Image forming apparatus, image forming system, fixing control method, and computer program product

A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-usable medium having computer-readable program codes embodied in the medium for processing information in an image forming apparatus that includes a fixing control unit, the program codes when executed causing a computer to execute:

• analyzing print data in a page description language to obtain a drawing condition including a drawing command set;
• generating output image data by using a type of dither, which is selected from a plurality of types of dither, which are prepared and associated with drawing conditions in advance, according to the drawing condition analyzed at the analyzing, and by conducting a drawing process in accordance with the drawing condition;
• forming an image on a recording sheet using the output image data generated;
• and
• controlling a fixing temperature to a target value in a process of fixing the image formed onto the recording sheet by heating the image to the fixing temperature, wherein
• a database in which each of the types of dither is associated with the target value that is a target value of fixing temperature for power saving is prepared, and
• the target value of fixing temperature corresponding to the type of dither used in the generating of the output image data in the drawing process is obtained from the database to carry out the control to conduct fixing at the target value thus obtained.

A method of fixing control comprising:

• analyzing print data in a page description language to obtain a drawing condition including a drawing command set;
• generating output image data by using a type of dither, which is selected from a plurality of types of dither, which are prepared and associated with drawing conditions in advance, according to the drawing condition analyzed at the analyzing, and by conducting a drawing process in accordance with the drawing condition;
• forming an image on a recording sheet using the output image data generated;
• and
• controlling a fixing temperature to a target value in a process of fixing the image formed onto the recording sheet by heating the image to the fixing temperature, wherein
• a database in which each of the types of dither is associated with the target value that is a target value of fixing temperature for power saving is prepared, and
• the target value of fixing temperature corresponding to the type of dither used in the generating of the output image data in the drawing process is obtained from the database to carry out the control to conduct fixing at the target value thus obtained.