Sheet discharge device, sheet discharge method, and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• a heating unit that includes a plurality of heat-generating elements arranged in a main scanning direction, each of the heat-generating elements being independently controlled to heat a predetermined heating region;
• an image forming unit configured to:
• generate
• (a) first energization information indicating
• a first element among the plurality of heat-generating elements to be energized to heat a first image to be formed according to first print data on a first sheet, and
• (b) second energization information indicating
• a second element among the plurality of heat-generating elements to be energized to heat a second image to be formed according to second print data on a second sheet subsequently to the first sheet,
• determine
• a first rotation amount of the first print data,
• a second rotation amount of the second print data, and
• based on the second rotation amount, whether the first energization information and the second energization information indicate that the first element and the second element heat a same predetermined heating region of the first image and the second image,
• print the first image on the first sheet, the first image being oriented on the first sheet according to the first rotation amount, and
• print the second image on the second sheet, the second image being oriented on the second sheet according to the second rotation amount;
• and
• a discharge unit configured to
• discharge the first sheet and the second sheet to different positions in response to the first rotation amount being different than the second rotation amount.