Image forming apparatus and method of controlling the apparatus

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• a document mount;
• a document read window;
• a document feed unit which feeds an original document to the document read window;
• an exposure unit provided so that it can reciprocate along the document window and can move to the position opposite the document read window;
• a first reading unit which, when an original document is set on the document mount, reciprocates the exposure unit along the document mount and optically reads the image of the document on the document mount while the exposure unit is moving forwards;
• a second reading unit which, when an original document is set on the document feed unit, stops the exposure unit at the position opposite the document read window and reads the image of the document fed to the document read window through the document read window while operating the document feed unit;
• an image bearing body;
• a scanning unit which optically scans the surface of the image bearing body to form a latent image corresponding to the image read through the document read window on the surface of the image bearing body;
• a developing unit which develops the latent image formed on the surface of the image bearing body by supplying developer to the image bearing body;
• a transfer unit which transfers the image on the image bearing body developed by the development unit onto an image forming medium;
• a recognition unit which recognizes the density of the image read by either the first reading unit or the second reading unit;
• a first operating unit operated by a user for designating the density of the image to be transferred onto the image forming medium;
• a detecting unit which detects a consumption of the developer required for development by the developing unit according the results of recognition by the recognition unit and the density designated with the first operating unit;
• a display unit;
• a first control unit which displays the consumption detected by the detecting unit on the display unit, and a preview of the image to be transferred onto the image forming medium;
• and
• a second control unit which changes the density of the image preview displayed on the display unit according to an operation of the first operating unit.

In an image forming apparatus having a reading unit which reads the image of a document, an image bearing body, a scanning unit which optically scans across the surface of the image bearing body to form a latent image corresponding to the image read by the reading unit on the surface of the image bearing body, a developing unit which supplies developer to the image bearing body to develop the latent image on the surface of the image bearing body, a transfer unit which transfers the image on the surface of the image bearing body developed by the developing unit onto an image forming medium, a recognition unit which recognizes the density of the image read by the reading unit, a first operating unit, operated by a user, which designates the density of the image to be transferred onto the image forming medium, and a display unit,

• a method of controlling the apparatus comprising:
• detecting a consumption of the developer required for development by the developing unit according to the results of recognition by the recognition unit and the density designated with the first operating unit;
• displaying the consumption detected by the detecting unit and a preview of the image to be transferred onto the image forming medium on the display unit;
• and
• changing the density of the image preview displayed on the display unit according to an operation of the first operating unit.