Patent ID: 8200112

Claim:
A method of controlling a temperature in a fuser assembly of a printing apparatus, comprising: providing a heat transfer member, a heater to heat said heat transfer member, and a backup member, said heat transfer member and said backup member defining a fusing nip; defining a first heater temperature setpoint corresponding to a first thermal load for said heat transfer member; defining a second heater temperature setpoint different from said first temperature setpoint corresponding to a second thermal load for said heat transfer member; and maintaining said heater at or near said first temperature setpoint during at least a substantial portion of the time when said heat transfer member is operating at said first thermal load and maintaining said heater at or near said second temperature setpoint during at least a substantial portion of the time when said heat transfer member is operating at said second thermal load, wherein a temperature of said heat transfer member at said fusing nip during said portion of time when operating at said first thermal load is substantially the same as a temperature of said heat transfer member at said fusing nip during said portion of time when operating at said second thermal load; wherein said first heater temperature setpoint is based upon substrate size, a processing speed of said printing apparatus and a first interpage gap between substrates during a print operation; wherein said second heater temperature setpoint is based upon said substrate size, said processing speed of said printing apparatus and a second interpage gap between substrates during said print operation, said second interpage gap being different from the first interpage gap; wherein said maintaining is performed without measuring temperature.