Patent ID: 7536126
Filing Date: 2009-05-19
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: a toner storage unit which stores a toner therein; a toner carrier which revolvingly moves in a predetermined direction as carrying thereon the toner supplied from the toner storage unit, thereby transporting the toner; and an image forming unit which forms an image-quality evaluation image on a recording medium by using the toner carried on the toner carrier and outputs the recording medium as a status sheet for checking image quality by a user, wherein the image forming unit forms the image-quality evaluation image which includes an evaluative image segment formed using the toner carried on a region of a surface of the toner carrier, the region having the toner thereon consumed for image formation in the immediately preceding revolution of the toner carrier, the image-quality evaluation image further includes a reference image segment which is formed using the toner carried on a region of the surface of the toner carrier, the region holding the toner unconsumed for image formation in the immediately preceding revolution of the toner carrier, the image-quality evaluation image is formed in a manner that the evaluative image segment and the reference image segment adjoin each other, and the image-quality evaluation image has an arrangement wherein the evaluative image segment adjoins the reference image segment on the overall periphery thereof.