Patent ID: 8676078

Claim:
A fixing device, comprising: a fixing rotary body rotatable in a set direction of rotation; a pressing rotary body disposed parallel to and pressed against the fixing rotary body to form a fixing nip therebetween through which a recording medium bearing a toner image is conveyed; a heater to heat the fixing rotary body, disposed opposite a circumferential surface of the fixing rotary body and upstream from the fixing nip a set circumferential distance along the circumferential surface of the fixing rotary body in the direction of rotation of the fixing rotary body; a heater driver operatively connected to the heater to turn on and off the heater; a timing calculator to calculate a reference time at which a trailing end portion of the recording medium in a conveyance direction of the recording medium reaches the fixing nip; and a heater driver controller operatively connected to the timing calculator and the heater driver to cause the heater driver to turn off the heater at a turn-off time earlier than the reference time calculated by the timing calculator, wherein the turn-off time is earlier than the reference time by a set period of time corresponding to a time required for the fixing rotary body to rotate the set circumferential distance.