Patent ID: 7787792

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming part for forming an image on a recording material; a fixing part for fixing the image formed on the recording material, said fixing part includes a heating member, and a pressure member that forms a nip portion with said heating member to pinch and convey the recording material; and a power supply controller for controlling an electrical power supply to said heating member so that the temperature of said heating member is maintained at a target temperature; wherein in a case where images are continuously formed on a plurality of the recording materials, said apparatus has a first fixing treating mode in which the target temperature at the nip portion during an interval between a proceeding recording material and a recording material just following the proceeding recording material is lower than or equal to the target temperature when a recording material is just passing through the nip potion, and a second fixing treating mode in which the target temperature at the nip portion during an interval between the proceeding recording material and the recording material just following the proceeding recording material is higher than the target temperature when a recording material is just passing through the nip potion, and wherein the time period between the proceeding recording material and the recording material just following the proceeding recording material when the apparatus is set in the second fixing treating mode is longer than the time period between the proceeding recording material and the recording material just following the proceeding recording material when the apparatus is set in the first fixing treating mode.