FLASH FIXING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a flash fixing device capable of making monochromatic printing and color printing compatible with each other, and preventing degradation in the lifetime of a smoke removal filter and occurrence of voids due to generation of a large amount of dust, and an image forming apparatus. SOLUTION: Eight flash lamps 48A to 48H are arranged along the conveyance direction of a recording medium 12 in a flash fixing unit 46. The lamps are covered by one reflection plate 50. The adjacent flash lamps 48 are arranged at alternately different spacings A, B. The spacing A between the flash lamps 48A and 48B on the inlet side and the the spacing B between the flash lamps 48G and 48H on the outlet side are made narrower than the spacing B between the flash lamps 48C and 48F adjacent to each other on the opposite side. In the monochromatic printing, the four flash lamps 48A, 48C, 48E, 48G are made to emit flash light at every other one along the conveyance direction of the recording medium 12. As a result, luminance unevenness can be prevented and the occurrence of a large amount of the dust and voids can be prevented. COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI