Image forming system

Abstract

To provide an image forming system which prevents the appearance of a booklet from being impaired even if the forming position of an adhesive toner image is shifted for each recording material.SOLUTION: An adhesive toner image is formed so that at least one of the area of the adhesive toner image for bonding the front cover and the intermediate paper and the area of the adhesive toner image for bonding the back cover and the intermediate paper is larger than the area of the adhesive toner image for bonding the intermediate papers together when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the recording material, and a booklet is produced so that the adhesive toner image for bonding the front cover and the intermediate paper, the adhesive toner image for bonding the back cover and the intermediate paper, and the adhesive toner image for bonding the intermediate papers together overlap when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the recording material.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming system having a booklet producing device that produces a booklet by bonding a plurality of recording materials together by heating and pressurizing an adhesive toner formed on the recording materials. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, an apparatus and system such as that described in Patent Document 1 have been proposed as a booklet production apparatus and image forming system that uses an electrophotographic process to form an adhesive toner image on a recording material and adheres the recording materials together to produce a booklet. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-111025 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in an image forming apparatus equipped with a booklet producing device as described in Patent Document 1, there is a risk that the appearance and quality of the booklet may deteriorate for the following reasons.

[0005] For example, when a user sets recording materials in a paper feed cassette, depending on the amount of force applied by the user, the recording materials may not be properly regulated in the width direction, and may be fed and conveyed with each recording material misaligned in the width direction. Also, the alignment of recording materials when they are adhered may be misaligned due to various factors. If such a situation occurs, there is a risk that a booklet will be produced with the adhesive toner image formed at a misaligned position for each recording material.

[0006] When booklets are produced with the adhesive toner image formed at a misaligned position for each recording material, there is a problem in that when the produced booklet is observed from the front or back cover, the adhesive toner image that bonds the papers on the inside of the booklet together can be seen through the outside of the adhesive toner image that bonds the front or back cover, which may degrade the appearance and quality of the booklet.

[0007] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to prevent the appearance and quality of a booklet from being impaired even when the forming position of an adhesive toner image is shifted for each recording material. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an image forming system having an image forming device that forms an adhesive toner image on a recording material, and a booklet producing device that has a thermocompression unit that heats and pressurizes an adhesive toner image portion while multiple recording materials on which an adhesive toner image has been formed are stacked in order to adhere multiple recording materials to each other, and that produces a booklet formed from a recording material that will become a front cover, a recording material that will become a back cover, and two or more recording materials that will become intermediate sheets sandwiched between the front cover and back cover, the adhesive toner image is formed so that, when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the recording material, at least one of the area of ​​the adhesive toner image that adheres the front cover and the intermediate sheets or the area of ​​the adhesive toner image that adheres the back cover and the intermediate sheets is larger than the area of ​​the adhesive toner image that adheres the intermediate sheets to each other, and the booklet is produced so that, when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the recording material, the adhesive toner image that adheres the front cover and the intermediate sheets, the adhesive toner image that adheres the back cover and the intermediate sheets, and the adhesive toner image that adheres the intermediate sheets to each other overlap. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, even if the forming position of the adhesive toner image is shifted for each recording material, it is possible to prevent the appearance and quality of the booklet from being impaired. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1]1 is a cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus and a booklet producing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a position where an adhesive toner image is formed on a recording material in the first embodiment; [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a method for aligning recording materials in the booklet production apparatus according to the first embodiment; [Figure 4] Cross-sectional view of a thermocompression bonding unit installed in the booklet production device of Example 1. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a pattern of an adhesive toner image in a long-side fastened booklet of a comparative example. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 shows a pattern of an adhesive toner image according to a first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a pattern of an adhesive toner image in a corner-fastened booklet of a comparative example. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a pattern of an adhesive toner image according to a second embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a modified example of an adhesive toner image according to the second embodiment; [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a pattern of an adhesive toner image according to a third embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 11] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a modified example of the image forming apparatus and the booklet producing apparatus of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Example 1 A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiment, and other configurations may be substituted within the scope of the concept of the present invention. The image forming apparatus and booklet production apparatus of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section of an image forming apparatus 1 and booklet production apparatus 300 according to the first embodiment. The image forming apparatus 1 and booklet production apparatus 300 are combined to form an image forming system 100. Note that the image forming system 100 may include a form in which part or all of the booklet production function is incorporated into the image forming apparatus 1.

[0012] Here, the image forming apparatus 1 will be described in detail. As shown in Fig. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a recording material cassette 8 that stores recording materials, a top sensor 4 as means for detecting the leading edge of the recording material, an image forming unit 1e as image forming means, a fixing device 6 as fixing means, and a housing 19 that houses these. The image forming apparatus 1 has a printing function of forming a toner image on a recording material P fed from the recording material cassette 8 by the image forming unit 1e, and fixing the toner image to the recording material by the fixing device 6 to produce a printed matter. In this embodiment, the maximum size on which an image can be formed on the recording material P is A4 size (297 mm long x 210 mm wide), and image formation is performed by transporting the A4 size in the vertical direction.

[0013] The recording material cassette 8 is inserted into the housing 19 at the bottom of the image forming apparatus 1 so as to be removable, and stores a plurality of recording materials P. The recording material cassette 8 is provided with a regulating plate (not shown) that regulates the recording material width direction (the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction on the recording material surface) that can be operated by the user. The recording material P stored in the recording material cassette 8 is fed from the recording material cassette 8 by a paper feed roller 8a as a paper feed section, and conveyed by a conveying roller pair 8b. It is also possible to feed the recording materials set in the multi-tray 20 one by one. The top sensor 4 has a flag that detects the leading edge of the recording material, and corrects the writing position of the toner image of the image forming unit 1e based on the detection result of the flag.

[0014] The image forming unit 1e is a tandem-type electrophotographic unit including four process cartridges 7k, 7y, 7m, and 7c, a scanner unit 2, and a transfer unit 3. A process cartridge is a unit in which a plurality of parts that perform an image forming process are integrated and replaceable. Each process cartridge 7k, 7y, 7m, and 7c has a substantially common configuration except for the type of powder contained in the four powder containers Gk, Gy, Gm, and Gc. That is, each process cartridge 7k, 7y, 7m, and 7c includes photosensitive drums Dk, Dy, Dm, and Dc that are image carriers, charging rollers Ck, Cy, Cm, and Cc that are chargers, and powder containers Gk, Gy, Gm, and Gc that contain powder and supply it to the photosensitive drums. The four powder containers Gk, Gy, Gm, and Gc contain black, yellow, magenta, and cyan toners Tk, Ty, Tm, and Tc, respectively, as toners for forming visible images on the recording material P.

[0015] The scanner unit 2 is disposed below the process cartridges 7k, 7y, 7m, and 7c and above the recording material cassette 8. The scanner unit 2 is an exposure unit in this embodiment that irradiates laser light onto the photosensitive drums Dk, Dy, Dm, and Dc of the process cartridges 7k, 7y, 7m, and 7c to write electrostatic latent images thereon.

[0016] The transfer unit 3 includes a transfer belt 3a as an intermediate transfer body (secondary image carrier). The transfer belt 3a is a belt member stretched around a secondary transfer inner roller 3b and a tension roller 3c, and its outer circumferential surface faces the photosensitive drums Dk, Dy, Dm, and Dc of the process cartridges 7k, 7y, 7m, and 7c. On the inner circumferential side of the transfer belt 3a, primary transfer rollers Fk, Fy, Fm, and Fc are disposed at positions corresponding to the photosensitive drums Dk, Dy, Dm, and Dc. In addition, a secondary transfer roller 5 as a transfer means is disposed at a position facing the secondary transfer inner roller 3b. A transfer nip 5n between the secondary transfer roller 5 and the transfer belt 3a is a transfer portion (secondary transfer portion) where a toner image is transferred from the transfer belt 3a to a recording material P.

[0017] The fixing device 6 is a fixing section that heats, melts and fixes the toner image on the recording material P, and is disposed above the secondary transfer roller 5. The fixing device 6 is a thermal fixing type fixing device having a heating film 6b as a fixing member heated by a ceramic heater 6a as a heat source, and a pressure roller 6c as a pressure member. The heating film 6b may be heated by a halogen lamp or a heat generating mechanism of an induction heating type. The pressure roller 6c is rotated by a driving means (not shown) and is pressed against the heating film 6b by a biasing member such as a spring, and generates a pressure force for pressing the recording material P passing through the nip portion (fixing nip 6n) between the heating film 6b and the pressure roller 6c. The control unit adjusts the input power to the ceramic heater 6a of the heating film 6b so that the surface temperature of the heating film 6b becomes a predetermined value measured by a radiation thermometer (not shown).

[0018] In this embodiment, a conventionally known printing toner can be used. Among them, a printing toner using a thermoplastic resin as a binder resin is preferred. The resin that can be used as the thermoplastic resin is not particularly limited, and resins used in conventional printing toners such as polyester resin, vinyl resin, acrylic resin, and styrene-acrylic resin can be used. A plurality of these resins may be contained. Among them, a printing toner using a styrene-acrylic resin is more preferred. The printing toner may contain a colorant, a magnetic material, a charge control agent, a wax, and an external additive.

[0019] When data of an image to be printed and a command to execute printing are input to the image forming apparatus 1, a control unit (not shown) of the image forming apparatus 1 starts a series of operations (image forming operations) to transport the recording material P and form an image on the recording material P. In the image forming operation, the recording material P is first fed one sheet at a time from the recording material cassette 8, passes the top sensor 4 via the transport roller pair 8b, and is transported toward the transfer nip 5n. When the recording material P passes the top sensor 4, the recording material P pushes down the flag of the top sensor 4 in the transport direction, and the control unit detects whether the leading edge of the recording material P has passed, and determines the image writing start position according to the detection result.

[0020] In parallel with the feeding of the recording material P, the process cartridges 7k, 7y, 7m, and 7c are driven in sequence, and the photosensitive drums Dk, Dy, Dm, and Dc are rotated. At this time, the photosensitive drums Dk, Dy, Dm, and Dc are uniformly charged on their surfaces by the charging rollers Ck, Cy, Cm, and Cc. The scanner unit 2 also irradiates the photosensitive drums Dk, Dy, Dm, and Dc of the process cartridges 7k, 7y, 7m, and 7c with laser light modulated based on image data, and electrostatic latent images are formed on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums Dk, Dy, Dm, and Dc. Next, the electrostatic latent images on the photosensitive drums Dk, Dy, Dm, and Dc are developed into toner images by the powder carried by the developing rollers Hk, Hy, Hm, and Hc in the powder containers Gk, Gy, Gm, and Gc of the process cartridges 7k, 7y, 7m, and 7c.

[0021] The transfer belt 3a rotates in a counterclockwise direction (arrow v) in the figure. The toner images formed in the process cartridges 7k, 7y, 7m, and 7c are primarily transferred from the photosensitive drums Dk, Dy, Dm, and Dc to the transfer belt 3a by an electric field formed between the photosensitive drums Dk, Dy, Dm, and Dc and the primary transfer rollers Fk, Fy, Fm, and Fc.

[0022] The toner image carried by the transfer belt 3a and reaching the transfer nip 5n is secondarily transferred to the conveyed recording material P by the electric field formed between the secondary transfer roller 5 and the secondary transfer inner roller 3b. In the following description, toner Tk is used to bond the recording materials together, and the image obtained after the toner Tk is secondarily transferred to the recording material P is called an adhesive toner image Ta. However, this is not limited to this in the present embodiment, and the adhesive toner image Ta may be formed using Ty, Tm, and Tc other than Tk, or Ta may be formed by overlapping a plurality of toners among the toners Tk, Ty, Tm, and Tc.

[0023] Thereafter, the recording material P is conveyed to the fixing device 6 and undergoes fixing processing. That is, when the recording material P passes through the fixing nip 6n, the toner image on the recording material P is heated and pressurized, so that the printing toners Ty, Tm, and Tc and the adhesive toner image Ta melt, and then are fixed, thereby obtaining an image fixed on the recording material P. The image area of ​​a predetermined adhesive toner image Ta in this embodiment is shown in FIG. 2(a) and FIG. 2(b). As shown in FIG. 2(a), by forming an adhesive toner image Ta (cross-hatched portion) on the end of the long side of the recording material P, it is possible to produce a long-side-fixed booklet as a product when the booklet is produced by the booklet production device. Here, the width W of the adhesive toner image Ta is set to 4.0 mm. Also, as shown in FIG. 2(b), by forming an adhesive toner image Ta on a part of the corner formed by the long side and short side of the recording material, it is also possible to produce a corner-fixed booklet as a product. In addition, in this embodiment 1, a form of producing a long-side-fixed booklet will be described.

[0024] The switching guide 33 is a flap-shaped guide member for switching the conveying direction according to the corresponding mode when either a single-sided printing mode in which an image is formed on one side of the recording material P or a double-sided printing mode in which images are formed on both sides of the recording material P is selected. In the single-sided printing mode, the switching guide 33 conveys the recording material P to the pair of paper discharge rollers 34.

[0025] On the other hand, in the case of the double-sided printing mode, the switching guide 33 conveys the recording material P to the switchback roller pair 35 side, and the switchback roller pair 35 reverses the rotation direction after discharging the recording material P to the rear end, thereby conveying the recording material P to the double-sided conveying path 36 side for double-sided printing. The recording material P conveyed to the double-sided conveying path 36 passes through the secondary transfer section and the fixing section again to form an image on the unprinted recording material side, and finally the switching guide 33 conveys the recording material P to the discharge roller pair 34 side. The above is an explanation of the image forming operation of the image forming apparatus 1. Note that the operation after conveying to the discharge roller pair 34 will be described later as the operation of the booklet making device 300. The operation panel 50 is disposed on the outside of the housing 19 and has a liquid crystal display unit that can be viewed by the user and can be operated by touch. The liquid crystal display unit 50a of the operation panel 50 has a navigation function that not only displays the operating status of the image forming apparatus 1 and the status of consumables such as toner by the control unit, but also guides the user to a specific operation.

