摘要 |
In a fixing device, a sheet of paper carrying an image formed with pre-fixed toner is transported to a fixing nip region in which (1) a fixing roller heated by a heating roller outside of the fixing roller and (2) a pressure roller come into contact, so that the toner is melted and fixed on the sheet of paper. The heating roller is controlled so that a surface portion of the fixing roller in the vicinity of an exit of the fixing nip region constantly has a set temperature during the transport of the sheet of paper through the fixing nip region. By thus arranging a fixing device, the resultant fixing device features a short warm-up period, high thermal efficiency and uniform temperature distribution, capability of fixing color toner without application of oil, durability and safety, a simple structure and a low manufacturing cost, no curling of paper after fixation, and applicability to high-speed printing. <IMAGE> |