Patent ID: 8676077

Claim:
An optical fixing apparatus comprising: a transport unit that transports a recording medium that carries an image transferred onto the recording medium in a first direction in a first fixing process and a second fixing process subsequent to the first fixing process and transports the recording medium in a second direction after the first fixing process and before the second fixing process, the second direction being opposite to the first direction; a light irradiating unit that irradiates the recording medium with light having a predetermined intensity while the recording medium is transported in the first direction by the transport unit in the first fixing process and the second fixing process; and a controller that controls the light irradiating unit so that the intensity of the light from the light irradiating unit is lower than the predetermined intensity in a predetermined first period before the end of the first fixing process and a predetermined second period after the start of the second fixing process, and so that an area of the recording medium that is irradiated with the light from the light irradiating unit in the first period and an area of the recording medium that is irradiated with the light from the light irradiating unit in the second period overlap.