[0026] A cross section of booklet producing apparatus 300 according to the first embodiment and a booklet producing operation for producing a booklet will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Recording material P on which an image has been formed by image forming apparatus 1 reaches booklet producing apparatus 300 via intermediate conveying unit 200 having a pair of conveying rollers 201 and 202. Booklet producing apparatus 300 is a floor standing type, and is equipped with a recording material alignment section at the bottom and thermocompression unit 51 as a heating and pressing means for heating and pressing the aligned recording material stack for a predetermined time.

[0027] The recording material P conveyed from the intermediate conveying unit 200 is delivered to the conveying roller pair 21 of the booklet making device 300. The conveying roller pair 22 accelerates the recording material at a predetermined timing based on the time when the trailing end of the recording material passes through the entrance sensor 27. If the recording material is to be discharged to the upper discharge tray 25, the recording material is decelerated to a predetermined discharge speed and discharged to the upper discharge tray 25 when the trailing end of the recording material reaches between the conveying roller pair 22 and the reversing roller 24. During booklet making processing by the thermocompression bonding unit 51, the recording material P is to be discharged to the lower discharge tray 37. In this case, the backflow prevention valve 23, which is biased clockwise in the figure by a spring (not shown), stops the recording material conveyance once at the timing when the trailing end of the recording material leaves the tray, and then switches back the recording material to be conveyed to the inner discharge roller 26. The recording material conveyed from the inner discharge roller 26 is sent to the kick-out roller 29 via the intermediate conveying roller 28 and conveyed to the intermediate stacking section 42. A vertical alignment reference plate 39 is disposed at the most downstream portion of the intermediate stacking section 42, and the recording material stack is aligned by abutting the end of the recording material in the conveying direction against this.

[0028] The method of aligning the recording material P will be described with reference to FIG. 3. Here, the horizontal direction of the recording material P is defined as the X direction, the vertical direction as the Y direction, and the height direction as the Z direction. (a) In the intermediate stacking section 42, a half-moon roller (alignment roller) 32 for pushing the recording material P that has passed through the kick-out roller 29 into the vertical alignment reference plate 39 is rotatably supported. The half-moon roller 32 conveys the recording material toward the vertical alignment reference plate 39 at a predetermined timing. (b) The conveying pressure of the half-moon roller 32 is adjusted to a pressure that causes the recording material to slip on the recording material after it comes into contact with the vertical alignment reference plate 39. In addition, downstream of the kick-out roller 29, a bundle holding flag 30 as shown in FIG. 1 is rotatably supported to suppress lifting of the trailing end of the recording material so that the trailing end of the recording material stacked in the intermediate stacking section 42 does not interfere with the leading end of the following recording material. After the recording materials reach the vertical alignment reference plate, (c) the horizontal alignment jogger 41a performs an alignment operation until it hits the horizontal alignment reference plate 500 (dotted line), and (d) aligns the recording material stack in a predetermined position. After the predetermined number of sheets have been aligned, a heat and pressure treatment is performed by a thermocompression bonding unit 51, which serves as a recording material bonding means. The thermocompression bonding unit 51 heats and presses a plurality of recording materials P to create a recording material stack. The recording material stack aligned in the vertical and horizontal directions is heated and pressed by the thermocompression bonding unit 51 to create a recording material stack (booklet).

[0029] The structure of the thermocompression bonding unit 51 will be further described with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the thermocompression bonding unit 51. The thermocompression bonding unit 51 has a 1.5 mm thick aluminum heating plate 502 arranged so as to contact the surface of a 1.0 mm thick ceramic heater 501 incorporating a heating element as a heat source. The ceramic heater 501 is constantly temperature-controlled to a target temperature of 240° C. by a temperature detection means and a power application means (not shown) supported by a heater support 503, thereby controlling the surface temperature of the heating plate 502 to 200° C. The ceramic heater is supported by a resin heater support 503. A pressure lever 504 obtains power from a drive source (not shown) in order to apply a pressure force to the recording material stack by pressing the thermocompression bonding unit in the Z direction (downward). The pressure force of the pressure lever 504 is transmitted to the recording material stack via a metal stay 505 at an average surface pressure of, for example, 0.2 MPa. The pressure range for the recording material stack P is 8.0 mm in the X direction (horizontal direction) and 300 mm in the Y direction (vertical direction), and the pressure center is the midpoint of the pressure range in the horizontal direction. Here, the receiving member 506 is a silicone rubber plate with a thickness of 2.0 mm, and is a member for stably receiving the pressure force. The pressure force applied to the recording material stack can be controlled by the pressing amount of the pressure lever 504. The thermocompression unit 51 presses the recording material stack for, for example, 2.0 seconds, and then separates.

[0030] Through the above process, the adhesive toner image Ta applied to the recording material P acts as an adhesive by thermal melting and fixing, and bonds the recording materials P together. In this embodiment, the amount of the adhesive toner image Ta applied to the recording material P is about 0.5 mg / cm2, and the specific gravity of the adhesive toner image Ta used is about 1.0 g / cm3.

[0031] In the booklet making device of this embodiment, multiple sheets of recording material are stacked and subjected to heat and pressure treatment, and then multiple sheets of recording material are stacked on top of the stack of recording materials that have been heated and pressurized, and the heat and pressure treatment is repeated to make a booklet. For example, if the number of sheets stacked is 5 sheets, to make a booklet of 15 sheets, the above process will be performed a total of three times.

[0032] After the binding process by the thermocompression bonding unit 51 is completed, a bundle discharge guide (not shown) moves in parallel from the standby position toward the recording material discharge port 45 to push out the recording material bundle. A bundle discharge roller 38 is provided at the recording material discharge port 45. The bundle discharge guide stops at a position where the leading edge of the recording material bundle slightly passes the bundle discharge roller 38, and then returns to the standby position. The bundle discharge roller 38 discharges the recording material bundle received from the bundle discharge guide onto the lower discharge tray 37.

[0033] Regarding factors that may deteriorate the appearance of the booklet, which is the problem of this case, an example of a mechanism by which an adhesive toner image formed on a recording material of a booklet is shifted will be described. Here, a case will be described in which an adhesive toner image formed on a recording material is shifted from a predetermined position as shown in FIG. 2(a) during an image forming operation. The width of a regulating plate in the width direction of the recording material in the recording material cassette can be changed by the user, and there is an appropriate regulating position according to the size of the recording material. However, for example, the user may mistakenly set the position of the regulating plate to a position that does not match the size of the recording material loaded in the recording material cassette, or the regulating plate may become loose due to a manufacturing tolerance. If the recording material is fed from the recording material cassette in a loose state of regulation, the recording material may be skewed and may be transported to the image forming unit while being skewed. If an image forming operation is performed while the recording material is skewed, an adhesive toner image is formed at a position shifted from the predetermined position as shown in FIG. 2(a), and "adhesive toner image shift" occurs.

