Patent ID: 7783242

Claim:
An image forming apparatus, comprising: an image forming portion for forming a toner image on a recording material; a fixing device for performing a heating process on the toner image formed on the recording material in the image forming portion; and a glossiness applying device provided to a downstream side of the fixing device in a moving direction of the recording material, the glossiness applying device including an endless belt contacted with the toner image formed on the recording material and a pressure roller forming a nip portion for pinching the recording material by being in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the endless belt, for performing a heating process on the toner image formed on the recording material and then cooling the toner image in a state where the recording material is brought into contact with the endless belt, wherein the image forming apparatus includes a first recording mode in which the recording material is outputted without being subjected to a glossing process by the glossiness applying device after the toner image is subjected to the heating process by the fixing device; and a second recording mode in which the glossing process is performed on the toner image by the glossiness applying device after the toner image is subjected to the heating process by the fixing device, and then the recording material is outputted, wherein in the second recording mode, the image forming apparatus forms a toner image on a surface of a recording material having a thermoplastic resin layer and the glossiness applying device embeds the toner image on the surface of the recording material in the thermoplastic resin layer of the recording material, and wherein in a case where a void ratio G of toner in the toner image formed on the recording material, which has been subjected to the heating process by the fixing device and has not yet been subjected to the glossing process by the glossiness applying device, is defined by a thickness t 1 (μm) of a toner layer formed on the recording material before entering the glossiness applying device passing through the fixing device, and a thickness t 2 (μm) of a toner layer formed on the recording material after passing through the glossiness applying device, as follows: G= 100×( t 1- t 2)/ t 1, in the second recording mode, the fixing device and the glossiness applying device are respectively set so that the void ratio G (%) of toner satisfies a formula 15≦G≦60.