Image forming apparatus, printing method applicable to image forming apparatus, and computer program for implementing a printing process carried out by image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus capable of setting plural printing modes including a normal mode for printing on a recording medium having a normal thickness other than recording media having specific thicknesses including a thick recording medium and a thin recording medium,

• the image forming apparatus comprising:
• a fixing section configured to fix a developing agent image carried on a recording medium onto the recording medium by heat supplied from a heat source, the fixing section having not less than two printing speeds and not less than two preset fixing temperatures;
• a temperature control section configured to control a fixing temperature of the fixing section so as to adjust the fixing temperature to a preset fixing temperature;
• a display section configured to display a current printing mode being used;
• a counting section configured to count the number of recording media having been subjected to successive printing;
• a storage section configured to store therein the number counted by the counting section;
• a control section configured to carry out a control process including:
• setting a power saving mode by selecting a printing speed of the fixing section which is lower than a preset normal speed used in the normal mode while selecting a preset fixing temperature of the fixing section which is lower than a preset normal temperature used in the normal mode when the normal mode is alive while a frequency of successive printing on not more than three recording media is a predetermined percentage or more;
• and
• a driving member control section configured to switch a current printing speed of the fixing section to a printing speed selected by the control section.

A printing method applicable to an image forming apparatus which is capable of setting plural printing modes including a normal mode for printing on a recording medium having a normal thickness other than recording media having specific thicknesses including a thick recording medium and a thin recording medium and which includes:

• a fixing section configured to fix a developing agent image carried on a recording medium onto the recording medium by heat supplied from a heat source, the fixing section having not less than two printing speeds and not less than two preset fixing temperatures;
• and a temperature control section configured to control a fixing temperature of the fixing section so as to adjust the fixing temperature to a preset fixing temperature,
• the printing method comprising:
• a control step of carrying out a control process including:
• selecting a printing speed of the fixing section which is lower than a preset normal speed used in the normal mode while selecting a preset fixing temperature of the fixing section which is lower than a preset normal temperature used in the normal mode when the image forming apparatus receives an instruction to perform printing on a recording medium under a condition in which the normal mode is alive in a warm-up stage after powering ON or in a state of being resumed from a sleep mode for power consumption saving;
• starting a printing operation when the fixing temperature reaches the preset fixing temperature thus selected;
• and selecting the preset normal speed of the fixing section when the fixing temperature reaches the preset normal temperature;
• and
• a driving member control step of switching a current printing speed of the fixing section to a printing speed selected by the control step.

A computer program for implementing a printing process carried out by an image forming apparatus which is capable of setting plural printing modes including a normal mode for printing on a recording medium having a normal thickness other than recording media having specific thicknesses including a thick recording medium and a thin recording medium and which includes:

• a fixing section configured to fix a developing agent image carried on a recording medium onto the recording medium by heat supplied from a heat source, the fixing section having not less than two printing speeds and not less than two preset fixing temperatures;
• and a temperature control section configured to control a fixing temperature of the fixing section so as to adjust the fixing temperature to a preset fixing temperature,
• the computer program comprising:
• an instruction to implement a control function of carrying out a control process including:
• selecting a printing speed of the fixing section which is lower than a preset normal speed used in the normal mode while selecting a preset fixing temperature of the fixing section which is lower than a preset normal temperature used in the normal mode when the image forming apparatus receives an instruction to perform printing on a recording medium under a condition in which the normal mode is alive in a warm-up stage after powering ON or in a state of being resumed from a sleep mode for power consumption saving;
• starting a printing operation when the fixing temperature reaches the preset temperature thus selected;
• and selecting the preset normal speed of the fixing section when the fixing temperature reaches the preset normal temperature;
• and
• an instruction to implement a driving member control function of switching a current printing speed of the fixing section to a printing speed selected by the control function.