[0034] In addition, even when a booklet is made by mixing thick paper and thin paper using two devices, a multi-tray and a recording material cassette, the adhesive toner image may be misaligned. For example, if the thickness of the recording material is different, a slight misalignment may occur in the timing of tilting the flag of the top sensor. Therefore, the image writing position may be misaligned between thick paper and thin paper, and when a booklet is made by mixing thick paper and thin paper, the adhesive toner image may be misaligned in the conveying direction. When the type of recording material is changed in part of a booklet, it is assumed that the user inputs to the booklet making device that the type of recording material is changed only for the front cover and the back cover, or that the type of recording material is determined using a sensor. In addition, it is assumed that one type of recording material is used in one booklet, and even when a different type of recording material is used for each booklet, it is possible to consider the possibility that the variation in the misalignment in the timing of tilting the flag of the top sensor may differ for each booklet. In this way, if the adhesive toner image is formed at a position displaced from the predetermined position on the recording material, the adhesive toner image formed on each recording material of the booklet will be displaced on each recording material when the booklet is produced in the booklet production device. In a booklet in which the adhesive toner image is displaced on each recording material, the displaced adhesive toner image on the inside of the booklet may be visible when observed from the front cover of the booklet, which may deteriorate the appearance of the booklet. In particular, when a colored toner is used for the toner forming the adhesive toner image Ta, the displaced adhesive toner image is easily visible, which may adversely affect the booklet quality.

[0035] Next, a method for forming an adhesive toner image (image pattern), which is a feature of this embodiment, will be described with reference to Figures 5 and 6. In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, an adhesive toner image is formed in a rectangular shape with the long side of the rectangular shape aligned along the long side of the recording material. The long side of the rectangular shape may also be aligned along the short side of the recording material. Figure 5 shows, as a comparative example of this embodiment, a case in which the size of the adhesive toner formed on each recording material is the same, the recording materials are conveyed to the image forming section at an angle, and the adhesive toner images are misaligned on each recording material to form a booklet.

[0036] In Fig. 5, the horizontal direction of the booklet is the X direction, the vertical direction is the Y direction, and the height direction is the Z direction. The front cover of the booklet is P0, the first recording material from the front cover to the inside (-Z direction) is P1, and the next recording material on the inside is P2. The back cover of the booklet is P j Here, P1 to P j―1 The recording materials up to are called intermediate sheets because they are sandwiched between the front and back covers of the booklet, and in this embodiment, there are two or more intermediate sheets. The adhesive toner image that adheres the recording material P0, which is the front cover, to the recording material P1, which is the intermediate sheet, is T0, and the adhesive toner image that adheres the recording material P1 to the recording material P2 is T1. The adhesive toner image that adheres the back cover of the booklet is T1. j-1 In the comparative example shown in FIG. 5, the size of all adhesive toner images formed on the recording material, including the adhesive toner image T0 and the adhesive toner image T1, is the same, with a width (X direction) of 4 mm and a length (Y direction) of 287 mm. FIG. 5 shows a case where the recording material P1 is skewed and only the adhesive toner image T1 on the recording material P1 is formed in a shifted state, and in FIG. 5, the adhesive toner image T1 is shifted from the predetermined position by a maximum of 2 mm in the horizontal direction (X direction) and a maximum of 2 mm in the vertical direction (Y direction). FIG. 5(a) is a diagram of the produced booklet observed from the front cover (Z direction), FIG. 5(b) is a diagram of the booklet observed from the base of the booklet (α direction in the figure), and FIG. 5(c) is a diagram of the booklet observed from the spine of the booklet (β direction in the figure). As shown in FIG. 5(a), the front cover of the recording material P0 to the back cover of the recording material P1 are shifted by a maximum of 2 mm in the horizontal direction (X direction) and a maximum of 2 mm in the vertical direction (Y direction). j When the above-mentioned recording materials P0 and P1 are made into a booklet by a booklet making device, there is a misalignment between the adhesive toner image T0 that adheres the recording material P0 and the recording material P1, and the adhesive toner image T1 that adheres the recording material P1 and the recording material P2. As a specific direction of the misalignment, as shown in FIG. 5B, the adhesive toner image T1 is misaligned with the adhesive toner image T0 and the adhesive toner image T j-1 5C, the adhesive toner image T1 is shifted in the lateral direction (−X direction) with respect to the adhesive toner image T0 and the adhesive toner image T j-1The adhesive toner image T0 is also misaligned in the vertical direction (Y direction) with respect to the adhesive toner image T1. As a result, when the adhesive toner image portion is observed from the front cover of the booklet, the adhesive toner image T1 is visible through the front cover, degrading the appearance of the booklet. In this way, when all adhesive toner images formed on the recording material, including the adhesive toner image T0 and the adhesive toner image T1, are the same size, the adhesive toner image misalignment caused by skew or the like deteriorates the appearance of the booklet.

[0037] Next, an adhesive toner image pattern of this embodiment that does not deteriorate the appearance of the booklet even if the adhesive toner image is misaligned will be described with reference to Fig. 6. In Fig. 6, the horizontal direction of the booklet is the X direction, the vertical direction is the Y direction, and the height direction is the Z direction. The front cover of the booklet is P0, the first recording material from the front cover toward the inside (-Z direction) of the booklet is P1, and the next inner recording material is P2. The back cover of the booklet is P0. j The adhesive toner image for bonding the recording material P0, which is the front cover, and the recording material P1, which is the intermediate sheet, is T0', and the adhesive toner image for bonding the recording material P1 and the recording material P2 is T1. The adhesive toner image for bonding the back cover of the booklet is T j-1 6 shows a case where the recording material P1 is skewed and only the adhesive toner image T1 on the recording material P1 is shifted as in the comparative example described in FIG. 5. In FIG. 6, the adhesive toner image T1 is also shifted from the predetermined position by up to 2 mm in the horizontal direction (X direction) and up to 2 mm in the vertical direction (Y direction). FIG. 6(a) is a view of the produced booklet observed from the front cover (Z direction), FIG. 6(b) is a view of the booklet observed from the base of the booklet (α direction in the figure), and FIG. 6(c) is a view of the booklet observed from the spine of the booklet (β direction in the figure).

[0038] In this embodiment, in order to maintain the appearance of the booklet even if the adhesive toner image misalignment occurs, the adhesive toner image T0′ for bonding the front cover and the intermediate paper is replaced with the adhesive toner images (T1 to T j-1 The adhesive toner image T0′ in this embodiment has a width (X direction) of 6 mm and a length (Y direction) of 289 mm. The adhesive toner images (T1 to Tj-1 In other words, when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the recording material, the area of ​​the adhesive toner image T0′ is larger than that of the adhesive toner images (T1 to T j-1 ) is larger than the area of ​​the

[0039] The relationship between the lateral direction (X direction), vertical direction (Y direction), and height direction (Z direction) of the adhesive toner image area formed on each recording material of the booklet will be described. As shown in FIG. 6B, the adhesive toner image T0′ is a toner image including the adhesive toner images (T1 to T j-1 6C, the adhesive toner image T0′ is formed so as to be longer in the lateral direction (−X direction) than the adhesive toner images (T1 to T j-1 ) in the vertical direction (Y direction). As a result, as shown in FIG. 6(a), when observed from the front cover, even if the position of the adhesive toner image for bonding the intermediate sheets is shifted for each recording material, the adhesive toner image T1 does not show through. By making the area of ​​the adhesive toner image for bonding the front cover and the intermediate sheets larger than the area of ​​the adhesive toner image for bonding the intermediate sheets, even if the adhesive toner image on the inside of the booklet is shifted relative to the adhesive toner image on the front cover, it does not show through the front cover, and deterioration of the appearance of the booklet can be prevented. This is because the booklet is produced so that when observed from the front cover, all parts of the adhesive toner image for bonding the intermediate sheets overlap the adhesive toner image for bonding the front cover and the intermediate sheets.

