Ricoh Printing Systems, Ltd.

Tatsunari Sato

Shintaro Yamada

Akira Shimada

Nobuaki Fukasawa

Atsushi Onose

Satoshi Narita

An image forming apparatus includes detecting means for detecting a toner image formed on an image carrier, and transport means for transporting a sheet. The detecting means is disposed on an inner side in a width of the image carrier, and on an outer side of a contact region with the transport means and the sheet, in a direction perpendicular to a transporting direction of the sheet.

Image forming device having an image detector

An image forming apparatus is able to form steady test-pattern toner images for calibration of reflection density detection characteristics with ample toner. The operation consists of forming a test-pattern toner image for calibration of the reflection density detection characteristics, which is formed of a plurality of toner images of different colors aside from a reference test-pattern toner image for controlling image forming conditions, detecting the detection characteristics of a reflection density sensor from the result of detection of the quantity of toner attached to the test-pattern toner image for calibration of the reflection density detection characteristics, and calibrating the output characteristics of the reflection density sensor.

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Ibaraki, Japan

Tatsunari Sato