| US 7,546,045 B2 | ||
| Image forming apparatus having image placement control and method of controlling same | ||
| Junichi Noguchi, Suzhou (China); Takashi Kanno, Kashiwa (Japan); Takashi Soya, Abiko (Japan); Shinichi Takata, Abiko (Japan); Shigemichi Hamano, Abiko (Japan); Kiyoshi Okamoto, Moriya (Japan); Katsuyuki Yamazaki, Toride (Japan); and Tomoichiro Ohta, Kashiwa (Japan) | ||
| Assigned to Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo (Japan) | ||
| Filed on May 11, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/431,616. | ||
| Claims priority of application No. 2005-159938 (JP), filed on May 31, 2005. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2006/0285863 A1, Dec. 21, 2006 | ||
| Int. Cl. G03G 15/00 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 399—49 | 12 Claims |
| 1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an image carrier configured to support an image produced by a developing material;
an image placement portion, which is operative when an image having a size equal to or less than a prescribed size is formed,
configured to decide placement of the image on said image carrier so as to reserve a vacant area, which is provided for forming
an adjustment pattern for adjusting at least one of an image formation position and an image formation density, on said image
carrier;
an image forming portion configured to form the image on said image carrier in accordance with the decided placement, and
for forming an adjustment pattern in the vacant area;
a reading portion configured to read the adjustment pattern that has been formed on said image carrier; and
an adjustment portion configured to adjust at least one of the image formation position and the image formation density based
upon the adjustment pattern that has been read,
wherein said image placement portion reserves the vacant area outside an area, in which the image is formed, on said image
carrier along a main-scan direction by deciding placement of the image in such a manner that short sides of the image will
lie along the main-scan direction of said image carrier.
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