[0040] The size of the adhesive toner image T0' for adhering the front cover is preferably determined taking into consideration the maximum amount of image misalignment that occurs in the image forming device. In other words, it is preferable to set the size so that the adhesive toner image T0' can cover even the largest image misalignment. However, from the viewpoint of the consumption of adhesive toner, it is preferable to set the area as small as possible while covering all the range in which the adhesive toner image misalignment may occur. Note that the area of ​​the adhesive toner image is not limited to being increased only for the adhesion between the front cover and the intermediate paper, but may be increased only for the adhesion between the back cover and the intermediate paper, or may be increased for both the adhesion between the front cover and the intermediate paper and the adhesion between the back cover and the intermediate paper.

[0041] In this embodiment, the direction in which the length of the adhesive toner image on the front cover of the booklet is increased is both in the vertical and horizontal directions of the booklet, but the image may be increased only in the vertical direction of the booklet or only in the horizontal direction. For example, if the recording material has a tendency to be skewed, the adhesive toner image tends to be shifted in the skew direction, so it is preferable to select the direction in which the length of the adhesive toner image is increased according to the tendency. In addition, if a booklet is produced using recording materials with different thicknesses, the timing of turning down the flag of the top sensor may be slightly shifted due to the difference in the thickness of the recording material, and the position at which the adhesive toner image starts to be written in the vertical direction may change, so only the vertical length of the recording material may be increased. As a result, even if the adhesive toner image that bonds the intermediate sheets to each other is shifted in both the vertical and horizontal directions relative to the adhesive toner image that bonds the front cover and the intermediate sheets, the adhesive toner image will not be visible even in the vertical direction or only in the horizontal direction, and an improvement in appearance is expected.

[0042] The mechanism by which the adhesive toner image is misaligned may be other than that described in this embodiment. For example, the booklet may be produced without the recording material being properly aligned in the booklet production device. In the booklet production device shown in FIG. 3, in the method of aligning the recording material in the X direction (horizontal direction), the horizontal alignment jogger 41a abuts against the horizontal alignment reference plate 500 to align the recording material, so that the recording material is less likely to be misaligned in the X direction. On the other hand, in the method of aligning the recording material in the Y direction (vertical direction), the half-moon roller 32 is used to press the recording material against the vertical alignment reference plate 39 to align it. The frictional force between the half-moon roller 32 and the recording material differs depending on the image pattern and printing rate of the toner image formed on the recording material at the portion in contact with the half-moon roller 32 and the position pressed by the half-moon roller 32. As a result, the pressing force from the recording material against the vertical alignment reference plate 39 differs, and it may be difficult for the recording material to align with the vertical alignment reference plate 39. In this way, when the thermocompression bonding unit 51 performs the binding process without proper alignment, the adhesive toner images on the recording materials of the booklet are misaligned, and the adhesive toner images that bond the intermediate sheets together become visible, which may result in a poor appearance. In this case, it is preferable to increase the length of the adhesive toner images only in the direction in which they are aligned by the half-moon roller 32. In this way, it is preferable to select the direction in which to increase the length of the adhesive toner image T0' on the front cover of the booklet depending on the image pattern and printing rate of the toner image formed on the recording materials. In other words, it is preferable to change the shape and size of the adhesive toner image.

[0043] The degree of skew of the recording material in the image forming apparatus and the misalignment of the recording material in the booklet producing apparatus as described above varies depending on the physical properties of the recording material, such as thickness, surface properties, and moisture content (paper stiffness). That is, the direction in which the adhesive toner image is misaligned and the amount of misalignment vary depending on the type of recording material used to produce the booklet and the usage environment (temperature, humidity, etc.). An example of the thickness and surface properties is as described above. As an example of the moisture content, thin paper or plain paper with a high moisture content is likely to curl in the width direction and may be difficult to align in the lateral direction, so it is preferable to increase the length of the adhesive toner image T0' in the width direction. Here, the usage environment (temperature, humidity, etc.) of the booklet producing apparatus is measured by mounting a sensor to be measured on the booklet producing apparatus or an image forming apparatus connected to the booklet producing apparatus. It is preferable to grasp the tendency of the direction and amount of deviation of the adhesive toner image for each type of recording material and the use environment of the booklet production device, and change the shape and size of the adhesive toner image T0' on the front cover of the booklet according to the booklet production conditions (type of recording material, use environment). Specifically, the adhesive toner image T0' on the front cover is set so as to cover the entire range where the adhesive toner image deviation may occur for each booklet production condition (type of recording material, use environment) and to have as small an area as possible. For example, under booklet production conditions where the adhesive toner image deviation is small, the adhesive toner image T0' on the front cover may be set smaller than the area (6 mm x 289 mm) described in this embodiment. By changing the shape and size of the adhesive toner image T0' on the front cover of the booklet for each booklet production condition (type of recording material, use environment) and setting the area to the minimum required for each booklet production condition, it is possible to reduce the consumption of adhesive toner while preventing the deterioration of the appearance of the booklet.

[0044] Next, an evaluation experiment conducted to confirm the effect of this embodiment will be described. The effect is evaluated when the area of ​​the adhesive toner image for bonding the front cover of a booklet is made larger than the area of ​​the adhesive toner image for bonding the intermediate sheets. In the evaluation experiment, as shown in FIG. 6(a), this embodiment in which the area of ​​the adhesive toner image T0' for bonding the front cover is made larger is compared with a comparative example in which the area of ​​the adhesive toner image formed on all recording materials is the same as shown in FIG. 5(a). The adhesive toner image T1 in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 is shifted from the specified position by a maximum of 2 mm in the horizontal direction (-X direction) and a maximum of 2 mm in the vertical direction (Y direction).

[0045] In the evaluation experiment of this embodiment, a booklet was produced using CS-060F (Canon) as the recording material, and the adhesive toner image misalignment seen through the front cover was evaluated by measuring the density of the toner seen through the front cover. As the evaluation conditions, 10 sheets of GFC081 (Canon) paper were placed on a horizontal plane, and the booklet of the comparative example and the booklet of this embodiment were placed on top of them, and the density of the adhesive toner image at the image edge part and the density of the recording material of the background were measured from the front cover (-Z direction) of each booklet using a digital microscope (PIAS (registered trademark)-II made by QEA). The reason for placing 10 sheets of GFC081 (Canon) on top of each other is to eliminate the influence of the density of the background other than the measurement sample. In this evaluation experiment, the standard set condition of the wavelength range in density is Status T.

[0046] The image edge portion in this embodiment is a position shifted 1 mm in the horizontal direction (-X direction) from the edge of the adhesive toner image T0 that adheres the front cover of the booklet as shown in Fig. 5(a). The background portion in this embodiment refers to an area where neither an adhesive toner image nor a printing toner image is formed, such as a margin, as shown in Fig. 5(a). The image edge portion and background portion in Fig. 6(a) are also measured under the same conditions.

[0047] Table 1 shows the results of measuring the densities of the image edge portions and background portions of the booklet of the comparative example and the booklet of this embodiment, and the calculation results of the density difference between the image edge portions and the background portions.

