Fixing device and image forming apparatus incorporating same

A fixing device comprising:

• a rotatable pressing roller;
• a fixing rotator to rotate in contact with the pressing roller;
• a nip formation pad disposed inside the fixing rotator to form a nip with pressure from the pressing roller to fix an image on a recording medium;
• and
• a slide sheet disposed between the nip formation pad and the fixing rotator, the slide sheet including:
• a base material layer made of a woven fabric of spun yarn,
• wherein a distance between adjacent spun yarns of the base material layer is equal to or less than 0.4 times a width of the spun yarn in a cross-section of the slide sheet in a direction of slide movement of the fixing rotator, and,
• in a cross-section of the slide sheet in a longitudinal direction of the slide sheet and a direction perpendicular to the slide movement of the fixing rotator, a thickness of the spun yarn is equal to or greater than 0.2 times a width of the spun yarn.