Image forming apparatus and image forming method

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• an image forming unit for forming an electrostatic latent image on an image carrier;
• a developing unit for developing the electrostatic latent image on said image carrier with a developing solution obtained by dispersing developer particles in a solvent, thereby forming a visible image;
• an intermediate transfer medium to which the visible image on said image carrier is to be transferred;
• a transfer unit having a backup member abutted against said intermediate transfer medium, said backup member urging a transfer target against said intermediate transfer medium, thereby transferring the visible image on said intermediate transfer medium to said transfer target;
• a determination unit for determining a type of said transfer target to which the visible image is to be transferred by said transfer unit;
• and
• a control unit for controlling said image forming unit in accordance with the type of said transfer target determined by said determination unit, so that at least a part a low-density image portion developed at said image forming unit differs in density from the image represented by the signal input to said image forming unit.

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• an image forming unit for forming an electrostatic latent image on an image carrier;
• a developing unit for developing the electrostatic latent image on said image carrier with a developing solution obtained by dispersing developer particles in a solvent, thereby forming a visible image;
• an intermediate transfer medium to which the visible image on said image carrier is to be transferred;
• a transfer unit having a backup member abutted against said intermediate transfer medium, said backup member urging a transfer target against said intermediate transfer medium, thereby transferring the visible image on said intermediate transfer medium to said transfer target;
• a determination unit for determining a type of said transfer target to which the visible image is to be transferred by said transfer unit;
• and
• a control unit for controlling said image forming unit in accordance with the type of said transfer target determined by said determination unit, so that a least part of a low-density image portion developed at said image forming unit differs in density from the image represented by the signal input to said image forming unit.

An image forming method comprising the steps of:

• forming an electrostatic latent image on an image carrier;
• developing the electrostatic latent image on said image carrier with a developing solution obtained by dispersing developer particles in a solvent, thereby forming a visible image;
• transferring the visible image on said image carrier to an intermediate transfer medium abutted against said image carrier;
• urging a transfer target against said intermediate transfer medium with a backup member, thereby transferring the visibly image on said intermediate transfer medium to said transfer target;
• determining a type of said tranfer target to which the visible image is to be transferred;
• and
• variably controlling a pressing force applied by said backup member to said transfer target determined in the step of determining the type of said transfer target.

An image forming apparatus using a developing solution obtained by dispersing developer particles in a solvent, comprising:

• an image carrier rotatably held, for carrying an electrostatic latent image;
• a developing unit for developing the electrostatic latent image on said image carrier with the developing solution, thereby forming a visible image;
• and
• a rotatable intermediate transfer medium abutting against said image carrier to transfer the visible image on said image carrier thereto, said intermediate transfer medium rotating with a speed difference of 1% to 5% from a rotational speed of said image carrier.