[0048] [Table 1]

[0049] As described above, in the comparative example in which the size of the adhesive toner image formed on all recording materials is the same, the density of the image edge portion is 0.14, and the density of the background is 0.07. Therefore, the density difference between the density of the adhesive toner image edge portion and the density of the background is 0.07. The existence of a density difference indicates that the adhesive toner image that bonds the intermediate sheets together is visible through the intermediate sheets, and in the booklet of the comparative example, when observed from the front cover, the adhesive toner image T1 is visible through the intermediate sheets, degrading the appearance of the booklet.

[0050] On the other hand, in this embodiment where the area of ​​the adhesive toner image T0' that adheres the front cover is increased, the density of the image edge portion is 0.07 and the density of the background is 0.07. Therefore, the density difference between the density of the adhesive toner image edge portion and the density of the background is 0.00. The absence of a density difference indicates that the adhesive toner image that adheres the intermediate sheets together does not show through.

[0051] In this way, in this embodiment, by increasing the area of ​​the adhesive toner image that adheres the front cover of the booklet, even if the adhesive toner image is misaligned, the adhesive toner image that adheres the intermediate sheets to each other is not visible from the front cover, and it is possible to prevent the appearance of the booklet from deteriorating. If the number of booklets increases, or if the thickness or whiteness of the recording material increases, the adhesive toner image misalignment on the inside of the booklet becomes difficult to visually recognize.

[0052] The feature of this embodiment is that the adhesive toner image misalignment is not visible from the front cover, so the size of the toner image that adheres the front cover should be the largest among the adhesive toner images in the visible range (on the visible recording material). Therefore, there is no need to particularly limit the pattern or size of the adhesive toner image on the inside of the booklet beyond the visible range when viewed from the front cover or back cover. Here, the visible range refers to, for example, a case where the above-mentioned density difference is 0.01 or more when the adhesive toner image misalignment occurs. In other words, when the thickness or whiteness of the recording material is high, the visible range tends to be narrower (the number of visible recording materials tends to be smaller).

[0053] Another effect is that by increasing the area of ​​the adhesive toner that bonds the front cover and the intermediate paper, the adhesive toner is present closer to the edges of the long and short sides of the recording material, which makes it possible to prevent the ends of the long and short sides of the front cover from curling up. The same effect can be obtained on the back cover.

[0054] Example 2 Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Here, the same contents as those of the first embodiment will not be described. In the second embodiment, it is assumed that a booklet with corner fastenings is produced, and an embodiment in which the shape of the adhesive toner image is different from that of the first embodiment will be described. A method of forming an adhesive toner image (image pattern), which is a feature of this embodiment, will be described with reference to Figs. 7 and 8. In this embodiment, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, an adhesive toner image is formed in a triangular shape at a corner formed by the long side and short side of a recording material.

[0055] As a comparative example, Fig. 7 shows a case where the recording material is conveyed to the image forming section at an angle, and the adhesive toner image is misaligned when a booklet is produced. In Fig. 7, the horizontal direction of the booklet is the X direction, the vertical direction is the Y direction, and the height direction is the Z direction. The front cover of the booklet is P0, the first recording material from the front cover toward the inside (-Z direction) of the booklet is P1, and the next inner recording material is P2. The back cover of the booklet is P0. jThe adhesive toner image for bonding the recording material P0, which is the front cover, and the recording material P1, which is the intermediate sheet, is T0, and the adhesive toner image for bonding the recording material P1 and the recording material P2 is T1. The adhesive toner image for bonding the back cover of the booklet is T j-1 In the comparative example shown in FIG. 7, all adhesive toner images formed on the recording material, including the adhesive toner image T0 and the adhesive toner image T1, are the same right-angled triangle having a side parallel to the X direction (length 6 mm) and a side parallel to the Y direction (length 12 mm). FIG. 7 shows a case where the recording material P1 is skewed and only the adhesive toner image T1 on the recording material P1 is formed in a shifted state, and in FIG. 7, the adhesive toner image T1 is shifted from a predetermined position in the horizontal direction (X direction) by a maximum of 2 mm and in the vertical direction (Y direction) by a maximum of 2 mm. FIG. 7(a) is a diagram of the produced booklet observed from the front cover (Z direction), FIG. 7(b) is a diagram of the booklet observed from the base of the booklet (α direction in the figure), and FIG. 7(c) is a diagram of the booklet observed from the spine of the booklet (β direction in the figure). As shown in FIG. 7(a), the recording material P0, which is the front cover, and the recording material P j When the above-mentioned booklet-making apparatus is used to make a booklet, there is a misalignment between the adhesive toner image T0 that adheres the recording material P0 to the recording material P1 and the adhesive toner image T1 that adheres the recording material P1 to the recording material P2. As shown in FIG. 7B, the adhesive toner image T1 is different from the adhesive toner image T0 and the adhesive toner image T j-1 7C, the adhesive toner image T1 is shifted in the lateral direction (−X direction) with respect to the adhesive toner image T0 and the adhesive toner image T j-1 The adhesive toner image T0 is also misaligned in the vertical direction (Y direction) with respect to the adhesive toner image T1. As a result, when the adhesive toner image portion is observed from the front cover of the booklet, the adhesive toner image T1 is visible through the front cover, degrading the appearance of the booklet. In this way, when all adhesive toner images formed on the recording material, including the adhesive toner image T0 and the adhesive toner image T1, are the same size, the adhesive toner image misalignment caused by skew or the like deteriorates the appearance of the booklet.

[0056] Next, an adhesive toner image pattern of this embodiment that does not deteriorate the appearance of the booklet even if the adhesive toner image is misaligned will be described with reference to Fig. 8. In Fig. 8, the horizontal direction of the booklet is the X direction, the vertical direction is the Y direction, and the height direction is the Z direction. The front cover of the booklet is P0, the first recording material from the front cover toward the inside (-Z direction) of the booklet is P1, and the next inner recording material is P2. The back cover of the booklet is P0. j The adhesive toner image for bonding the recording material P0, which is the front cover, and the recording material P1, which is the intermediate sheet, is T0', and the adhesive toner image for bonding the recording material P1 and the recording material P2 is T1. The adhesive toner image for bonding the back cover of the booklet is T j-1 8 shows a case where the recording material P1 is skewed and only the adhesive toner image T1 on the recording material P1 is shifted as in the comparative example described in FIG. 7. In FIG. 8 as well, the adhesive toner image T1 is shifted from the predetermined position in the horizontal direction (X direction) by a maximum of 2 mm and in the vertical direction (Y direction) by a maximum of 2 mm. FIG. 8(a) is a diagram of the produced booklet observed from the front cover (Z direction), FIG. 8(b) is a diagram of the booklet observed from the base of the booklet (α direction in the figure), and FIG. 8(c) is a diagram of the booklet observed from the spine of the booklet (β direction in the figure). In this embodiment, even if the adhesive toner image shift occurs, the adhesive toner image T0′ for bonding the front cover and the intermediate paper is replaced by the adhesive toner images (T1 to T j-1 The adhesive toner image T0' in this embodiment is formed as a right-angled triangle having a side parallel to the X direction (length 8 mm) and a side parallel to the Y direction (length 14 mm). j-1 ) is a right-angled triangle having a side parallel to the X direction (length 6 mm) and a side parallel to the Y direction (length 12 mm).

