Roller drive control method for fixing apparatus

A roller drive control method for a fixing apparatus in which a separation claw for separating a recording paper and a cleaning unit for removing toner that has become residual on a surface of a heat roller are arranged near a surface of the heat roller that fixes toner onto the recording paper,

• wherein a predetermined period different from a fixing process period in which fixing of toner onto the recording paper is carried out is set as a toner removal period for removing toner that has adhered to the separation claw by using the cleaning unit and via the heat roller, and
• the heat roller is rotationally driven without suspension during the toner removal period so that a peripheral velocity of the heat roller in the toner removal period is a peripheral velocity 1/19 to 1/10 times the peripheral velocity of the heat roller in the fixing process period.