media sensor provided further upstream in a conveying direction of a recording medium than a fixing unit, and a control unit sets, for the recording medium belonging to the group selected, the temperature of the fixing unit to a fixing temperature in a fixing temperature range and controls this fixing temperature according to any one of the sub-groups sub-classified. Consequently, it is possible to perform fixing processing at an optimum temperature according to a type of a recording medium.
1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an operation panel configured to receive a selection from plural groups of recording medium classified according to grammage;
a media sensor configured to detect thickness of a recording medium;
a classification processing unit configured to select a sub-group in the group according to the thickness detected by the media sensor;
a fixing unit configured to fix a toner image on the recording medium detected by the media sensor; and
a control unit configured to set a standby temperature of the fixing unit at an intermediate temperature between a fixing upper limit temperature for a thinnest recording medium in the group and a fixing upper limit temperature for a thickest recording medium in the group after the operation panel receives the selection and before the media sensor detects the thickness.
2. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit configured to set a standby temperature of the fixing unit at a first fixing upper limit temperature for thinnest recording media that are set in plural paper feeding stages and belong to a thinnest side sub-group, and set a standby temperature at a second fixing upper limit temperature for thickest recording media that are set in the paper feeding stages and belong to a thickest side sub-group after the operation panel receives the selection and before the media sensor detects the thickness.
3. An image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a temperature determining unit configured to determine a fixing temperature according to the thickness detected by the media sensor and formula data that relates the thickness and the fixing temperature.
4. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a temperature determining unit configured to determine a fixing temperature according to the thickness detected by the media sensor and formula data that relates the thickness and the fixing temperature.
5. An image forming apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the control unit stops conveyance of the recording medium of which a type of the group determined by the thickness is different from a type of the selected sub-group, causes an image forming unit to form an image matched to the determined group again, resumes the conveyance.
6. An image forming apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the control unit discharges the recording medium of which a type of the group determined by the thickness is different from a type of the selected sub-group.
7. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a temperature determining unit configured to determine a fixing temperature according to the thickness detected by the media sensor and formula data that relates the thickness and the fixing temperature.
8. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit stops conveyance of the recording medium of which a type of the group determined by the thickness is different from a type of the selected sub-group, causes an image forming unit to form an image matched to the determined group again, resumes the conveyance.
9. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit discharges the recording medium of which a type of the group determined by the thickness is different from a type of the selected sub-group.
10. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an operation panel configured to receive a selection from plural groups of recording medium classified according to grammage;
a media sensor configured to detect thickness of a recording medium;
a classification processing unit configured to select a sub-group in the group according to the thickness detected by the media sensor;
a fixing unit configured to fix a toner image on the recording medium detected by the media sensor; and
a control unit configured to set a standby temperature of the fixing unit at a fixing upper limit temperature for a thinnest recording medium in the group after the operation panel receives the selection and before the media sensor detects the thickness.