[0057] The relationship between the lateral direction (X direction), vertical direction (Y direction), and height direction (Z direction) of the adhesive toner image area formed on each recording material of the booklet will be described. As shown in FIG. 8B, the adhesive toner image T0′ is a toner image including the adhesive toner images (T1 to T j-18(c), the adhesive toner image T0′ is formed to be longer in the lateral direction (−X direction) than the adhesive toner images (T1 to T j-1 ) in the vertical direction (Y direction). As a result, as shown in FIG. 8(a), when observed from the front cover, the adhesive toner image T1 formed at a position shifted from the predetermined position cannot be seen through. In this way, by increasing the area of ​​the adhesive toner image for adhering the front cover of the booklet, the adhesive toner image shift on the inside of the booklet cannot be seen from the front cover, and the appearance of the booklet can be prevented from being deteriorated. It is preferable to determine the size of the adhesive toner image T0' for adhering the front cover in consideration of the maximum image shift amount generated by the image forming device. In other words, it is preferable to set the size so that the adhesive toner image T0' can cover even when the image shift is the largest. Note that the recording material in which the adhesive toner image is made larger than the area of ​​the adhesive toner image for adhering the intermediate sheets to each other is not limited to the front cover only, but may be the back cover only, or may be both the front cover and the back cover. In this embodiment, the direction in which the length of the adhesive toner image on the front cover of the booklet is increased in both the vertical and horizontal directions of the booklet, but the direction in which the image length is increased may be the vertical direction only or the horizontal direction only of the booklet. Also, the shape and size of the adhesive toner image on at least one of the front cover and the back cover of the booklet may be changed depending on the type of recording material, the usage environment, etc. In the adhesive toner image within the visible range (on the visible recording material), it is preferable that the adhesive toner image for adhering at least one of the front cover and the back cover of the booklet is made larger in area than the adhesive toner image for adhering the intermediate sheets together.

[0058] In this embodiment, the pattern of the adhesive toner image for adhering the booklet is a triangle, which is the same shape for all recording materials, but this shape is not necessary. For example, an adhesive toner image pattern as shown in FIG. 9 corresponds to this embodiment. Using FIG. 9, an example is described in which the adhesive toner image misalignment can be prevented from deteriorating the appearance of the booklet when the adhesive toner images are different for each recording material of the booklet. As shown in FIG. 9, the adhesive toner image T0 for adhering the front cover and the back cover has a larger area than the adhesive toner image T1 for adhering the intermediate sheets. In FIG. 9(a), the adhesive toner image T0 is triangular, whereas the adhesive toner image T1 is circular. In FIG. 9(b), the adhesive toner image T0 is triangular, whereas the adhesive toner image T1 is rhombic. In FIG. 9(c), the adhesive toner image T0 is triangular, whereas the adhesive toner image T1 is rectangular. 9(d), the adhesive toner image T0 is triangular, whereas the adhesive toner image T1 is butterfly-shaped. As described above, the adhesive toner image for adhering at least one of the front cover and the back cover of the booklet may have any shape as long as it is larger than the adhesive toner image for adhering the intermediate sheets.

[0059] Example 3 Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. Here, the description of the same contents as in the first and second embodiments will be omitted. In the third embodiment, it is assumed that a booklet with corners is to be produced, and a form in which the shape of the adhesive toner image is different from that in the second embodiment will be described.

[0060] 10 shows the relationship between the shape and size of the adhesive toner image T0 that bonds the front cover P0 to the first intermediate sheet of recording material P1, and the adhesive toner image T1 that bonds the intermediate sheet of recording material P1 to the intermediate sheet of recording material P2. Both adhesive toner image T0 and adhesive toner image T1 are rectangular, and are formed at the corners of the recording material at an angle to the sides of the recording material. By making the area of ​​the adhesive toner image T1 larger than the area of ​​the adhesive toner image T0, deterioration in the appearance quality of the booklet can be suppressed for the same reasons as in the first and second embodiments, even if the adhesive toner image T1 is formed at a misaligned position relative to the adhesive toner image T0.

[0061] In the first to third embodiments, the booklet production device 300 having the thermocompression bonding unit 51 is arranged next to the image forming device 1. However, as a modified example, the top-mounted booklet production device 301 and the thermocompression bonding unit 51 may be arranged on the top of the image forming device main body as shown in FIG. 11.

[0062] [Note] The above embodiment discloses at least the following image forming system.

[0063] (Item 1) an image forming apparatus for forming an adhesive toner image on a recording material; a booklet making device that has a thermocompression bonding unit that heats and pressurizes an adhesive toner image portion of a plurality of overlapping recording materials on which an adhesive toner image is formed in order to bond the plurality of recording materials together, and that makes a booklet made of a recording material that will become a front cover, a recording material that will become a back cover, and two or more sheets of recording material that will become intermediate sheets sandwiched between the front cover and the back cover; In an image forming system having forming an adhesive toner image such that, when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the recording material, at least one of an area of ​​the adhesive toner image for bonding the front cover and the intermediate paper and an area of ​​the adhesive toner image for bonding the back cover and the intermediate paper is larger than an area of ​​the adhesive toner image for bonding the intermediate papers together; This image forming system is characterized in that it produces a booklet so that, when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the surface of a recording material, an adhesive toner image for adhering a front cover and an intermediate sheet, an adhesive toner image for adhering a back cover and an intermediate sheet, and an adhesive toner image for adhering the intermediate sheets together are superimposed.

[0064] (Item 2) Item 1, an image forming system according to the present invention, This image forming system is characterized in that an adhesive toner image for bonding a front cover sheet and an intermediate sheet, and an adhesive toner image for bonding a back cover sheet and an intermediate sheet are formed in a rectangular shape with the long side of the rectangular shape aligned with the long side or short side of a recording material.

[0065] (Item 3) Item 2. The image forming system according to item 2, This image forming system is characterized in that an adhesive toner image is formed so that at least one of the short sides of the adhesive toner image for bonding the front cover and the intermediate paper or the short sides of the adhesive toner image for bonding the back cover and the intermediate paper is longer than the short sides of the adhesive toner image for bonding the intermediate papers together.

[0066] (Item 4) Item 2. The image forming system according to item 2, This image forming system is characterized in that an adhesive toner image is formed so that at least one of the long sides of the adhesive toner image for bonding the front cover and the intermediate paper or the long sides of the adhesive toner image for bonding the back cover and the intermediate paper is longer than the long sides of the adhesive toner image for bonding the intermediate papers together.

[0067] (Item 5) Item 1, an image forming system according to the present invention, An image forming system characterized in that an adhesive toner image for adhering a front cover to an intermediate paper, and an adhesive toner image for adhering a back cover to an intermediate paper are formed in a rectangular shape at corners formed by the long and short sides of a recording material.

[0068] (Item 6) Item 6. The image forming system according to item 5, This image forming system is characterized in that an adhesive toner image is formed so that at least one of the short sides of the adhesive toner image for bonding the front cover and the intermediate paper or the short sides of the adhesive toner image for bonding the back cover and the intermediate paper is longer than the short sides of the adhesive toner image for bonding the intermediate papers together.

