Fixing station and method for the uniform fixing of toner images on a carrier material with the aid of a movable covering device

A fixing station and a method for fixing toner images on a carrier material. The fixing station has an arrangement for moving a carrier material in a first direction and in a second direction opposite the first direction, a heat radiation source, which heats the carrier material to fix a toner thereon, and a covering device which is arranged between the carrier material and the heat radiation source and is movable parallel to the direction of the carrier material between an opened and closed position, so that while in the closed position, it blocks radiation from reaching the carrier device and in an opened position allows the radiation to heat the carrier material. The method includes delaying the opening and closing of the covering device so that a previously fixed area of the carrier material is not subjected to additional radiation from the heat radiation source.