Canon has developed a two-layered intermediate transfer belt (ITB) that reduces the density unevenness that causes mottled images, and introduced it on the LBP7200C color laser printer. One of the technical advantages of this ITB system is that it can support a variety of media including other than plain media. However, one of the major technical challenges in an ITB is mottled images, which are considered to be caused by unevenness in transfer efficiency in the secondary transfer process. This report explains the development of a tool for measuring toner adhesion force to an ITB after the primary transfer process, and the results of such measurements. Based on experiments and numerical simulation of the secondary transfer process, the reduction of mottled images in a two-layered ITB by low toner adhesion force is also discussed.
Yasunari Kobaru, Yoshiki Kudo, Yasuo Yoda, Toyoshige Sasaki, Yasunobu Murofushi, "A Study of Mottled Images in an Intermediate Transfer Belt System" in Proc. IS&T Int'l Conf. on Digital Printing Technologies and Digital Fabrication (NIP29), 2013, pp 345 - 348, https://doi.org/10.2352/ISSN.2169-4451.2013.29.1.art00021_2