[0069] (Item 7) Item 6. The image forming system according to item 5, This image forming system is characterized in that an adhesive toner image is formed so that at least one of the long sides of the adhesive toner image for bonding the front cover and the intermediate paper or the long sides of the adhesive toner image for bonding the back cover and the intermediate paper is longer than the long sides of the adhesive toner image for bonding the intermediate papers together.

[0070] (Item 8) Item 1, an image forming system according to the present invention, This image forming system is characterized in that an adhesive toner image for adhering a front cover to an intermediate paper, and an adhesive toner image for adhering a back cover to an intermediate paper are formed in a triangular shape at the corners formed by the long and short sides of a recording material.

[0071] (Item 9) Item 9. The image forming system according to item 8, An image forming system, comprising: a toner image for bonding intermediate sheets together, the toner image being formed in a triangular shape at a corner defined by a long side and a short side of a recording material.

[0072] (Item 10) 10. The imaging system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, An image forming system characterized in that at least one of the shape or area of ​​an adhesive toner image for adhering a front cover sheet to an intermediate sheet and the shape or area of ​​an adhesive toner image for adhering a back cover sheet to an intermediate sheet is changed according to the type of recording material.

[0073] (Item 11) 11. The imaging system according to claim 1, This image forming system is characterized in that at least one of the shape or area of ​​an adhesive toner image for adhering a front cover and an intermediate sheet, and the shape or area of ​​an adhesive toner image for adhering a back cover and an intermediate sheet is changed according to the usage environment of the booklet production device.

[0074] (Item 12) 12. The imaging system according to claim 1, the image forming apparatus is capable of forming a toner image on an area other than an area on a recording material where an adhesive toner image is formed, the booklet producing device has an alignment roller for aligning a plurality of recording materials, An image forming system characterized in that at least one of the shape or area of ​​an adhesive toner image for adhering a front cover sheet to an intermediate sheet and the shape or area of ​​an adhesive toner image for adhering a back cover sheet to an intermediate sheet is changed depending on at least one of an image pattern and a printing rate of a portion of a toner image other than an adhesive toner image formed on a recording material with which the alignment roller contacts.

[0075] (Item 13) 13. The imaging system according to claim 1, This image forming system produces a booklet so that when the produced booklet is viewed in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the front cover, all parts of the adhesive toner image for bonding the intermediate sheets together overlap with the adhesive toner image for bonding the front cover and the intermediate sheets. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 1. Image forming device 6 Fixing unit 7 Process cartridge 8 Recording material cassette 51 Thermocompression unit 300 Booklet making device P Recording material T Adhesive toner image

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus for forming an adhesive toner image on a recording material, A booklet manufacturing apparatus having a thermocompression unit that heats and pressurizes the portion of a recording material with an adhesive toner image formed on it, while multiple recording materials are stacked together to bond several recording materials together, the apparatus for manufacturing a booklet formed from a recording material that will be the front cover, a recording material that will be the back cover, and two or more recording materials that will be intermediate sheets sandwiched between the front cover and the back cover, In an image forming system having, The area of ​​the cover-side adhesive toner image, which is at least one of the adhesive toner images for bonding the front cover and the intermediate paper, or the adhesive toner image for bonding the back cover and the intermediate paper, is larger than the area of ​​the adhesive toner image for bonding the intermediate papers together. An image forming system characterized in that, even if the formation position of the adhesive toner image is shifted for each recording material, the cover-side adhesive toner image is formed in such a shape and size that, when viewed perpendicular to the paper surface of the recording material that will become the cover on which the cover-side adhesive toner image is formed, all portions of the adhesive toner image that adheres the intermediate sheets together overlap with the cover-side adhesive toner image.

2. The image forming system according to Claim 1, characterized in that the adhesive toner image for bonding the front cover and the intermediate paper, and the adhesive toner image for bonding the back cover and the intermediate paper are formed in a rectangular shape, with the longer side of the rectangular shape aligned with the longer or shorter side of the recording material.

3. The image forming system according to claim 2, characterized in that the adhesive toner image is formed such that at least one of the short sides of the adhesive toner image for adhering the front cover and the intermediate paper, or the short side of the adhesive toner image for adhering the back cover and the intermediate paper, is longer than the short side of the adhesive toner image for adhering the intermediate papers together.

4. The image forming system according to claim 2, characterized in that the adhesive toner image is formed such that at least one of the long sides of the adhesive toner image for adhering the front cover and the intermediate paper, or the long side of the adhesive toner image for adhering the back cover and the intermediate paper, is longer than the long side of the adhesive toner image for adhering the intermediate papers together.

5. The image forming system according to Claim 1, characterized in that an adhesive toner image for bonding the front cover and the intermediate paper, and an adhesive toner image for bonding the back cover and the intermediate paper are formed in a rectangular shape at the corners formed by the long and short sides of the recording material.

6. The image forming system according to claim 5, characterized in that the adhesive toner image is formed such that at least one of the short sides of the adhesive toner image for adhering the front cover and the intermediate paper, or the short side of the adhesive toner image for adhering the back cover and the intermediate paper, is longer than the short side of the adhesive toner image for adhering the intermediate papers together.

7. The image forming system according to claim 5, characterized in that the adhesive toner image is formed such that at least one of the long sides of the adhesive toner image for adhering the front cover and the intermediate paper, or the long side of the adhesive toner image for adhering the back cover and the intermediate paper, is longer than the long side of the adhesive toner image for adhering the intermediate papers together.

8. The image forming system according to claim 1, characterized in that an adhesive toner image for bonding the front cover and the intermediate paper, and an adhesive toner image for bonding the back cover and the intermediate paper are formed in a triangular shape at the corner formed by the long side and short side of the recording material.

9. The image forming system according to claim 8, characterized in that the adhesive toner image for bonding the intermediate papers together is formed in a triangular shape at the corner formed by the long side and short side of the recording material.

10. The image forming system according to claim 1, characterized in that, depending on the type of recording material, at least one of the shape or area of ​​the adhesive toner image for bonding the front cover and the intermediate paper, or the shape or area of ​​the adhesive toner image for bonding the back cover and the intermediate paper, is changed.

11. The image forming system according to claim 1, characterized in that, depending on the operating environment of the booklet manufacturing apparatus, at least one of the shape or area of ​​the adhesive toner image for bonding the front cover and the intermediate paper, or the shape or area of ​​the adhesive toner image for bonding the back cover and the intermediate paper, is changed.

12. The image forming apparatus is capable of forming a toner image in an area other than the area on the recording material where the adhesive toner image is formed. The booklet production apparatus has alignment rollers for aligning multiple recording materials, The image forming system according to claim 1, characterized in that, depending on at least one of the image pattern and print density of the portion of the toner image other than the adhesive toner image formed on the recording material that the alignment roller contacts, the shape or area of ​​the adhesive toner image that adheres the front cover and the intermediate paper, and the shape or area of ​​the adhesive toner image that adheres the back cover and the intermediate paper are changed.

13. The image forming system according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the shape or area of ​​the toner image for adhesion on the cover side is set taking into consideration the maximum amount of displacement of the formation position of the toner image for adhesion.

14. The image forming system according to claim 13, characterized in that the shape or area of ​​the toner image for adhesion on the cover side is set according to the direction in which a shift in the formation position of the toner image for adhesion occurs.

Images