Compact belt fuser apparatus

A belt (10) fuser includes a fuser roller (92) and a guide roller (98) rotatably supported in a frame, as well as a floating idler roller and a tension roller. A belt reeved over the fuser, guide, idler, and tension rolls holds the idler roll in place and forms a nip by the reeving of the belt over the fuser roller (92). The tension roller is connected to a constant force mechanism that applies, through the tension roller, a tension force in the belt and a normal force against the fuser roller throughout the nip. Fusing nip length, dwell time, and thermal efficiency are greatly improved over roller fusers, and the fusing temperature can be significantly reduced as a result. In addition, the belt fuser of embodiments is significantly more compact than previous belt fusers, occupying only slightly more space than a conventional two roll fuser.