Image forming apparatus and image forming system
An image forming apparatus includes: a color toner supply unit configured to supply, to a recording medium, color toner for forming a toner image on the recording medium; a transparent toner supply unit configured to supply, to the recording medium, transparent toner having no releasability from a surface member bonded to a surface of the recording medium on which the toner image is formed; and a control unit configured to control the transparent toner supply unit to supply the transparent toner to cover the color toner supplied from the color toner supply unit to the recording medium.
1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a color toner supply unit configured to supply, to a recording medium, color toner for forming a toner image on the recording medium;
a transparent toner supply unit configured to supply, to the recording medium, transparent toner having no releasability from a surface member bonded to a surface of the recording medium on which the toner image is formed; and
a control unit configured to control the transparent toner supply unit to supply the transparent toner to cover the color toner supplied from the color toner supply unit to the recording medium; and
a bonding device configured to bond the surface member to the recording medium on which the toner image is formed.
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit controls the transparent toner supply unit to supply the transparent toner only to a portion to which the color toner is supplied.
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit controls an amount of the transparent toner to be supplied to have a uniform thickness of the color toner and the transparent toner at positions in an area of the toner image to which the transparent toner is supplied.
4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit controls the transparent toner supply unit to have the same thickness of the transparent toner at positions in an area of the toner image to which the transparent toner is supplied.
5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising
an image carrier to which the color toner and the transparent toner are supplied from the color toner supply unit and the transparent toner supply unit,
wherein the control unit controls the color toner supply unit to form a patch image on the image carrier, and controls the transparent toner supply unit not to supply the transparent toner to the image carrier upon forming the patch image on the image carrier.
6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
an area of the toner image is formed in a portion to be cut out on the recording medium, and
the control unit controls the transparent toner supply unit to supply the transparent toner only to an end portion of the portion to be cut out.
7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein
a portion to which the transparent toner is supplied, at the end portion of the portion to be cut out of the recording medium is a portion within a predetermined range on the inside of an edge of the portion to be cut out of the recording medium.
8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein
a portion to which the transparent toner is supplied, at the end portion of the portion to be cut out of the recording medium is a portion within a predetermined range on the outside of an edge of the portion to be cut out of the recording medium.
9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein
the transparent toner supplied to the end portion of the portion to be cut out of the recording medium is supplied after being reduced in amount at a predetermined rate.
10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising
a cutting device configured to cut out the recording medium on which the surface member is bonded by the bonding device, into a predetermined size.